CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — At the finish of a lopsided match against Switzerland on Thursday, Rich Ruohonen, a 54-year-classic attorney from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, became the oldest American to ever compete in a Winter Olympics. The U.S. Men’s curling team was trailing 8-2 when they substituted Ruohonen into the game, a gesture that drew a standing ovation from the crowd.
Ruohonen, a six-time “Minnesota Attorney of the Year,” delivered a corner guard, a strategic shot in curling, and was greeted with cheers from his teammates, including skip Danny Casper, who was born in 2001. “Yeah, baby! Good shot, Rich!” Casper shouted, according to the Associated Press. Despite the team’s loss, Ruohonen expressed a wistful sentiment: “I would have rather done it when we were up 8-2 instead of down 8-2, but I really appreciate the guys giving me a chance.”
His inclusion on the team, as an alternate for Casper who has Guillain-Barre syndrome, has transformed Ruohonen into an unexpected mentor figure for the Gen-Z curlers. He’s taken on the role of driver, alarm clock, and snack provider, balancing his Olympic commitments with his full-time legal practice. “We got Rich. Uh, he’s a lawyer. I don’t know if you guys knew that,” Casper joked at a recent press conference, as reported by the AP, a fact that had already been highlighted multiple times.
The demands on Ruohonen’s time are considerable. He wakes up at 5 a.m. Three days a week to train before heading to work, spending his days practicing law and evenings returning to the ice. He carries a collared shirt and tie to handle Zoom hearings while traveling to curling tournaments on Thursdays through Sundays. He shares his passion for the sport with his wife, Sherri, and their two children, Nicholas, 21, and Hannah, 24, having taught them to curl, though his son prefers hockey.
Despite the playful teasing and occasional TikTok videos featuring him, Ruohonen’s teammates clearly respect him. His presence has been instrumental in the team’s success, particularly in qualifying for the Olympics, where they defeated older generations of curlers. Ruohonen praised his teammates’ dedication, noting a stark contrast to the sport’s past. “I came from the days when guys were smoking cigarettes out on the ice and all we did was throw rocks and think that we could be better,” he told the AP. “Look at these guys,” he added. “Every one of them’s ripped. And every one of them sweeps their butt off.”
Ruohonen’s journey to the Olympics has been years in the making, falling short on previous attempts. His inclusion on this team, and the subsequent historic moment, underscores the evolving landscape of Olympic competition and the unexpected paths athletes accept to reach the pinnacle of their sport.
