MEET THE ATHELTES
Get acquainted with the men and women of Team USA and learn what inspires them on and off the playing field
HANNA KEARNEY
Olympic Gold Medalist at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
Hannah Kearney grew up playing soccer and riding horses in Vermont, but it was her skill as a skier that led her to the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Born February 26, 1986, she has earned 40 World Cup moguls medals, 25 of them gold, and is a four-time U.S. champion. When not skiing, Kearney studies at Dartmouth College and sits on the board of directors of the Waterville Valley Black & Blue Trail Smashers, the ski club of her youth. (See more… )
SHANI DAVIS
Olympic Gold Medalist at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
Shani Davis, born in Chicago on August 13, 1982, was the first African-American to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Speedskating Team. He has set eight world records and become one of only three men to pass the 10,000 points mark in a World Cup career. He inspired the creation of Inner City Excellence, or ICE, a skating-based youth-development program, as well as Frozone, an African-American superhero with ice powers, who was featured in the movie The Incredibles. (See more…)
EVAN LYSACEK
Olympic Gold Medalist at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
Born June 4, 1985, Evan Lysacek began skating at age 8 and has since become a two-time U.S. national champion and an Olympic Gold Medalist. In April 2012, he was appointed to be a sports envoy by the U.S. Department of State and also volunteers with Figure Skating in Harlem, the Make-a-Wish Foundation and Ronald McDonald House Charities. His role models are basketball icon Michael Jordan and tennis champion Roger Federer. (See more…)
MERYL DAVIS & CHARLIE WHITE
Olympic Silver Medalists at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
Meryl Davis, born January 1, 1987, and Charlie White, born October 24, 1987, are the first American ice-dancing world champions. Born and raised in Michigan, where they both still live, Davis and White volunteer with Classroom Champions and enjoy spending time outdoors when they’re not competing on the ice. They both attend the University of Michigan, with Davis majoring in cultural anthropology and White hoping to attend law school in the future. (See more…)
JULIE CHU
Olympic Silver Medalist the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
Julie Chu was born March 13, 1982, and has become the first Asian-American ever to play for the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. She was a gold medalist at the 2013 World Championships, and, as team captain of the Harvard University women’s hockey team, she set records as the all-time assists leader and all-time leading scorer in NCAA history. Her family’s motto is “CHU: commitment, honor, unity.” (See more…)
ZACH PARISE
Olympic Silver Medalist at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
Zach Parise is called one of the hardest-working players in hockey. Born July 28, 1984, he joined the University of North Dakota’s men’s hockey team in 2002 and was drafted by the NHL’s New Jersey Devils the following year. He is an active participant with Defending the Blue Line, a nonprofit organization that helps children of military members access hockey programs. He now plays for his home state’s NHL team, the Minnesota Wild. (See more…)
MIKE SHEA
PARALYMPIC SNOWBOARDING
Born May 31, 1983, Mike Shea, two-time X Games silver medalist, developed his Olympic dream when he began competing against other adaptive snowboarders in 2010. He was named to the inaugural U.S. Paralympic Snowboarding National Team in the summer of 2013. In his personal life, Shea sells custom furniture and serves as a snowboarding coach for the development program at the National Sports Center for the Disabled. He also enjoys playing softball and basketball, golfing and fishing, among other activities. (See more…)
