One year ago, Team USA dazzled audiences around the world with their spectacular performances at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. For these athletes, it was a moment they'll never forget, both for the memories they made on the ice, as well as off it.
As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of their accomplishments, we asked members of the 2022 Olympic Team about some of those behind-the-scenes moments and their favorite off-ice memory at the Games.
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Evan Bates: The vibe in our room was great with all the roommates. Because normally Madi [Chock] and I will stay together when we're at a competition. At the Olympics, we stayed separately and we had roommates. I was roommates with Nathan [Chen] and Brandon [Frazier] and Jean-Luc [Baker] and the four of us just had so much fun together off the ice. Jean-Luc even brought a mini basketball hoop and we hung it up on the wall. Having three weeks together to go through such an incredible experience together really bonded us. I cherish all those times hanging out in the room with my friends.
Mariah Bell: Adam [Rippon] took my credential on accident. I finished practice and he was holding all of my things, and then I went through the mixed zone, and there was a lot going on at the Olympics, so the mixed zones were generally pretty long. I didn't have my phone or my credential because he had my things. He hopped on the bus because the bus was like two hours back. It was long with all the stops, so I was stranded at the rink for several hours, but I watched a lot of practice, which was super fun. I still had a week before I competed, so it wasn't a big deal. But the good thing is he made a Tiktok out of it, so at least something came from me sitting at the rink. It's just a funny, iconic Adam thing to do.
Jason Brown: One of my favorite off-ice memories was we went to the Big Air events, and we climbed to the top of the ramp. We all took pictures up there, and we climbed so many flights of stairs, but it was so much fun. So many of these events, you see them on TV and you don't really get a concept of what they're actually doing, so to climb up onto this ramp, I can't believe they do what they do. That is horrifying. So scary, but it makes me laugh because I'm like, 'Huh, I wonder what it's like for them if they were in the center of an arena.' But it was really cool.
Ashley Cain: My room faced the Olympic rings that everyone was taking photos in front of. Every time I opened my curtains the first thing I would see were the rings. It was a nice reminder to wake up to every day!
Karen Chen: It's crazy that it's been a year! I think in general just being in the Village. I would take walks every now and then because I just wanted to get away from my room. The volunteers were super sweet and I also had a great chance to practice my Chinese. That was something that I feel like improved a little bit while I was there.
Nathan Chen: Spending time with my U.S. Figure Skating teammates. We shared many once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and I will hold those moments close for the rest of my life.
Madison Chock: One of my favorites was being in the team box with all of our fellow Americans, cheering on everyone for the team event. It was such a highlight for us and such a bonding experience for the team … Also trading pins is one of my favorite things to do at the Olympics. It was no different this time around, even with COVID. I just waited until after we were done competing to run around and trade pins. The Ireland pin I was very excited to get. I got that one just in the nick of time at the Closing Ceremony because I'm one-eighth Irish, so I was very excited to get the Ireland pin.
Zachary Donohue: Closing [Ceremony] for me because in 2018, Madi got sick and didn't get to go, and while it was cool, it didn't have the same energy. It felt very incomplete and I remember we both kind of got teary-eyed watching some of the videos of some the other athletes' success and feeling our moment, and it was probably one of the more deep and meaningful moments that we've experienced post-competition, or really in our career, so for me that's definitely a highlight. Not to mention, it was a pretty cool Closing Ceremony.
Brandon Frazier: When I did the cartwheel for NBC on camera at the Closing Ceremony! We play "Odds Are." It's a game. It was an ongoing joke we were doing at the Games, and it escalated to whole new levels being the athletes we all are. Mariah did a somersault through security.
Madison Hubbell: The viral moment, of course. For me, I had this amazing bond with Zach throughout the Olympics, and we had each other and we lived that experience fully together, but to be able to also finish my career going to the Olympics with my fiancée and knowing that both of us were going to walk away from the sport, we were just two kids in a candy shop. We celebrated Valentine's Day there and he got me flowers and he was watching me at the medal ceremony, so knowing my biggest supporter over the last years was there to share it and being happy for the journey that we went on together, that was special.
Alexa Knierim: When Mariah Bell did a somersault through security!
Alysa Liu: Doing cartwheels in weird hallways!
Vincent Zhou: My favorite off-ice memory from the Games was meeting all the volunteers at the arena and taking pictures with them and feeling their support. It was quite special.
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