American ice hockey legend advises Olympic team
PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province ― Her name might not immediately ring a bell for many Koreans, but Angela Ruggiero is a highly successful Olympian.
The 32-year-old is a four-time Olympic medalist and a three-time World Champion in ice hockey. Ruggiero visited PyeongChang this week as part of the 11-member IOC Coordination Commission. It was her second visit to the 2018 host city ― she first came here last winter as a member of the 2018 Evaluation Commission.
Four-time Olympic ice hockey medalist Angela Ruggiero of the United States (Oh Kyu-wook/The Korea Herald)
Ruggiero told The Korea Herald that she was “excited” to be part of the 2018 Winter Olympics.
“For me, this opportunity to be the part of PyeongChang Olympics, and be able to see it from start to finish, is very exciting,” she said with a big smile.
Ruggiero, then 18, was the youngest player on the 1998 U.S. ice hockey team that won the first-ever gold medal in Olympic women’s hockey. And she also won a silver medal in 2002, a bronze in 2006 and a silver again at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Ruggiero was elected a member of the IOC’s Athlete’s Commission in 2010, and since her retirement from ice hockey last year, she has been focusing on her new career.
Her term with the IOC runs until 2018, which means from now on she will have to visit PyeongChang more often to help with the 2018 preparations.
The four-time Olympic medalist said she hopes to see Korea become a strong ice hockey nation at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
“The Olympic gold helped us tremendously,” she said.
According to her, there were around 5,000 women playing ice hockey in the United States in 1990s, but thanks to the 1998 gold medal, the number is now well over 65,000.
The unique educational system provided by the National Collegiate Athletic Association also helped to boost women’s ice hockey, she added.
“The NCAA provides a lot of scholarships for players to play. So a lot of parents are signing up their daughters now.”
Asked whether ice hockey is physically challenging for women, she said: “No, it’s a very common misconception.”
Since body checking is not allowed in women’s ice hockey, more skill is involved in the women’s game, she explained.
“But you can’t just go to the gym and expect to be a great hockey player.”
Good strategy, she added, is essential to developing ice hockey as one has to learn different skills and also be able to play as a team.
The question is, can Korean women also learn the necessary skills?
“Yes, but you have to start today,” she said.
“What I’d do, I would identify some young athletes, maybe some teenagers that currently have a solid base, some speed skaters or short-track speed skaters who have those skating muscles already.”
The Korean Ice Hockey Association’s support is the first step toward developing ice hockey in Korea, she claimed.
“They need to create some real strategies over the next six years, and providing enough quality hockey games is also important, she added.
The four-time Olympic medalist added that she has high expectations for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
“It’s a great opportunity to bring winter sports to the region that doesn’t’ have much of history (of winter sports). It’ll leave a great legacy,” she added.
By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldm.com)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
