Alumnus Makes Olympic History

Rich Ruohonen ’93 JD ’96 says two moments stand out from his curling experiences at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy. One was on the ice; the other, off the ice.

At 54, he became the oldest American in history to compete in a Winter Olympics when he was subbed into a match against Switzerland on Feb. 12. A two-time national champion who started curling around age 12, Ruohonen was at his first Olympics, serving as an alternate on the U.S. team.

Sweeter yet, his wife, Sherry, and their children, Hannah and Nick, a current Hamline student, were watching from the stands.

As Ruohonen built a career as a personal-injury lawyer and competed in curling tournaments, his wife had kept the household humming. Hannah and Nick grew up around curling, as their father had done with his own father. This was a family moment.

“Hearing my wife and kids screaming, ‘Go Rich!’ or ‘Go, Dad!’ was phenomenal,” Ruohonen said. “Just getting in the match meant everything — not only to me, but to my family.”

Ruohonen’s second memorable moment came off the ice. At a press conference before the Swiss match, Ruohonen spoke out against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdown in Minnesota. The killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti were fresh. As a lawyer and the team alternate, he was willing to speak for the group and call out what was happening.

“It needed to be said,” Ruohonen recalled. “I needed to do it in a public platform. And I’m proud of it.”

Ruohonen received both support and pushback for his remarks, but stands by his words. Hannah and Nick Ruohonen said they could not be prouder of him — on the ice and behind the microphone.

“His dream was our dream as well,” Hannah Ruohonen said.

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“Just getting in the match meant everything — not only to me, but to my family.”

—Rich Ruohonen '93 JD '96