MILWAUKEE — The Winter Olympics return in one year. Milwaukee has served as the center of speed skating in the United States.
TMJ4’s Sydni Eure spoke with Bonnie Blair at the Pettit National Ice Center ahead of the 2026 Winter Games. Blair’s energy was electric as the two talked together and she said she couldn’t wait for the games to begin.
“We just got done having a World Cup where all of the athletes who will be at the next Winter Olympics Games were right here on this ice,” said Bonnie Blair. “So, super exciting, and then yeah like we’re talking less than a year away, it’s called crunch time right now.”
Blair competed in four different Olympic Games during her career and remains Team USA’s most decorated woman in the games, winning five gold medals and one bronze.
Longtime figure skating official Gale Tanger also joined TMJ4 ahead of the 2026 Winter Games. Tanger was a figure skating athlete before she went on to officiate several Olympic Games. Like Blair, Tanger has been skating ever since she could walk and calls the Pettit National Ice Center home.
“Winter sports are really very very special with that snow and the ice,” said Gale Tanger. “And ice, talk about ice. We got ice all over the place here at the Pettit.”
Both Tanger and Blair say the Pettit is a crown jewel in Milwaukee. Even though their careers have taken them all over the world, they say there is nothing quite like the Pettit. That’s why both returned to the center to run programs there.
Watch: We're one short year away from the 2026 Winter Olympics:
Tanger and her husband created the Wisconsin Figure Skating Club Scholarship. Blair founded DASH Speedskating, an organization with a mission to develop young athletes.
They said like many of the athletes you’ll find at the Pettit, they too have dedicated their lives to their sport and can’t wait to see the next generation of winter Olympians hit the ice.
They had a glimpse of the competition when the ISU World Cup was held back at the Pettit National Ice Center for the first time in nearly 20 years.
“We just had the World Cup here at the Pettit Center so that’s really starting to determine who’s going to be on the US Olympic Team next year and for every nation,” said Tanger.
“Yeah, just a year away,” said Blair. “Yes, I’m in an ice rink but it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Let’s get ready for next winter and Team US speed skating here we come.”
The 2026 Winter Olympics will be in Italy but you can watch it on TMJ4 or streaming on Peacock.
