Home-town Olympian draws crowds at fair

PALMER — Kerry Weiland has come a long way from being a young Valley girl attending her first Alaska State Fair.

The 1999 Palmer High School graduate and 2010 Olympic women’s hockey silver-medalist passed another sunny afternoon at the fair on Friday. Weiland spent the afternoon talking with fans and signing pictures as part of the fair’s Olympian Day.

It was apparent the hometown girl has a Valley and statewide following, as the line to meet and greet the athlete ran out of the tent.

“She’s from Palmer and she’s got a medal,” said James Southam, a Nordic skier and veteran of two Olympic Games. “I’m just glad they put me in the middle instead of on the aisles, because if they put me in the corner away from (Weiland), nobody would notice I was here.”

Weiland greeted each person with patience and a smile, answering questions, offering her silver medal for inspection and posing for pictures, allowing people to wear the medal as well.

Since receiving the medal in February, Weiland has been adamant about allowing others to share the medal.

“Thousands and thousands and thousands” have handled the medal over the past six months, she said. “It’s never been put away and it will never be put away. Some people ask if I’ll put it in a case; absolutely not. It’s meant to be shared.”

One of those sharing the moment was 8-year-old Elley Lane, who waited in line with her grandfather, Palmer resident Jim Meeham. Weiland has been a family friend for years, he said, but his granddaughter was still thrilled to meet a local Olympian and to hold the silver medal.

“It was pretty heavy,” she said, adding she watched Weiland and the women’s team. “We watched them last year and the year before and every year before. And we met her last year, too.”

Even a seasoned Valley resident like Meeham was all smiles to meet Weiland.

“We’re from Palmer and we’ve known them for a long time, and there’s nothing like home-grown,” he said.

A former University of Wisconsin All-American, Weiland has been on the U.S. national team for most of the time since 2002. She missed out on making the 2006 Olympic team, but persevered and made the 2010 team. It was the realization of a dream she admits having doubts would come true.

“There are so many times you have those questioning thoughts,” she said. “My message is to dream, believe in yourself. Dream big. I finally let myself dream and I’ve finally accomplished it. I’m the poster child for someone who’s come from Butte Elementary. It doesn’t matter how much money your parents have in the bank account, if you work hard and believe in yourself, good things will happen.”

Since the Olympics ended, Weiland has been touring the country and rehabilitating an injured hip.

She hurt herself in the Olympics, tearing cartilage and a ligament, and had surgery in June to fix the problem. She was back on the ice playing hockey last Tuesday for the first time since the surgery.

At 29, Weiland was one of the oldest players on the U.S. women’s team, but said she hasn’t closed the door on playing again.

“I’m going to follow my heart on that one and see what my body can take, but I am training,” she said. “I would love to (play in the Olympics again). I would love to be in Sochi (Russia) in 2014 — and I’d be trying to get that gold medal the next time.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.