February 12, 2026 – Milan, Italy – The atmosphere at the speedskating rink in Milan, Italy was electric and equally as charged at homes and schools across Washington County, WI, as neighbors were rivited to their televisions watching Jordan Stolz win his first #WinterOlympic gold.
At Holy Angels School in West Bend, WI, Mr. Spaeth’s fourth grade class was lined up in front of the TV like they were on media row.
Parents and grandparents will remember when the teacher wheeled the black-and-white into the classroom for things like the Kennedy assination and the Challenger launch. This time, however, there would be cheers of joy and exhiliration as a young man from the Town of Wayne would bring history in the making to a small farm community.
“Oh yes… Come on… USA,” were some of the student comments as the cheering crowd at the arena in Italy drowed out any noise in the classroom. The rather reserved 4th graders quickly started to ramp up their analysis of what was happening in the short 1000m race.
“He might not win,” said one who cast doubt. “Oh Jordan… he’s falling behind,” said the boy who was losing a little faith.
But then, as per usual, Stolz kicked it into rocket gear and took off. “He’s on the inside,” said Mr. Spath with encouragement. Someone yelled, “Come onnnnn Jordan” and “Yes. GO!”
There was some desk pounding, standing, arms shot into the air and eventually cheers that, if multiplied tenfold, would have drown out the Dutch. All from a little classroom on Eighth Avenue in West Bend, Wi,.. the students found a little faith in Jordan Stolz.
On a side note: Did you know the man behind the ice at the Olympics in Italy is none other than Paul Golomski, the general manager and head of ice making at the Pettit National Ice Center.
Behind-the-scenes: Jordan’s parents got mic’ed up just ahead of his 1000m skate by NBC. This type of attention has happened before. They’re used to it.
Bob Corby – coach of gold medalist Jordan Stolz
Bob Corby stood rinkside as Jordan Stolz prepared for the Olympic 1000 meters, the kind of race that compresses years of training into a little over a minute of ice and nerve. When asked, “How does it feel coach of a gold medalist?” Corby grinned.
“No one said that yet. That sounds pretty good.”
From jovial and happy, to exhausted… Corby ran through a rollercoaster of emotions.
“Yeah, it was quite a relief and a really, really great experience. And he skated phenomenal. Jenning De Boo skated phenomenal. Um, Jordan really had to come back in the last lap to to win it … but that’s what we train for. That is his strong point.”
Finishing hard. It is the hammer in Stolz’s toolbox.
Before the race, the message was simple.
“Have fun,” said Corby.
But the simplicity was layered over careful planning. “We went over the race strategy yesterday when we found out what the pair was and what lane he was in,” Corby said.
If Jenning was ahead late, there would be no sitting in behind him, no playing it safe. Corby told Stolz, “If you come out and Jenning’s in front of you on the last backstretch. Don’t stay behind him and try and get a draft. Move out and visualize the corner so that you can skate a great last last corner.”
This was not theory. Stolz is the world record holder. “He’s skated so many great thousand meters,” Corby said. The blueprint was familiar.
But the Olympics scribble in the margins.
There was a foul. A delay. Four minutes of standing still while adrenaline tries to sprint without you. “It was a little bit disturbing,” Corby said of the 11th pairing when Joep Wennemars got cut off by Ziwen Lian.
“After the foul, there was like a 4-minute delay until the next pair. So we kind of got out of our rhythm and then the Dutch fans are booing and Joep is yelling at the Chinese kid and I’m like oh my god this is not supposed to be happening. We had to skate a race in four minutes. Everybody calm down,” said Corby.
When Stolz finally stepped to the line, the chaos thinned.
“It was a little bit calming. Now he’s ready to go.”
Then the gun cracked. The arena erupted. “When the gun went off, oh my God, the screaming for Jenning, that was amazing,” Corby said.
Late in the race, there was a flicker of tension. Stolz trailed slightly.
“Well, I’m not too worried about it,” Corby said. “Because Jenning just hits a great inner corner and Jordan goes to the outer and so he’s like a meter behind or half a meter behind. So, that’s kind of expected because Jenning is not messing around up there. He’s really fast.”
The flip would come on the last lap. It always does.
“He’s pretty tough to beat in the last lap,” said Corby about Stolz.
After Stolz crossed first, there was still business to settle. A reskate loomed for Wennemars.
“We knew that,” Corby said. “To skate a worldclass 1000 meter, get fouled, and then have to do it again in 30 minutes. Jordan would have a tough time doing that. So, we knew it was going to be a struggle for Joep. You just can’t do it.”
Gold secured, the focus shifted almost instantly. One down. Three to go.
