Weather perfect for Titletown Winter Games

By Rich Palzewic

Sports Editor

GREEN BAY – With Mother Nature cooperating perfectly, the 2019 Titletown Winter Games went off without a hitch Feb. 16-17 in the Titletown District adjacent to Lambeau Field.

The free event, which was presented by U.S. Venture, offered participants the chance to luge, curl, cross-country ski or compete in biathlon.

USA Luge created a special course on Ariens Hill for the Luge Challenge, with participants competing in four categories for a chance to win prize awards.

Olympic bronze medalist, U.S. flag bearer, two-time World Champion and four-time luge Olympian, Erin Hamlin, was on site to give instructions to the young and old on how to tackle the course.

2014 Olympic bronze medalist Erin Hamlin was on hand at the Titletown Winter Games Feb. 15-16 in Green Bay. Hamlin is a four-time Olympian in luge. Melinda Palzewic Photo

“It was very exciting to give some exposure to some of the more rare winter sports that people just don’t know how to get involved in or just want to check out,” said the 32-year old Hamlin, who resides in upstate New York and competed in the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. “Most people that we run into at events like this don’t even know what luge is, so anytime we have the opportunity to get anybody exposed to it, it’s a good thing. We have also recruited athletes for our sport at events like this on snow, including one of my teammates from the past two Olympics.”

Hamlin is the first female American luger to medal at any Winter Olympics and the first non-European woman to take an Olympic medal in luge, doing so in Sochi, Russia, in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

USA Curling utilized a portion of the Titletown Ice Rink to create an instructional course for participants to learn how to curl.

Green Bay native and Paralympian, Penny Greely, attended along with USA Curling and Green Bay Curling Club representatives.

Participants could also strap on a pair of cross-country skis and complete a loop on the football field on a groomed course.

Upon finishing the course, you could try your hand at marksmanship using “infrared rifles” to simulate biathlon, a sport that combines Nordic skiing and shooting.

For many, a trip to Titletown is just a short trip across town to experience all the district has to offer. For others, it was an excuse to travel to Green Bay.

“We have relatives in Green Bay, and we were coming for a wedding,” said Jan McDonald, who traveled from Fargo, North Dakota, with her husband and two kids. “All of us – except me – tried the luge course, curled and did the cross-country skiing. We also met Erin Hamlin and had a fun time just taking in all of the activities. It was a great day.”