As the 2022 Olympic Winter Games bring athletes from around the world to Beijing, Team USA will include a number of athletes from Upstate New York.
The York contingent includes first-time Olympians in bobsled, luge, hockey, freestyle skiing and moguls, as well as several veteran athletes.
All eyes will be on figure skater Karen Chen, who took a leave of absence from her undergraduate studies at Cornell University to prepare for her second Olympic Games.
Saranac Lake native Chris Mazdzer is hoping for a podium finish in luge; four years ago in PyeongChang, he brought home the first Olympic medal for a men’s single slider in Team USA history.
The Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony will be broadcast on NBC on Friday, Feb. 4. Early competitions begin Feb. 2, and primetime coverage of figure skating and men’s and women’s moguls will start Feb. 3.
More than 220 athletes will represent the United States. Below is a list of athletes with local ties; look for future coverage on individual competition schedules and results.
Hunter Church, Joshua Williamson, Kristopher Horn and Charles Volker of the US take the start of the first run of the 4-man bobsleigh event of the IBSF Bob & Skeleton World Cup in Winterberg, western Germany on January 9, 2022. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP) (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images
Hunter Church
Sport: Bobsled
DOB: 10/30/1996
Hometown: Cadyville, N.Y.
About: Church grew up an hour north of Lake Placid’s bobsled run, in a family devoted to the sport (his father and uncle were both bobsledders in the 1980s). He learned to drive a bobsled at age 12 and got serious about the sport after graduating from high school. Now 25, Church as competed on the world circuit for five seasons. In 2020, he became the first U.S. bobsled pilot to win a World Cup medal since 2017. His Olympic qualification run included a bronze medal at the Winterberg World Cup four-man race.
Fun fact: Church’s favorite song is “Learning to Fly” by Tom Petty.
Source: TeamUSA.org
16 January 2021, Thuringia, Oberhof: Luge, World Cup, men's singles 1st heat. Jonathan Gustafson from USA luge on the track. Photo: Hendrik Schmidt/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB (Photo by Hendrik Schmidt/picture alliance via Getty Images)dpa/picture alliance via Getty I
Jonny Gustafson
Sport: Luge, singles
DOB: 3/5/1997
Hometown: Massena, NY
About: After competing in four world championships, Gustafson, 24, is making his Olympic debut in Beijing. The North Country native was 11 years old when he first tried the sport at SUNY Canton. His best finishes on the World Cup circuit came close to home, with a seventh place finish in Lake Placid in 2019.
Fun fact: He is an avid Esports player.
Source: TeamUSA.org
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Chris Mazdzer of Team United States poses for a portrait during the Team USA Beijing 2022 Olympic shoot on September 12, 2021 in Irvine, California. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Team USA)Getty Images for Team USA
Chris Mazdzer
Sport: Luge, singles
Height: 6′1″
Weight: 210 lbs.
DOB: 6/26/1988
Hometown: Saranac Lake, N.Y.
High School: National Sports Academy (Lake Placid, N.Y.)
College: DeVry University
About: Mazder will compete in his fourth Olympic Winter Games, following his silver medal performance in PyeongChang, the first medal for a men’s single slider in Team USA history. The 33-year-old had hoped to qualify for the doubles events with partner Jayson Terdiman but was derailed by a crash at a competition in Latvia.
Fun fact: After the 2018 Olympics, he competed on Dancing With the Stars with professional dance partner Witney Carson. In April, he and his wife Mara welcomed their son Nicolai, nicknamed “Nico.”
Source: TeamUSA.org
Zachary Di Gregorio and Sean Hollander of United States after their second run at the Luge World Cup men doubles race in Sigulda, Latvia, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Roman Koksarov)AP
Sean Hollander
Sport: Luge, doubles
DOB: 2/11/2000
Hometown: Lake Placid
About: One of the youngest members of the luge team, Hollander qualified for the doubles competition with partner Zack Di Gregorio, who he has been paired with for 18 months. They will compete using a sled previously used by silver medalist Mazdzer and his partner Jayson Terdiman, who lost their spot in the doubles competition after a crash.
Fun fact: His Instagram account includes a video of him lifting a barbell stacked with 120 kg of weight at the Olympic Training Center.
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 12: Christopher Lillis of Team United States takes a training run for the Men's Aerials during the Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Ski World Cup at Deer Valley Resort on January 12, 2022 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)Getty Images
Chris Lillis
Sport: Freestyle Skiing
Height: 5′9″
Weight: 135 lbs.