Saturday’s 500 meters waits with its own demands. “It’s going to be a fast turnaround,” Corby said, noting an early training session and minimal work on the ice. “There’s not going to be a whole lot of training being done. Maybe, you know, five or six starts or something like that because that’s going to be the key in the 500 is the opening 100.”
The pairings fo Saturday’s 500m will be posted when information becomes available.
With a little help from your friends…
Hat tip to Chucker Dreher who kept me posted on the TV announcers call of the Stolz vs. De Boo race. Some highlights: Stolz clocked 38 miles per hour, Stolz was behind coming into the final turn and that’s when he dropped the hammer and put power to ice for the win. Announcers also commented Stolz was from Milwaukee. The town of Wayne better put up a sign soon: Home of Olympic & World Champion Jordan Stolz.
From the Mix Zone: There’s a Q&A with athletes and reporters from around the world following all races. There are translators involved. Jordan Stolz was asked: You spoke about the build-up of four years going into these games. You’ve been compared to Eric Heiden all the time, but still you seem so relaxed. Can you tell us a bit about how you handle the pressure? Because I know it’s been rising in the States as well, where normally speed skating is not a big sport.
Stolz responded: I hope I can make it a bigger sport. But the pressure was kind of rising towards this one. I could definitely feel it, but it was more so a repetition. I’ve won so many thousands. I’ve done so many of them. So it’s not something where it’s like, I don’t know what to do. It’s one thing to win all of them in the World Cup. But to finally have the timing right and do it at the Olympics, that’s something that takes a lot of planning. I think I did it well.
February 11, 2025 – Milan, Italy – The Stolz family and neighbors across Washington County, Wi, are cheering the newest Olympic gold medalist Jordan Stolz after his record-setting performance in the 1000m at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
“Wonderful to see Jordan stepping up on the big stage and coming away with the gold and breaking the Olympic record that stood since 2002,” texted fellow gold-medal Olympian Shani Davis. “Couldn’t be happier for him and his family and supporters.”
Stolz, who holds the world record in the 1000m at 1:05.37, set a new track record and Olympic record with a time of 1:06.28. The record was one originally set in 2014, before Stolz was even born.
Pitted against Dutch favorite and familiar foe Jenning De Boo, the crowd – dressed primarily in Netherlands orange, really got behind De Boo from the start.
At Addison Elementary School, halfway round the world the cheers were also deafening.
“It was an incredibly proud and energetic moment here at Addison today,” said principal Joel Dziedzic. “The gym was packed with students and staff, and the excitement was a different level. As the races began, students cheered for every competitor—chanting “USA, USA!” even when there wasn’t an American racing…”
“As Jordan’s race approached, the energy skyrocketed. When students saw him on the screen, surrounded by red, white, and blue, and ready to race they erupted. The gym filled with chants of “Jordan Stolz! Jordan Stolz!” and “USA, USA!” They cheered through the entire race, then jumped to their feet—literally jumping up and down—when he won.
“Not everyone fully understood he had just set an Olympic record, so we made sure to explain what an incredible accomplishment it was. It was such a fun, unforgettable day for our students and staff!
“So neat for our students to see his name on our record board here at school for pull-ups and now on national TV at the Olympics setting a record!! Dreams do come true.
After the race Stolz was welcomed by his parents and sister, Hannah, with huge hugs and the comment, “I did it,” while Stolz clutched his circular gold Olympic medal.
“Mission accomplished,” said Dirk Stolz. “It took us 16 years to get here but that was his goal and the grind and all the sacrafices made finally paid off.”
Fellow Olympic gold medalist Dan Jansen weighed in. “So proud of him! I was probably more nervous than he was. He is a generational talent,” said Jansen.
Behind the scenes following the awards ceremony and the raising of the American flag and playing of the National Anthem, Stolz was whisked into two press conferences. The whole session from the win to waiting for Joep Wennemars to skate one more time, to circling the rink holing the American flag aloft… Stolz said it went by quickly.
“It was just a feeling like, I finally did it,” he said. “It almost doesn’t seem real, because you’ve been waiting four years to finally do it.”
Chucker Dreher was watching from school in Kewaskum. A bear and mushroom sandwich was his celebratory treat. “The TV announcers just said he was from Milwaukee,” said Dreher.
Cover photo courtesy US Speedskating
February 11, 2026 – Milan, Italy – Three cheers for the young man from the Town of Wayne! Warmups just wrapped up and Jordan Stolz is looking strong ahead of his 1000m Winter Olympic debut i. milan, Italy.
Stolz has huge support in the stands. Not only will his family be cheering him on but most of the Dutch are also saying “Stolz has the edge.”
On a side note – if you’re watching on TV, early word is that WILL be Snoop Dog sitting next to the family.
Peacock and NBCsports.com have been broadcasting the races. #OlympicGames
