Rich Ruohonen of the United States smiles during the Mixed Doubles Olympic Trials final at Curl Mesabi Curling Club, Oct. 31, 2021, in Eveleth, Minnesota. David Berding/Getty

Two-time national curling champion Rich Ruohonen said he's proud to represent the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, even though "it's been tough" in his home state of Minnesota.

"I'm a lawyer there. I've been for 28 years, and a lot of tragedy, a lot of difficulties. And, you know, we want to focus on the Games, but at the same time, what's going on there is wrong," Ruohonen told CBS News when asked how it is being at the Olympics and thinking about the news that has been coming out of his home state. In recent weeks, federal immigration agents have killed two people in high-profile shootings in Minneapolis in the course of their operations there.

"We have inalienable rights in our constitution: Freedom of press, freedom of speech, the right to not have unreasonable searches and seizures and not be pulled over for, you know, without probable cause. And those rights aren't being followed in Minnesota," Ruohonen said.

Despite the turbulence at home, Ruohonen told CBS News the Olympics showcases some of the best of what it means to be a Minnesotan, and an American. As CBS Minnesota reported Tuesday, Ruohonen, at 54, is the oldest American ever to compete in a Winter Games.

"The Olympics, it brings this unity, this respect and this compassion, and Minnesota has shown out and used that," Ruohonen said. "Respect, compassion, empathy for people that is sometimes lacking in our country, but we, I want to make no mistake about it, we're playing for the U.S. We love the U.S. We love the U.S. We love what the flag is and what it represents. And we're here to support our families and our friends that gave up so much for us to be here today."

Luc Violette, another member of the USA Curling National Team, said a lot of American fans had traveled to Cortina, Italy, to support the athletes.

"USA is everywhere. We felt really welcome here and continue to feel (welcome)," he said.

During Tuesday's mixed doubles event, Corey Thiesse became the first U.S. female curler to ever win an Olympic medal when she won silver alongside Korey Dropkin.

But curling is a sport many Americans aren't necessarily too familiar with.

"I mean, I'll be frank. It's weird," Violette told CBS News. "How anyone came up with this sport is insane. I still don't know. There's still parts of the physics that we don't understand, but … it really brings a lot of skill sets together. Our coach always says that the best curler is a well-rounded person, and so we love it, and we hope that this kind of exposure will share that love for our sport with a lot of others."

Ruohonen said the sport has changed a lot over the years.

Thirty years ago, for instance, "it wasn't as physical of a sport," he said. "You could win and be way overweight, or smoking a cigarette on the ice."

He said the "game has developed to an unbelievable level over the course of my lifetime."

"When you're sweeping, you're leaning a large majority of your weight on your broom and moving it back and forth. And you're on your tippy toes a lot. So you have to be strong," he said. "You have to have a strong upper body. You have the legs. You're constantly sliding out in a lunging position. That alone is hard. And I don't know if you've ever tried just standing on ice for, let's say six, eight hours a day. Just stand there, don't do anything one time and see how your back feels and your muscles feel, because when we play two games in a day, we are out on the ice for six to eight hours sometimes."

The Team USA curlers said they've spent a lot of time explaining the sport. So what is it all about?

"I usually relate it to bocce ball," Violette told CBS News. "It's about what you score at the end of the end, after all the rocks are thrown. You want more [curling stones] closer to the middle than the closest of the opposing team. And yeah, sweeping makes the rock go farther. And there's a directional element. We can make it curl more, curl less. It's called curling because the rock curls or curves. And it's hard. Come try it out."

Source