General Discussion

He's pretty interesting, but don't be surprised if you don't see much of him in NBC's further curling coverage, as he's the alternate for the 4-man men's team.
But also, he's uniquely qualified to speak on this issue, since he's a lawyer. And maybe more free to do so, since he's probably a little less subject to pressure from sponsors and/or his sport's governing body, given his "day job" stream of income.

https://www.twincities.com/2026/02/10/how-this-native-minnesotan-became-the-oldest-u-s-winter-olympian-ever/]

There’s a chance that Ruohonen doesn’t throw a single rock over the next week and a half at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Technically, he’s the alternate on Team Casper, so he might not participate in competition.

That won’t take away from the lifetime achievement. After coming up short in the trials a half dozen times, Ruohonen, who graduated from Spring Lake Park and lives in Brooklyn Park, has finally broken through. His perseverance has made him the oldest U.S. Winter Olympian. Ever.

Maybe the most impressive part about Ruohonen’s continued commitment to curling is how successful he is outside of it; he has established himself as a very successful lawyer in the Twin Cities. You know those TSR Injury Law billboards that can been seen pretty much everywhere? He’s literally the R.

“It would’ve been really easy for him at some point to go, ‘I don’t need something that takes up so much of my time,’ ” Hufman said. “He’s truly somebody who does it for the love of the game.”