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These Michigan Natives Just Made It Into the Winter Olympics

The 2022 Winter Olympics is upon us. The festivities will take place in Beijing, China, next month, and a bunch of athletes with Michigan ties will be there. Michigan is…

(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

The 2022 Winter Olympics is upon us. The festivities will take place in Beijing, China, next month, and a bunch of athletes with Michigan ties will be there. Michigan is such a cold state, so it makes sense that we have excellent athletes in winter sports. I'll be cheering them on from my couch, snuggled in a blanket, wishing I could ice skate like a champion.

When it comes to the U.S. ice dancing teams, Michigan is really on top. All three of U.S. teams have skaters with some ties to Michigan, including two who are natives. The teams are Madison Chock and Evan Bates; Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue; and Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker.

Bates is an Ann Arbor native, and his partner, Chock, went to Novi High School. This will mark Bates' fourth time at the Olympics. How impressive is that? This will be the third time Chock and Bates appear at the Olympics as an ice dance team.

The other two teams also have Michigan ties. Both Hubbel and Donahue, and Hawayek and Baker used to train at the Detroit Skating Club. Both teams now train in Montreal, as does Chock and Bates. Let's go, Team U.S.A.!

2022 U.S. Figure Skating Championships:

Anne Erickson started her radio career shortly after graduating from Michigan State University and has worked on-air in Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Lansing and beyond. As someone who absolutely loves rock, metal and alt music, she instantly fell in love with radio and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working, Anne makes her own music with her band, Upon Wings, and she also loves cheering on her favorite Detroit and Michigan sports teams, especially Lions and MSU football. Anne is also an award-winning journalist, and her byline has run in a variety of national publications. You can also hear her weekends on WRIF.