MILWAUKEE — Ted Morris has seen it all in speed skating. As executive director of the sport, he's preparing to oversee his fourth Winter Olympics, bringing years of experience to guide Team USA's skaters in Milan.
"We've had a great year, really four years, and a lot of it due to Jordan Stolz success," Morris said. "The whole team has elevated its game."
It's the mention of the world's best skater in Stolz that really gets Morris fired up. The young American has become a dominant force on the international stage, capturing attention with his remarkable performances.
"I go back to when he won his first three gold medals at the world championships in 2023. Eighteen-year-old kid, went to the Netherlands, 12,000 fans, this is great, but they have fans wrapped around a complete stadium all dressed in orange, cheering, and he shut them up and took three gold medals, and no one could believe it," Morris said. "He crossed the finish line, and people said, ' What just happened? '"
But getting to the Olympics for speed skaters isn't easy - either physically or financially. According to Stolz's coach, Bob Corby, the average training costs $10,000 for a regular year and $15,000 for an Olympic year.
Watch: Speed skating executive director Ted Morris prepares for fourth Olympics
"It's tough, that's why I admire these athletes so much because they don't do it for the money, they do it for the chance to go over for the Olympic Games," Morris said. "To represent our country that inspires me every single day. I can't glow enough for the effort and commitment they make to the sport. I hope that with the success that we hope to have in Milan and with this eight-year runway leading up to a US-based games that we'll see more energy behind Winter Olympics sport. And with energy comes sponsors, and with sponsors comes more money for everybody."
Morris is no stranger to these challenges, having already overseen the team in the last three Winter Games in Sochi, PyeongChang, and Beijing.
Drawing from those three Olympic experiences, Morris has plans to put some shine on the sport after Milan concludes.
"After the Olympics we're gonna hit the road with a tour of Olympians and take them around the clubs in the US so that our young kids can meet these medalists and get inspired by their success and want to commit to this sport for a long time coming," Morris 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.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.