CEDARBURG, Wis. — For local athletes Thomas Howell and his sister Allison, curling in the Winter Olympics in Italy has been a dream since they were kids. Now, the siblings are preparing for their shot at making that dream a reality.
"It's really unique. Many people don't have that experience, and to say that we both have the potential to go to the Olympics at the same time and we're so far apart in age is pretty awesome," Allison said.
Their parents introduced them to the sport at a very young age, making curling a family affair from the start.
"We were born into it, we had no choice, our parents did it with friends, and it kind of came naturally, babysitting for us," Thomas Howell said.
"My mom would always tell the story that she was pregnant with me while she was on the ice. So go, Mom, for that one," Allison said.
Watch: Brother-sister curling duo chase Olympic dreams together in Italy
At the Milwaukee Curling Club in Cedarburg, both Allison and Thomas are getting in their final training sessions before they leave for the Olympic trials in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
"Honestly, it's a little bit surreal, it's my third one, but every time you have that pinch me moment that I'm doing this. This is my life, I'm competing to potentially go to the Olympics," Thomas said.
Thomas, who is a two-time national champion, had his Olympic dreams shattered in 2021. After taking game one in the Olympic trials, his team lost to Team Shuster, who ended up competing in the Winter Games in Beijing.
"I would be lying if I said it wasn't a little depressing. You come out of those moments trying to figure out who you are and what this all means to you, so this third time is extra special," Thomas said.
"This is my second Olympic trials, and my team has been together for three years, so we've kind of built on our team time and really focused on our team's system," he said.
The preparation for Olympic trials is intensive and year-round.
"It's a four-year process; we pretty much started training ever since the last trials ended in 2021. So we play on tour. Our season is March and April. So we're playing two times a month off in Canada and Europe, Asia, playing a tour just like any Olympic sport," Thomas said.
"And it means getting up early in the morning at the crack of dawn to be able to get some rocks, and we're back leaving on Thursday, and sometimes don't get back on Tuesday," Allison said.
For both siblings, representing their country on the Olympic stage would be the ultimate honor.
"I think any time you get to be on the biggest stage of your sport and have your friends and family be able to watch you and your country celebrate, that it's the honor of a lifetime," Thomas said.
"It's like your dream come true, right. Something you've been working so hard to do your whole life," Allison said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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