Team USA features arguably the best collection of talent in the country's history at a Winter Olympics.

It also boasts an incredibly wide range of ages up and down the roster — ranging from 15-year-old skier Abby Winterberger to 54-year-old curler Rich Ruohonen.

Ruohonen is an alternate for the U.S. men's curling team and is making his Olympic debut.

If he gets into a game, he would become the oldest American to compete in a Winter Olympics in any medal event. The previous mark was held by Joseph Savage, who competed in pairs figure skating as a 52-year-old in the 1932 Lake Placid Games.

Ruohonen had been competing in U.S. Olympic Trials since 2006 and was never able to qualify until this year.

"I figured I'd get there (to the Olympics) someday as a coach, maybe," he said back in November. "... But to get there, even if it is as an alternate, is just my dream."

The Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, native first joined the team in 2024 while skip Danny Casper was dealing with Guillain-Barré Syndrome and has stayed with the team even after Casper returned.

Casper, meanwhile, is only 24 — the same age as Ruohonen's daughter, Hannah.

"I was probably the most sought-after free agent at that point because I had so much experience," Ruohonen said. "I came in, started playing for them, and we were winning a lot, whether Danny was in or I was in."

Team Casper took down Team Shuster in the U.S. Olympic Trials in November. Team Shuster — led by skip John Shuster — won the gold medal in 2018 and had competed in each of the last five Olympics.

The win over Team Shuster in November was emotional for Ruohonen, who is a personal injury lawyer as his day job and thought he was nearing the end of his playing career. He had already made up his mind that this would be his last Olympic Trials as a player, regardless of the outcome.

"It was really emotional for me because I thought it was over," he said then. "I thought I had retired, basically, and even though I'm not playing full-time or anything like that, I feel like I'm part of the team. Any way I can help, I've helped. Just to make it this time, I told my wife, it's all worth it."

Ruohonen's teammates appreciate his wisdom and sage guidance.

"It's really crucial for us, just him being present," Casper told NBC in November. "We wouldn't be here without him, for sure."

There is actually precedent for carrying an alternate of Ruohonen's age. Back in 2006, Scott Baird was the U.S. men's curling alternate, but he did not get into a game.