Gearing up for the Games TEAM USA BEGINS OLYMPIC JOURNEY AT NBC PROMOTIONAL SHOOT
BY MIMI MCKINNIS Though a relaxed excitement filled
the air, there was also no doubt: With World Team Trophy in rear view, all eyes had turned to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. At Quixote Studios in West Hollywood,
California, members of Team USA waited for the sixth NBC West Hollywood Promo Shoot. Gracie Gold sat in a hair and makeup
chair as Vincent Zhou watched a video on his phone between shoots. Nathan Chen and Mariah Bell looked over their sched- ules, and Maia and Alex Shibutani took a selfie. Madison Chock and Mirai Nagasu speculated over photos they’d seen on social media earlier in the week, wondering when they’d get to a photo session that included two baby goats, a piglet, three puppies and a snow-white kitten named Pearl. Bruno Mars’ “24 K Magic” blared from the speakers — and the Olympic rings were prominently displayed. Nearly 100 Olympic and Paralympic
hopefuls, selected by NBC and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), gathered April 25–29 to participate in 20 different promotional shoots for various campaigns leading up to the 2018 Games. The figure skating contingent, composed of 15 athletes, enjoyed two days of Olympic media that included interviews for Team USA and NBC social media, Buzzfeed, the
“Today” show, “NBC Nightly News” and People magazine. “Being able to be here and be among
so many incredible athletes is really the best part,” 2015 U.S. pairs champion Alexa Scimeca Knierim said of the experience. “Some athletes are hopefuls, some of them are already on the Olympic Team. It’s a great atmosphere to be around.” While Scimeca Knierim and her partner/
husband Chris Knierim attended the shoot for the first time, three-time U.S. champion and 2014 Olympian Ashley Wagner made her third appearance, having taken part prior to the 2010 and 2014 Games. “As a skater, it’s probably the most men-
tally exhausting media weekend of your life,” Wagner said. “It’s overwhelming for sure, but it’s so cool because it creates so much excite- ment. It makes the Olympic season feel so real. The Games are really on their way.” Like Wagner, 2016 U.S. men’s champion
Adam Rippon has been a staple among the top skaters in the country for quite a few seasons. Unlike Wagner, Rippon’s weekend in West Hollywood marked the first time he participated in a pre-Olympic shoot. “I remember so badly wanting to be at one of these Olympic media shoots, but I see now that I wasn’t ready before,” Rippon said. “Now I’m ready. I know who I am as an athlete and I know who I am as a person. I’m ready
for this responsibility and I’m ready for this Olympic season. Plus, I’m styled better now, so my photos will all look so much better.” Another first-timer, newly minted U.S.
champion Karen Chen, echoed her team- mates’ sentiments, drinking in the excite- ment of her first Olympic season on the senior circuit. “It feels so exciting already,” Chen said.
“It’s so fun. To be able to do something like this is definitely something that I’ve dreamed of and it’s so amazing to be a part of the excitement.” Although he already has one Olympic
Games on his résumé, 2015 U.S. champion Jason Brown also enjoyed his first West Hollywood shoot. Just four years after his Riverdance free skate launched him to viral fame and onto the 2014 Olympic Team, Brown is facing his second Olympic season with as much excitement as the previous cycle, taking in first-time experiences as a second-time hopeful. “I’m having the greatest time,” Brown
said. “It’s so fun to get to show off your personality, and I even got to meet “Sesame Street’s” Cookie Monster. I got to eat with him and sing songs with him — it was just the best. The Olympic spirit is in the air. I feel the vibes. I remember them. I’m loving every single moment. Last season has ended, now here we begin.”
Top, U.S. athletes representing many of the Olympic winter sports converged for interviews, photo shoots and fun at the NBC West Hollywood Promo Shoot. U.S. Figure Skating athletes joined their winter sports counterparts for this group photograph. (l-r) John Daly (skeleton), Mirai Nagasu, Nathan Chen, Ashley Wagner, Mike Schultz (adaptive snocross/snowboard), Jason Brown, Gracie Gold, Adam Rippon, Brittany Bowe (speedskating), Vincent Zhou, Alexa Scimeca Knierim, Chris Knierim, Madison Chock, Evan Bates, Mariah Bell, Maia Shibutani, Tucker West (luge), Annie O’Shea (skeleton), Matt Antoine (skeleton), Karen Chen, Alex Shibutani and Simi Hamilton (skiing).
30 JUNE/JULY 2017
PHOTO BY PHILLIP FARAONE/GETTY IMAGES FOR THE USOC
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