The 2018 Winter Olympics are over.
Julia Marino — Westport’s favorite snowboarder Olympic competitor of all time – – is headed home. She did not win a medal.
There’s no shame in that. Most Olympic athletes don’t.
But she had quite an experience. And if she had won a medal, Hannah Keyser would have had quite a story.
Hannah is a writer/producer for Deadspin. Deadspin is a sports website with a decidedly un-Sports Illustrated/ESPN take on athletics. It’s a site that has taken off rose-colored glasses, then ingested a ton of edibles.
Hannah met Julia’s parents — John and Elaine — early in PyeongChang. She decided to stick with them. If Julia did well, Hannah would have a fantastic, first-person, up-close-and-personal story to write.
Instead, she wrote about what’s it like to be an “ordinary” Olympian — if there is any such thing.
Hannah writes with grace and honesty about Julia’s life and career. She notes:
Julia is a pretty white girl from Connecticut with likable and supportive parents who work white-collar jobs and just wanted to see their daughter do what she loves. At 20 years old, she’s generous and well-spoken, an advocate for the sport more than for herself. She is, in other words, your average winter Olympian—a group of nearly 3,000 people who are only average when they’re all together.
It’s an intriguing piece, remarkable in its unremarkableness. Click here for the full story.
Read it. Enjoy it. And then, welcome Julia Marino — Westport’s Olympic hero — home.
Julia Marino
Westport is so very proud of you Julia! Hope you had an incredible time! Nicole Klein
None who has worked as hard as Julia did over time, and made it to the Olympics is what I would call anything less than a gold medal individual. The medal represents a competition in a playing field. What Julia accomplished at the Olympics was being a solid gold performer in life. I share in her family and friends pride if only in sharing a geographical home town.
Just to compete at that level is amazing. Way to go Julia!
Just making it to the Olympics is a tremendous achievement. Julia has accomplished so much through her hard work and perseverance. From nearby Fairfield, I salute her!
Here and cheer from Fairfield too. Proud of you Julia!
wow
Great article on Deadspin, thanks for sharing the link. Jamie Anderson is 27 and Anna Gasser is 26 – both gold medalists and world cup champs – so I suspect that at barely 20 this is only the first of several Olympics for our favorite Olympian.
Julia is a proven winner in ways that a medal could never show. We will hear and see more of Julia in the future. I am certain of that. Thank you Julia for representing Westport and your country with dignity and class.
Congratulations Julia! Maybe Dan can persuade you to tell us about your adventure.
Huge accomplishment. You should be so proud!!