Some may remember Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton graduate Aidan Oldenburg as a quirky, fun guy who helped the local bowling team make the state tournament for the first time ever.
But to millions in the world, he is best known as a member of the United States men’s curling team at this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan.
Oldenburg is a recent graduate of Minnesota State University. While known for his bowling prowess, he had also gained some popularity for his curling skills. Many know that he’s a talented juggler. His hand-eye skills have surely helped him in these intense curling matches.
According to Yahoo News, Oldenburg has gained notoriety for his nickname, “Curling Rambo!” The reference is to Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo films, and the fact that John Rambo always wears a piece of red fabric around his head. That red headband is something Oldenburg has become known for.
During these Olympics, he’s played in the first position (of four positions) on the team. So far, he’s helped the team get a 4-3 record, starting with an 8-7 win over Czechia on Wednesday, February 11. The team then lost two in a row to Switzerland (currently undefeated) and Canada (second). The Swiss beat them 8-3, while the Canadians took down the USA 6-3. Oldenburg and the Americans bounced back with three straight wins, including an 8-6 victory over Germany and an 8-5 upset against Sweden, the 2022 gold medalists. They also upset Norway 10-8 before losing to China 8-5 this past Tuesday, February 17.
Throughout the Olympics, Oldenburg has had the best shooting percentage on his team, averaging 90-95 percent per game. Admittedly, this reporter doesn’t know how curling works. It could be because of his position on the team. Nevertheless, he’s been contributing to the Americans’ success thus far.
By the time this paper comes out, the USA will have played all of its matches. They are tied for fourth place with Great Britain, whom they played as we went to press on Wednesday, February 18. If they can beat them and Italy, they can still have a shot at the gold medal with the fourth seed. This paper wishes Oldenburg and the Americans luck. Participating in the Olympics is a dream that very few athletes in the world get to achieve. And Janesville can boast that we have one of those.
