Utah is famous for its mountains and outdoor sports, so obviously we are going to produce some incredible Olympic athletes. I’m sure you’re aware that there are people from Utah on the U.S. Olympic team, but now is the time for you to learn some more about them. Keep reading to learn more about the six Utah women who earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Faye Gulini (Instagram: @fayegulini)
Faye competed for Team USA in snowboarding this year for the third time. She was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and even went on to attend Westminster College to obtain a degree in accounting. She has been snowboarding since she was nine years old and volunteers locally at the Wasatch Adaptive Program (source).
Sarah Hendrickson (Instagram: @schendrickson)
Sarah is a two-time Olympic athlete from Park City, Utah who competes in ski jumping. She was born in Salt Lake City but grew up in Park City. For college, she attended Utah State University. She loves running, biking, and doing yoga or pilates when she isn’t skiing (source).
Megan McJames (Instagram: @meganmcjames)
Megan is a three-time Olympic athlete from Park City, Utah who competes in alpine skiing. She was born and raised in Park City and went on to attend Westminster College. She has been skiing since the age of two and loves to be outdoors. Specifically, she loves to ski, play soccer or tennis, mountain bike, hike, and camp. When she’s hanging out at home, she enjoys baking or just watching movies (source).
Madison Olsen (Instagram: @maddyolsen)
Madison was born and raised in Park City, Utah. She competes in freestyle skiing and has been on the U.S. Team for five years. She started skiing at the age of two and at 14, she decided it was her goal to one day make it to the Olympics. This year was the first year that she was able to compete in the Olympics. When she’s not skiing, she still loves to be outside and enjoys biking, hiking, and golfing. She also loves to cook and bake (source).
Abby Ringquist (Instagram: @abbyringquist)
Abby grew up in Park City, Utah and graduated from Park City High School and Westminster College. This was her first time at the Olympics, where she competed in ski jumping. She is married and has 14 pets, including three dogs, two goats, and nine chickens. She loves alpine skiing, but is also very artsy and enjoys painting, drawing, and photography. Fun Fact: she is a ski jumper but is afraid of heights (source)!
Jerica Tandiman (Instagram: @jlantan)
Jerica, from Kearns, Utah, competed at the Olympics for the first time this year in long track speedskating. She was inspired to start skating when she was seven years old (in 2002) because the Utah Olympic Oval was built very close to her house. Aside from skating, she loves art, baking, and working out (source).
Next time you hear someone talking about one of these lovely ladies, you’ll know that they’re from right here in Utah. The Olympics have come to a close, but you can still follow these incredible women on their Instagram accounts to see what they’re going to be up to afterwards.
All images in this article have been taken from the respective Instagram accounts of the athletes mentioned.