“It really reminds me of how awesome the curling community is”
Crowdsourcing is underway to help family members of a U.S. Olympian-to-be cheer on their son at the Olympic Winter Games in Cortina.
“My son has dedicated years of hard work and passion to curling, and now he has achieved his dream of competing in the Olympics in Italy this February,” Harry Richardson wrote on a GoFundMe page.
“His stepmother and I are incredibly proud and want nothing more than to be there in person to support him as he represents his country and strives for an Olympic gold medal.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our family, and being present would mean so much to my son as he lives out his lifelong dream.”
Ben Richardson and Team Daniel Casper won the U.S. Olympic Trials men’s title in November and followed it up with a direct Olympic qualification berth at Kelowna B.C. two weeks ago.
Team Casper • Michael Woolheater-USA CurlingBen’s mother Shea is also running a GoFundMe page, with almost U.S. $3,000 raised through Dec. 22.
Harry’s page has almost reached $5,000. He may have attracted some music fans; as a professional pianist of 40 years, the elder Richardson has pledged to reward “generous” supporters with a personalized recording of him performing a song of the donor’s choice.
“I’ve been really overwhelmed and appreciative of everyone who has reached out to me,” said Ben Richardson, who recently returned from the last Grand Slam event of the season played in Saskatoon.
“There’s been a lot of outreach and a lot of people donating and even a lot of people have been sharing the link. That’s super helpful to get the word out and it really reminds me of how awesome the curling community is.
“Obviously, I knew that and all the people I’ve met through curling have been amazing and become friends for life, but this really just shows how supportive everyone’s been.”
Cortina d’Ampezzo, which is hosting Olympic curling as well as the sliding sports (bobsleigh, luge and skeleton) is a six-hour train ride away from co-host city Milan.
Nestled in the Dolomites, the town – already quite small – offers limited accommodations, and the prices have only soared since the “One Year Out” period began last February.