ASHWAUBENON (NBC 26) — As the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing wrapped up this weekend, the fun was just getting started at Titletown park.
This weekend it transformed into a course for winter sports allowing the next generation of athletes to, perhaps, get their start.
Appleton resident Greyson Katz, 10, took the plunge Sunday in possibly one day becoming a future Olympian.
"It's cool and I'm happy to be here,” Katz said.
He tried out luge for the first time, a sport where you ride a sled down a slope.
"It’s cool because you have to go down and steer and it's not like normal sledding,” Katz said.
There to cheer Katz on and even offer some wise advice were three 2022 luge Olympians.
"It’s very cool. Most of our athletes that are now in the top level like myself started in an event just like this,” said Ashley Farquharson.
For Farquharson, competing in Beijing was a dream come true.
All the hard work she put in since she was the same age as Katz finally paid off.
"The time that it takes for a winter sports athlete to pursue is a lot of dedication. It's a lot of time. I've missed a lot of holidays, a lot of birthdays. So being at the Olympics now it was a good chance for my family, and all my friends and loved ones to see and reap all the benefits with me about why I was missing all that time,” Farquharson said.
Zachary Digregorio, another Team U.S.A. Olympian, said competing in the Olympic Winter Games was something he never would've imagined.
"With all the great U.S. athletes it was a pleasure to cheer them on when I was younger and now to be part of it was so special,” Digregorio said.
As these Olympians look ahead to the future they hope to share their success and inspire the next generation.
"Italy is only four years away and now that we went, we want a medal in the next one and we're just hungry for more,” Digregorio said.
This was the fourth year the Titletown Winter Games were put on.
Event organizers say they hope to return next year.
Throughout the weekend, figure skating, biathlon, ski jumping, cross country skiing and curling were offered.
However, on Sunday some of those sports weren't able to be offered due to the warmer weather.
