We have passed the halfway point of the Winter Olympics, and Ohio State has certainly put its stamp on one of the events. Women’s hockey has featured 12 past and present Buckeyes on the ice in Milan, with 11 of those players moving on to the medal round. Of the two semifinal games that were played on Monday, each of the four teams had at least one Ohio State player on their roster. Seven Buckeyes will vie for the gold medal on Thursday when the United States and Canada battle.
Unlike the Summer Olympics,
where there isan Ohio State influence spread over numerous events, ice hockey is about the only event that features Buckeyes in the Winter Olympics. There are plenty of reasonable expectations as to why that is. The Summer Olympics have a lot more events than varsity sports at Ohio State, where ice hockey is the only Winter Olympics varsity sport.
Some events, like skiing and snowboarding, are hard to see any Ohio Staters in because the weather and lack of elevation in central Ohio don’t make it easy for Olympic hopefuls to get practice in. Those who want to ski or snowboard have to go up to Mansfield, and even though the slopes are open is limited. Even though it might not seem like it with the weather Columbus has seen over the last month, this is more of a Summer Olympics city.
Although there are obstacles when it comes to the Winter Olympics for Ohio State to be a power in a lot of events, today we want to know which Winter Olympics event you would like to seethe Buckeyes have more of an influence in. In the end, this essentially comes down to which events you would love to watch with some Ohio State athletes in the field. Maybe it’s an event you already enjoy watching, and adding some Buckeyes would make it even more interesting, or it could be an event you would like to learn more about, and some Ohio State flair would help push you even more.
Today’s question: Which Winter Olympics event do you wish had more Ohio State influence?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Skeleton/Luge/Bobsled
I have so much respect for those who not only participate in these events, but also those who have excelled at it enough to make the Olympics. The other night, I saw some action from Skeleton and was just in awe of the event. It’s not that I haven’t seen it before, but since it only comes around once every four years, you forget how crazy it is. Imagine hurtling down some giant ice slide headfirst at over 70 miles an hour. As if that wasn’t crazy enough, in luge, you’re doing it legs first.
While I know there are no luge, skeleton, or bobsled sports in the NCAA, I would love to see Ohio State find a way to have some influence in the sports. Why not take the old Fort Rapids indoor water park out on Hamilton Road and build a giant luge course? I’m kidding, I know that isn’t happening.
When it comes to aerodynamics and bobsled construction, I’m sure Buckeyes could lean on Graham Rahal for some advice. Not only is Rahal a diehard Ohio State fan, but he also knows a thing or two about maximizing speed while also balancing that with keeping control of what you are driving. Even though the surfaces are completely different, there are still a lot of similarities between the two.
Another reason I would love to see these events have more of an Ohio State influence is that they aren’t events that are terribly time-consuming. In the Winter Olympics, we are just coming off the conclusion of the college football and NFL seasons, which, when you are watching those games, you have to block off at least three hours. Usually in these races, you are down the course in a minute, and even in the time it takes the whole field to compete, it’s not too long. It’s the perfect event for the country as our attention spans continue to dwindle.
If there are ever any Ohio State alums in any of these events, they need to hire Ted Ginn Jr. as an honorary speed consultant, since I’m sure just having him in their corner will make them even faster!
Matt’s answer: Curling
Look, this one is purely selfish, but I want Ohio State to dominate curling. Not only is the sport ever-present throughout the fortnight in Italy, but I also think that it could provide us with some cathartic healing, given the last half-decade that we have been forced to suffer through.
Starting first with the more logistical reason for my selection, over at my day job, every day during the Olympics, I am breaking down when and where you can watch every single event of the Winter Olympics, and you know what has more events on every day than any other sport? That’s right, curling.
With the size of Ohio State’s student body and the ever-growing international student population on campus, I would love for every curling event — men’s, women’s, mixed doubles, or whatever else they come up with next — to have at least one Buckeye represented. That way, I can turn on Peacock from 3:05 a.m. ET until I go to bed at night with the replays, and always be able to watch someone represent the Scarlet and Gray at The Games.
This is simply about inventory; there is just So. Damn. Much. Curling. On. TV. Admittedly, I know nothing about the sport, but if you want to get me invested in something, the easiest way to do it is to throw some Buckeyes in it. Therefore, if Buckeyes played a significant role in a sport that is essentially omnipresent on Peacock, NBC, and USA, that would be a boon for me, giving me something to watch and root for.
Now for the more emotional reason. Everyone in Buckeye Nation knows that for over half a decade, we have had to suffer through the indignity of not only watching our rival openly cheat on a regular basis, but then suffer no significant consequences and continue to falsely claim the moral high ground on ever subject, despite a football coaching staff that has seen more people arrested and fired in recent years than is otherwise imaginable.
So, given the recent controversies in curling, I am itching for some payback, vicariously or otherwise. While I agree with Brett that all of the bobsled, luge, skeleton, tobogganing, sledding, and flying-down-icy-ramps-at-insane-speed events are fun, everybody is wearing helmets, and you don’t get to really know or appreciate the athletes or their personalities. But in curling, you get to see it all, the good, the bad, and the profanity-laden.
I’ll admit, I have not gotten into the Winter Olympics as much as I probably would have liked to. Not because I wasn’t interested, but my schedule just hasn’t allowed it. However, regardless of how much of The Games you have watched, there is little doubt that any sports fan on the internet has seen this.
To break it down, a Canadian men’s curler (did you know that curling is the national sport of Canada?) got caught cheating on television, and then when he got called on it, he dropped the F-bomb, claiming that he’s never done it in his life. Like the Michigan football program, he was lying, and everyone knew it.
Ohio State has obviously had to deal with holier-than-thou gaslighting cheaters quite a bit in recent years, and while winning the national championship in 2025 and The Game this past fall were nice, I still don’t feel like we have yet adequately extracted our pound of flesh.
So, if there were a bunch of Buckeyes in curling able to call Michigan… I mean Canada, on their cheating bullshit, it would mean a lot to my heart.
