Kelly Curtis competes during the women's skeleton at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on Feb. 12, 2022 in Yanqing, China.
Growing up in a big sports family, Kelly Curtis remembers being amazed as she watched the Olympics as a kid.
The daughter of an NFL player, she was age 7 when she caught the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Atlanta 1996. Twenty-six years later, the Princeton, New Jersey, native was excited to step onto the world’s largest stage as an athlete.
Curtis walked with the other members of Team USA during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. She was making her Olympic debut in the skeleton, but she admitted it didn’t feel real at first.
“Even though I was there for Opening Ceremonies, because the COVID regulations could take anybody out because we had PCR tests every single day, I was like, ‘I don’t feel like I’m an Olympian until I actually compete,’” said Curtis, whose father, John, played for five teams in the NFL.
“So it was that moment when the light turned green and they called my name and I could go, that’s when I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is it!’”
Curtis has since rejoined her American teammates as they look to show that the U.S. skeleton team is in good shape for the coming season. They’ll try to maintain that momentum over the next few years in the leadup to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Eric Bernotas, director of skeleton programs for U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton, said a new crop of athletes has helped bring “a positive energy” and more stability to the team after it experienced some uncertainty over the past few years.
In addition, Matt Antoine, a bronze medalist at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, was named in late October as the U.S. skeleton head coach of performance. The two-time Olympian returns to Team USA as a coach only four years after he retired from competing in the sport.
“I think he brings an amazing experience and an amazing way in order to be able to build the relationships with the athletes,” Bernotas said of Antoine. “So it’s exciting to what’s ahead considering who’s going to be out there this season and moving forward.”
