Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir, an Emerson College student from Sudbury, skate their free skate in a pairs competition. The duo skate at the Skating Club of Boston.
Credit: Geoff Robins/AFP/Getty Images
Ten of the 230 Team USA athletes heading to the Olympics in Sochi list their hometown/birthplace as Massachusetts. Here’s a quick look at those olympians:
Kacey Bellamy, 26, Westfield; Ice hockey
Kacey Bellamy.
Credit: USA Hockey
Like many of the women on the USA hockey team, this is not Bellamy’s first Olympics. She was a member of the 2010 women’s ice hockey team that won the silver medal in Vancouver. She attended the Berkshire School in Sheffield where she played hockey. Bellamy, a defenseman, then went on to play at the University of New Hampshire where she graduated from in 2009 with a degree in women’s studies.
John Carlson, 24, Natick; Ice hockey
John Carlson.
Credit: NHL
Carlson lists his hometown as Natick, the town where he was born, but the Washington Capitals defenseman grew up and went to high school in New Jersey. Carlson was picked in the first round of the 2008 NHL draft. In 2010 he scored the game-winning goal in overtime during the world junior hockey championship. This will be his first Olympics.
Alex Carpenter, 19, North Reading; Ice hockey
Alex Carpenter
Credit: USA Hockey
Besides being an olympian and the daughter of an NHL Hall of Fame player, Carpenter is also a junior at Boston College. Before attending BC, she played for Governor’s Academy in Byfield. During her time there she scored 239 goals and had 188 assists. She was the leading scorer for the BC Eagles women’s hockey team during the 2012-13 season with 32 goals and 70 points.
Emily Cook, 34, Belmont; Freestyle skiing
Emily Cook.
Credit: Getty Images
This will be Cook’s third Olympics and she will compete in aerials. While she’s failed to medal in her two previous Olympic appearances, she is a nine-time World Cup medalist and a six-time United States champion. Besides skiing, Cook is also a supporter of “Right To Play,” a global organization that uses the power of play to educate and empower children facing adversity.
Annalisa Drew, 20, Andover; Freestyle skiing
Annalisa Drew.
Credit: DewTour.com
She’s only 20 years old, but Drew has been skiing for 17 years. She also was an excellent figure skater, which helps in her jumps in spins on the halfpipe. While she didn’t land it, Drew was the first woman to attempt a 1260 jump in competition when she competed in the X Games in 2013.
Steve Langton, 30, Melrose; Bobseld
Steve Langton.
Credit: Facebook
Langton has a long list of accomplishments and he also has a few firsts. In 2012 he was part of the first American sled to ever win both the two-man and four-man events at the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Championships. Langton graduated from Northeastern University and was part of the school’s track and field team. He will be part of the USA-1 sled during the four-man event and this will be his second Olympics.
Michelle Picard, 20, Taunton; Ice hockey
Michelle Picard.
Credit: USA Hockey
The Harvard student will appear in her first Olympics playing as a defensemen for the women’s hockey team. Picard is a two-time women’s world hockey championship medalist. Before attending Harvard, she graduated from Nobel and Greenough School in Dedham where she played hockey all four years.
Molly Schaus, 25, Natick; Ice hockey
Molly Schaus.
Credit: USA Hockey
Schaus won the silver medal in 2010 as part of the women’s team and is looking for gold in Sochi. Schaus, a goalie, played for Boston College and was a captain of the women’s team. She is also a three-time world champion.
Simon Shnapir, 26, Sudbury; Figure skating
Simon Shnapir.
Credit: USA Figure Skating
Shnapir is fresh off a huge victory in front of a hometown crowd. He and his figure skating partner Marissa Castelli won gold for the second year in a row during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships last month at the TD Garden. Shnapir, an Emerson College student, and Castelli train at the Skating Club of Boston. He was also born in Russia, but has lived most of his life in Sudbury.
Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.
