It Takes Two

Team USA is full of powerful duos, and not just in team events. There are some teams that exist away from the competition that go above and beyond the bond between teammates. Get to know some of the close knit roommates, couples, and siblings that make Team USA strong.

Steve Langton and Jon Daly

Roommates at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Centre, Steve competes in bobsled and Jon competes in skeleton. They live, train, and travel together on the World Cup circuit all year round, and share their life in a humous video series they created on Youtube.

These two could not be more different, and have experienced different results in Sochi thus far. Steve Langton pushed pilot Steven Holcomb to a bronze place finish, while earlier this week John made a fatal mistake at the beginning of his run, costing him any chance at a medal and putting a troubled frown on his usually smiling face.

Nic Taylor and Elana Myers

Bobsled teammates Nick and Elana first met over the phone, when Nic called the US Bobsled recruitment office to sort out some paperwork. 2 months after Nic arrived to the Olympic Training Centre, the couple was dating, and travelling around the world with their teammates on the world cup circuit. In 2013 as Elana was accepting her silver medal at the World Championships, Nic got down on one knee and proposed. In April they’ll trade their speed suits in for a wedding gown and tux and marry 3 years after meeting.

Phil and Amanda Kessel

If hockey was a pairs competition, Phil and Amanda would win gold. So far, the brother sister duo has scored a total of 7 goals between them, and they are known as carbon copies of one another. They have the same equipment, skates, and tape up their sticks in the same way. Although it might be in the genes, the Kessel kids don’t recall their parents setting a skate on the ice, and Amanda cites playing with her brother as the source for her talent. They skate alike, with similar strides, and they answer questions the same way-it’s all about the team. I guess that’s what happens when you grow with the best possible teammate a player could have-your sibling.

Bode Miller and Morgan Beck

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Bode Miller is never too far from his wife Morgan[/caption]

Olympic medalist Bode Miller has a new teammate, and it’s not a winter athlete. Morgan Beck plays volleyball for Team USA in the summer Olympics, and the couple has been inseparable since they met. They split their time between Bode’s winter races and Morgan’s summer schedule, and Bode has been helping Morgan prepare for her upcoming season during their downtime in Sochi. She claims that his analysis of her performance helps her improve, while his ski coach says that we are seeing a different, mellower Bode thank’s to Morgan’s influence.