Remson Olympian Erin Hamlin calls 2026 luge for NBC Olympic broadcast
· Yahoo Sports
When 26-year-old American Ashley Farquharson prepared to lay on her luge for her final of four total slides down the track at the Cortina Sliding Center in her quest to medal in the 2026 Cortina Milano Winter Olympic Games, she aspired to be only the second American woman to medal in an Olympic luge event.
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The first American woman to achieve that feat was in the broadcast booth in Cortina D’Ampezzo, nestled in Italy’s Dolomite Alps, an NBC Sports analyst poised to call the event for millions of viewers worldwide.
Leigh Diffey, the Austrian-American calling play-by-play for the sliding events at the Milano Corina games, noted at the onset of the broadcast of Farquharson’s race as the cameras zeroed in on the American readying to lay on her luge, that his broadcast partner in the booth that day was the only American woman to ever medal in the event, winning the Bronze in Sochi in 2014.
Sitting beside Diffey in that booth was Erin Hamlin Hodge, Remsen, NY’s own 4-time Luge Olympian, U.S. Olympic Team flag-bearer at the opening ceremonies for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
“As she sits here beside me,” said Diffey of Hamlin as NBC broadcast viewers watched an American woman fastening her helmet at the mount of the luge slide, “a US slider by the name of Ashley Farquharson who has the opportunity to do the same, the 26 year-old from Park City, UT.”
Leading America into the 2018 games
Hamlin was selected by her Olympic teammates to lead them into the Sochi games at least in part to honor her historic performance in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, where she slid into the Olympic record books, winning the bronze medal in the women’s individual luge event, becoming only the sixth American to medal, only the second American to medal in individual competition, and the first American woman ever to medal in an Olympic luge event.
“You can visualize a moment hundreds of times; you only have one chance to make it a reality,” said Diffey with Hamlin, one of the rare few to make that vision a reality, at his side. “Is that time now for Ashley Farquharson?” That time was now for Farquharson. With her final of her four runs on Tue., Feb. 10, she clocked a total time of 3:31.582. Just 52.909 seconds after shoving off down the Olympic run, she became the second American Woman to make that vision a reality in the luge, bringing the bronze home to the U.S.A. “She does it,” exclaimed Hamlin in a moment of authentic joy as Farquharson crossed the finish line, beating the time that would ensure her a medal! “Unbelievable,” Hamlin exhaled, as she was joined in Olympic history by a fellow American female slider.
Mohawk Valley hometown hero
Erin Hamlin Hodge’s hometown of Remson is a small Oneida County town and village, population less than 2,000, cozied up to the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York.
Hamlin Hodge was born and raised there, Remsen Junior-Senior High School graduate, Class of 2004, and keynote speaker after winning her Olympic bronze for the graduates of RJSHS Class of 2014.
Hamlin Hodge works as a project manager in Learning and Development for EY – when she is not moonlighting as a broadcast analyst for her seminal sport or keeping up with her two young sons.
From Olympic athlete to commentator
Hamlin Hodge shared that, over the years during the World Cup tours, the International Luge Federation (FIL) would live stream events and bring in a luge athlete to help call the races.
Said Hamlin Hodge, “that was my first experience with color commentary.”
Recalling that NBC always televised a few luge races that were produced by a company with close ties to the luge events called Carr-Hughes Productions, based in Saratoga Springs, another upstate New York community.
“I was asked to call races for them a few times,” said Hamlin Hodge, “which I imagine put me on the radar for the Olympics.”
Hamlin Hodge was first tapped to call the luge for the perennial Olympic network for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, where Diffey manned play-by-play for all three sliding sports, but Schaaf called the two in which she competed, bobsled and skeleton, while Hamlin Hodge was welcomed aboard to analyze the luge events.
“It just Looked a lot different because of COVID,” said Hamlin Hodge, who did not travel to China for the task. “We did it all from Stamford, CT, where NBC Sports is headquartered.”
The same broadcast team returned to call sliding for the 2026 Winter Games, only this time, Hamlin was ‘trackside,’ live from the ‘Queen of the Dolomites’ in the alpines of Cortina.
Serendipity abounds, as Hamlin competed in her very first Winter Olympic games at age 19 in Turin (Torino) Italy 20 years ago. And storytellers could not have penned fiction more poignant than Hamlin Hodge, the first American woman to ever win a Winter Olympic medal in luge, calling the winning run 12 years later for Ashley Farquharson, who would slide into Olympic history beside her when she placed 3rd to earn the Bronze in Cortina, now the next and only second American woman to medal in the swift sliding sport.
'Not much opportunity locally'
Hamlin Hodge confesses there is “not much opportunity locally” for aspiring sliders, although she notes “a few kids” from the Mohawk Valley region in “the development pipeline.”
“When the recruitment event comes to the area, I’m around,” promised Hamlin Hodge. “and I hope to get more involved in the future.”
But the Remsen resident hero and mom noted that would likely require spending time in Lake Placid. As for whether the Hamlin Hodge sons aspire to slide in her Olympic luge steps, Hamlin Hodge says “not quite yet!”
She poses the perfect answer to the query to say that she and their father share the goal to “expose them to as much as possible and see where their interests take them!”
She does say that the family watches races all season and her 5-year-old, the big brother, recognizes some of the U.S. team members “so gets excited to watch.”
Hamlin says she “won’t push them to do it if they don’t want to,” but that she is “happy to nurture their curiosity.”
Hamlin to her Remsen, Mohawk Valley supporters
"Throughout my career it was a privilege to represent the community and I was always so grateful for all the support," said Hamlin Hodge. "It has been fun to continue bringing Olympic excitement to everyone, share a new perspective and hopefully widen the fan base for luge!!"
Concluded Hamlin Hodge, "So thank you to all who have and continue to support me, who tune in and cheer for Team USA!"
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: "She does it!" Hamlin,1st U.S. luge medalist calls Farquharson medal run