3 Chicago Area Athletes Make U.S. Olympic Ski Jump Team
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Three men from the Chicago area will be the first Illinois residents to compete in ski jumping at the Olympics.
They are all members of the Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove: Michael Glasder, 28, of Cary, Kevin Bickner, 21, of Wauconda, and Casey Larson, 19, of Barrington.
WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser caught up with Glasder, who shares an apartment with the other two jumpers. They're currently training in Slovenia.
"We're actually basically living together eight months of the year, so we're all really close," Glasder said. "We're all really excited to get over to Korea and show the world what we can do."
Glasder was the first one named to the Olympic team after winning the U.S. team trials.
"That was awesome because the Norge Ski Club has never had any Olympians before," he said. "It just goes to show what three of us being named to the Olympic team what's possible coming out of a small suburb of Chicago."
Their coach, Scott Smith, says having three men from the same club named to the Olympic team is unprecedented, adding it's a testament to the athletes' hard work and the structure of Norge's program.
Smith is in the American Ski Jumping Hall of Fame himself.
The 2018 Winter Games opening ceremony is Feb. 9 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Men's ski jumping competition begins Feb. 8.
