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Titletown Winter Games highlight lesser-known Olympic sports

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TITLETOWN — The frozen tundra around Lambeau Field transformed into a winter sports wonderland Saturday, as Titletown teamed up with U.S. Venture, Inc. to host the 2023 Titletown Winter Games.

The event put the spotlight on the Winter Olympic sports of curling, luge, figure skating, biathlon and ski jumping; giving participants a chance to try their hand at each and learn about them from Olympians.

Among the Olympians in attendance was U.S. Senior National Luge Team member Jonny Gustafson, who competed at the 2022 games in Beijing and promoted luge at the Titletown winter games.

He said he thinks the event will help bring exposure to and ultimately grow the relatively niche sport and said it might even set some on a path to Olympic glory.

“I’ve seen a lot of kids here who have shown a real interest in more and more runs and taking an interest in the sport," said Gustafson. "We’ve had a couple people at events like this, who have turned into Olympians."

He pointed to his 2022 Olympic teammate Summer Britcher as an example, explaining that she also got involved with luge after attending an event similar to the Titletown winter games.

Event organizers said that roughly 2,000 people attended the event Saturday, including 300 children from 11 local non-profits.

The Titletown Winter Games will conclude Sunday, with the event running from noon to 5:00 pm.