By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
ASHWAUBENON – The Green Bay community got a chance to be an olympian for a day with the return of the popular Titletown Winter Games Feb.19-20.
The two-day event, sponsored by Titletown and U.S. Venture, Inc., took place in the Titletown District to the west of Lambeau Field.
With a mixed bag of weather, the free winter sports event offered community members the chance to experience luge, curling, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ski jumping and figure skating – all current olympic sports.
Several Olympians were in attendance, including three-time Olympian and 1998 Olympic silver medalist Gordy Sheer; 2022 Beijing luge singles Olympian Ashley Farquharson; 2022 Beijing luge doubles Olympians Sean Hollander and Zach DiGregorio; 2020 and 2021 Luge World Champion Brittney Arndt; and two-time Junior National Champion and U25 National team Curler Allison Howell.
On Saturday, the curling was canceled because the warm weather didn’t allow the water on the rink to freeze.
“We had a great time, despite the warmer weather,” Appleton resident Thomas Seeley said. “When the event was here a few years ago, we also came. Our kids were younger then, so we decided to come back again.”
Seeley said his family tried all the events, with ski jumping ranking as his boys’ favorite.
“They didn’t have ski jumping during the last one, so I was anxious to see how they’d manage that,” he said. “The snow was slow, so you couldn’t gain much speed. There was only about a 6-inch drop, so my boys didn’t get too much air.”
Seeley said he was disappointed he didn’t get to try curling.
“They make it look so easy on TV, so I wanted to try it,” he said. “I’ll have to try it again some other time.”
Those wanting to try luge did so on Ariens Hill, while the cross-country skiing, biathlon (shooting and skiing) and ski jumping were held on the football field.