Northlanders cheer on local Olympians

Many Northlanders were excited to see familiar faces in Thursday night’s Olympics.

John Shuster, Chris Plys, and John Landsteiner have all played at the Duluth Curling Club. Alongside Matt Hamilton and alternate Colin Hufman, the trio will be competing for the bronze against Canada.

“I’m so excited for the guys. They’ve already made us proud,”said curling fan Sean Gallagher. “It’s really nice to see local faces competing at the Olympic level and just to be able to reach the playoffs and play for a medal, that’s already a win in our book. And if they get the bronze, that’s just the cherry on top.”

Curling club member Alyssa Atol is excited to see people she has played next to compete on the international stage.

“It is unlike anything to see those guys down here and occasionally playing against them,” said Atol. “It’s so cool. I don’t think there’s another sport out there that you can say that. Kind of like your average person playing against Olympians.”

Tonight’s game will begin at 12:05am. This is the first time that the U.S. Men’s Curling Team is competing for a second consecutive medal. Enger Tower is lit up in red, white, and blue until Sunday to support all of the competing athletes.