DOB: 10/4/1998
Birthplace: Rochester, N.Y.
Hometown: Pittsford, N.Y.
High School: U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Team Academy
College: Monroe Community College
Team/Club: Bristol Mountain Freestyle Team
About: An ACL tear kept Lillis from competing in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018, but he qualified for the Beijing games with a quintuple twisting triple backflip that earned him a silver medals at the 2021 world freestyle skiing championships in Kazakhstan.
Fun fact: When he isn’t on the slopes, Lillis teaches guitar and piano lessons.
Source: TeamUSA.org
SENBOKU, JAPAN - FEBRUARY 23: Dylan Walczyk of USA competes during day one of the Men's FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup Tazawako on February 23, 2019 in Senboku, Akita, Japan. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)Getty Images
Dylan Walczyk
Sport: Skiing, Moguls
Height: 6′2″
Weight: 155 lbs.
DOB: 6/25/1993
Hometown: Rochester, NY
About: Walczyk was raised in Fairport and trained with the Bristol Mountain Freestyle ski program before moving to Colorado to pursue a skiing career. This will be his first Olympic Games, which he pursued as an independent athlete, separate from the U.S. Ski Team. In 2013, he won a bronze medal at his first World Cup; he was the highest ranked American mogul skier in the World Cup rankings in 2020
SOLITUDE, UTAH - FEBRUARY 01: Mick Dierdorff is carried off in celebration by Nick Baumgartner and Hagen Kearney after finishing first place in the Men's Snowboard Cross Final of the FIS Snowboard World Championships on February 1, 2019 at Solitude Mountain Resort in Solitude, Utah. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)Getty Images
Hagen Kearney
Sport: Men’s Snowboard Cross
Height: 6′2″
Weight: 175 lbs.
DOB: 11/6/1991
Birthplace: Buffalo, N.Y.
Hometown: Norwood, Colo.
High School: Telluride Mountain School (Telluride, Colo.) ‘10
About: Beijing will be the second Olympic for Kearney, who placed 13th in snowboard cross in PyeongChang. His love for snow started in 2000 when his family visited Telluride for a ski trip; he won his first World Cup in 2016, brought home a World Championship medal in 2017 and made his first Olympic team in 2018.
Fun fact: Kearney is a part of a metal band and plays the drums and guitar.
Source: TeamUSA.org
ALLENTOWN, PA - OCTOBER 22: Hayley Scamurra #16 of the United States looks on against Canada at the PPL Center on October 22, 2021 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)Getty Images
Hayley Scamurra
Sport: Ice Hockey
Position: Forward
Height: 5′8″
DOB: 12/14/1994
Birthplace: Williamsville, N.Y.
Hometown: Getzville, N.Y.
College: Northeastern University ‘17
About: Scamurra’s first memory is skating on her backyard rink with her father, who was the first person from Buffalo to play in the NHL. She was a top collegiate player at Northeastern University and went on to play with for the Buffalo Beauts in the National Women’s Hockey League before joining Team USA.
Fun fact: Her sports role model is two-time Olympian and soccer icon Abby Wambach.
Source: TeamUSA.org
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Karen Chen of Team United States poses for a portrait during the Team USA Beijing 2022 Olympic shoot on September 12, 2021 in Irvine, California. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Team USA)Getty Images for Team USA
Karen Chen
Sport: Figure Skating
Height: 5′0″
Weight: 105 lbs.
DOB: 8/16/1999
Birthplace: Freemont, Calif.
College: Cornell University
About: Known for her speed and spins, Chen placed 11th at the 2018 Olympics after winning the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 2017. After completing her freshman year at Cornell remotely due to Covid-19 closures in spring 2020, Chen took a leave of absence to focus on the upcoming Games in Beijing. She plans to return to campus as a sophomore in fall 2022 and is pondering medical school.
Fun fact: She is a fan of Pokémon and Studio Ghibli characters.
Source: TeamUSA.org
GRENOBLE, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 19: Karen Chen of the United States competes in the Women's Short Program during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Internationaux de France at Polesud Ice Skating Rink on November 19, 2021 in Grenoble, France. (Photo by Joosep Martinson - International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)International Skating Union via
The Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony will be broadcast on NBC on Friday, Feb. 4. Early competitions begin Feb. 2, and primetime coverage of figure skating and men’s and women’s moguls will start Feb. 3.
For a full Olympics schedule, including livestreams, visit NBCOlympics.com.
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