Brooklyn Park Curler on Making Olympic History: ‘Did This Really Happen?’
Brooklyn Park curler Rich Ruohonen recently came home after making history at the Olympic Winter Games last month in Italy. At 54, he set the record as the oldest American Olympian to compete in the Winter Games.
Ruohonen joined Team Casper as an alternate, but said there was a plan for him to see game action in Cortina and set the record. He didn’t expect to do it in game two, but in their match against Switzerland, they decided the time was right.
He said he “still has to pinch himself” after his Olympic experience, especially with having his loved ones in the stands.
“You know, just to enjoy that moment with my family was everything. And just hard work and perseverance,” said Ruohonen. “They’ve made a lot of sacrifices, and just to have them with me enjoying the moment was probably one of the best moments of my life.”
Though Ruohonen’s team came close, they didn’t make it to the finals. He said that it was still an incredible experience to play on the world stage and watch the other athletes, including the women’s curling team, as well as bobsled, luge and skeleton.
Ruohonen with his family at the Olympics
Using His Platform
Ruohonen also made headlines speaking out against federal ICE activity in the Twin Cities. He said it was a team decision for him to speak out and he felt it was important to talk about it.
“If we medaled, it would’ve been probably equal on what it meant to me to say that. What it meant to us as Team USA athletes to voice our opinion on things that matter, and truly matter where we live,” Ruohonen said.
He said he had some backlash, which he expected, but for the most part got positive responses.
Looking Forward
As for Ruohonen’s career, he’s going to compete in the World Senior Curling Championships. He’s also playing in a few charity events, including one for House of Hearts in Duluth. He’s also catching back up on his work as an attorney at TSR.
Ruohonen said he’s not sure if he’s retiring from curling quite yet, though either way he said he’ll continue playing seniors and for fun. He hopes to advocate for U.S. curling athletes to get a living wage for their sport as well.
One of Ruohonen’s goals when we spoke to him in December was to introduce more people to the sport. He said he thinks they met that goal.
If anyone is interested in learning about curling, Ruohonen said there will be curling open houses at different clubs throughout the area in the spring. The closest one to the CCX News coverage area is the Four Seasons Curling Club in Blaine. Pricing and time details are on its website.
Ruohonen with other members of Team Casper. He said they received multiple suitcases worth of Olympic clothing.
