"Uncertain" about Representing the United States

Good morning Buttercups.

I hope you’re doing better than what seems like half of Team USA over in Italy right now. Some of them are feeling “uncertain” about representing the United States—because this country, which hands you a practical gold medal just by being born here, doesn’t reflect their values at the moment.

“It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now,” Team USA skier Hunter Hess said at a press conference in Milan. “It’s a little hard. There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of. If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it. Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S. I just want to do it for my friends, my family, and the people who supported me getting here.”

I, for one, am grateful Hunter clarified this common misconception that the U.S. Alpine Ski Team and the Department of Homeland Security are one and the same.

Last Olympics, I held a grudge against the figure skaters, assuming they were personally responsible for President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Every time I saw an American land a triple axel, I thought, How could you?—because I couldn’t partition the athletes from the U.S State Department’s foreign policy.

So this year, I’m grateful they’ve reassured us they don’t represent presidential decisions. Otherwise, I would’ve assumed Hunter was personally drafting and enforcing every policy between training runs.

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