Growing up in Eau Claire, Ben Loomis got a taste of the sloops at an early age. But not all champions wear gold. Some prefer red, white, and blue.
"We did have both the Flying Eagles Ski Club, a local ski jumping club which I grew up in; as well as a local cross-country club, Chippewa Valley Nordic. That's where I began [cross-country] skiing and doing races with them. So, it was cool to have the ski jumping and the cross-country side in the two different clubs," says Ben Loomis, Wisconsin native and Nordic Combined skier for Team USA.
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While the exposure did pose an initial problem, one Olympic discipline quickly solved it.
"I love ski jumping and I love cross country skiing. I really couldn't pick one or the other that I loved more," says Ben. "Nordic combined skiing starts with ski jumping and from there your points from the jump are converted into time. Then it's a staggered start, for example, if you jump to third place then you might be 20 seconds back from the leader in the cross-country race and the first person to cross the finish well wins."
Competing in his second Olympics, Ben still has a patriotic first to look forward to.
"I did attend PyeongChang in 2018 and competed in those Olympics, but I was not in the service and the army. It's extra special going into these representing the army and it brings a lot more pride in being able to represent Team USA and the US Army at the same time," says Ben.
A member of the US Army's World Class Athlete Program, Ben is just one of many soldiers competing in the 2022 games.
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"It's bigger than people think. It's around 60 athletes, I believe. Less are winter athletes, but it is cool to show we have soldiers going to these games. One of my teammates is a Nordic skier, as well as a couple of bobsled athletes and luge and skeleton athletes as well," says Ben.
For Ben, success might not end in a podium finish.
"For sure, I'm looking for better results than my previous games and for me, I think that could be a top 20 or top 15 results," says Ben.