MONROE - Just because the 23rd edition of the modern Winter Olympics took place halfway around the world in PyeongChang, South Korea, doesn't mean there wasn't some Green County flare in attendance.
Brett Nafzger, a 2008 Monroe graduate now working for Harley-Davidson in Kansas City, Missouri, witnessed in person the games that finished up three weeks ago.
"I think going to an Olympics has always been on my bucket list, but Korea would not have been my first option," Nafzger said. "With that said, Korea turned out to be a very cool country. All in all, it was a great experience but also very exhausting."
Nafzger, his brother, Drew, and father, Curt, took a 14-hour direct flight from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago to Seoul, South Korea, leaving Feb. 14 and arriving Feb. 16 thanks to the change in time zones. From there, it was another four-hour train ride to Gangneung, where the hockey games were headquartered.
Why hockey? Other than being a hockey family in general - both Brett and Drew played Avalanche hockey, and Drew now coaches the Monroe Blues - Drew's girlfriend is a back-up goalie for Team Canada. Ann-Renee Desbiens made four Frozen Fours with the Wisconsin Badgers, winning a national championship in 2016 and getting named the top college women's player in America for the 2016-17 season. In the Olympics, Desbiens played in one game and shut out the Olympic Athletes from Russia 5-0 on Feb. 11."Knowing someone that close on a national team is pretty cool," Drew said.
Canada lost in the gold medal game to the United States in a shootout Feb. 22.
"Ultimately, (I was) cheering for Canada, but in reality, I was just hoping it would be a very competitive and great hockey game," Brett said. "It was an odd experience to see such team disappointment in a silver medal, but that goes to show you the caliber of hockey they have come to expect. All in all, it is a bigger accomplishment to make Team Canada than it is to win a silver medal."
The Nafzger clan stayed at an Airbnb property, which was a cultural experience in and of itself. Airbnb is a company that allows people to rent out their personal living spaces to others as an alternative to hotels.
"We stayed in someone's apartment, and there was no furniture except for two dining chairs. No sofa, no recliners," Drew said. "But for what I got to experience, the price wasn't as much as it sounds. The flight was the biggest cost."
Outside of hockey, the three Nafzgers saw men's slope style skiing, the men's skiing aerials, the men's and women's team sprint cross country skiing and the women's downhill.
"It was a 30-minute train ride, and we got to see Lindsey Vonn win her medal," Drew said, referring to the American bronze-medal winner. "The size of the mountain, the ski hill and how fast they are skiing, on TV you just don't realize how fast they go."
Clinton Bader, a 2003 Monroe graduate, is an expat currently living in Seoul teaching English. The two-hour train ride from his apartment to Gangneung for the hockey games was made easier thanks to his knowledge of the local language and transportation.
"One hundred percent, yes, it helped," Bader said. "I have been learning the language, and that goes miles in terms of knowing where to go and how to ask for things."
Bader's parents, Ed and Laura Bader of Monroe, attended the games with him and then stayed a bit longer in Seoul.
Bader went to two men's hockey games and admits his rooting interests for the Olympics were local.
"I was rooting for South Korea pretty hard, especially at the Korea vs. Finland game. Korea was down 3-0 in the second period and scored two goals in quick succession and looked to be gaining a lot of steam," Bader said. "The venue was full of South Koreans, and the place was going wild, myself included. I also found myself really rooting for the South Korean women's curling team."
The Nafzger trio also attended the closing ceremonies, which Brett said was "definitely cool."
"With all the light shows and fireworks - there wasn't a bad seat in the house. It would have been cool to have been able to experience the opening ceremony to be able to compare the atmosphere," Brett said.
Drew said making the trip with his father and brother was an experience worth having.
"The three of us have never gone somewhere out of the country or a big trip where it's just us three. It was one of those, 'Saturdays are for the boys' family-bonding trips," Drew said.
Brett Nafzger, a 2008 Monroe graduate now working for Harley-Davidson in Kansas City, Missouri, witnessed in person the games that finished up three weeks ago.
"I think going to an Olympics has always been on my bucket list, but Korea would not have been my first option," Nafzger said. "With that said, Korea turned out to be a very cool country. All in all, it was a great experience but also very exhausting."
Nafzger, his brother, Drew, and father, Curt, took a 14-hour direct flight from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago to Seoul, South Korea, leaving Feb. 14 and arriving Feb. 16 thanks to the change in time zones. From there, it was another four-hour train ride to Gangneung, where the hockey games were headquartered.
Why hockey? Other than being a hockey family in general - both Brett and Drew played Avalanche hockey, and Drew now coaches the Monroe Blues - Drew's girlfriend is a back-up goalie for Team Canada. Ann-Renee Desbiens made four Frozen Fours with the Wisconsin Badgers, winning a national championship in 2016 and getting named the top college women's player in America for the 2016-17 season. In the Olympics, Desbiens played in one game and shut out the Olympic Athletes from Russia 5-0 on Feb. 11."Knowing someone that close on a national team is pretty cool," Drew said.
Canada lost in the gold medal game to the United States in a shootout Feb. 22.
"Ultimately, (I was) cheering for Canada, but in reality, I was just hoping it would be a very competitive and great hockey game," Brett said. "It was an odd experience to see such team disappointment in a silver medal, but that goes to show you the caliber of hockey they have come to expect. All in all, it is a bigger accomplishment to make Team Canada than it is to win a silver medal."
The Nafzger clan stayed at an Airbnb property, which was a cultural experience in and of itself. Airbnb is a company that allows people to rent out their personal living spaces to others as an alternative to hotels.
"We stayed in someone's apartment, and there was no furniture except for two dining chairs. No sofa, no recliners," Drew said. "But for what I got to experience, the price wasn't as much as it sounds. The flight was the biggest cost."
Outside of hockey, the three Nafzgers saw men's slope style skiing, the men's skiing aerials, the men's and women's team sprint cross country skiing and the women's downhill.
"It was a 30-minute train ride, and we got to see Lindsey Vonn win her medal," Drew said, referring to the American bronze-medal winner. "The size of the mountain, the ski hill and how fast they are skiing, on TV you just don't realize how fast they go."
Clinton Bader, a 2003 Monroe graduate, is an expat currently living in Seoul teaching English. The two-hour train ride from his apartment to Gangneung for the hockey games was made easier thanks to his knowledge of the local language and transportation.
"One hundred percent, yes, it helped," Bader said. "I have been learning the language, and that goes miles in terms of knowing where to go and how to ask for things."
Bader's parents, Ed and Laura Bader of Monroe, attended the games with him and then stayed a bit longer in Seoul.
Bader went to two men's hockey games and admits his rooting interests for the Olympics were local.
"I was rooting for South Korea pretty hard, especially at the Korea vs. Finland game. Korea was down 3-0 in the second period and scored two goals in quick succession and looked to be gaining a lot of steam," Bader said. "The venue was full of South Koreans, and the place was going wild, myself included. I also found myself really rooting for the South Korean women's curling team."
The Nafzger trio also attended the closing ceremonies, which Brett said was "definitely cool."
"With all the light shows and fireworks - there wasn't a bad seat in the house. It would have been cool to have been able to experience the opening ceremony to be able to compare the atmosphere," Brett said.
Drew said making the trip with his father and brother was an experience worth having.
"The three of us have never gone somewhere out of the country or a big trip where it's just us three. It was one of those, 'Saturdays are for the boys' family-bonding trips," Drew said.
