LYNNWOOD — Four years ago, Kelly Tysland was preparing for one of the ultimate moments in sports.
Tysland — she was Kelly Stephens back then — was a member of the United States Olympic women’s hockey team, bound for the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. Even though her hockey career already included two national championships at the University of Minnesota and one world championship with the U.S. national team, it would all be eclipsed by what happened in Turin.
“In women’s hockey, being an Olympian is the pinnacle of the sport,” said the 26-year-old Tysland, who lives in Lynnwood. “It was one of my goals and one of my dreams. And for me to reach that was amazing.”
Turin, she went on, “was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It really is something unique. You just feel so much passion because you’re playing for your country.”
Even now, four years later, “I get goose bumps just thinking about it,” she said.
Topping the many highlights, Tysland said, was the chance to walk with the other athletes into Turin’s Stadio Olimpico for the opening ceremonies.
“I was so awestruck,” she said. “It was like, ‘Wow, I’m here.’ We were one of the last countries to go out and people (in the stadium) were screaming. It was kind of cool. You felt like a rock star.”
For Tysland, the exuberance of the opening-day pageantry barely waned throughout the Games.
“I was on kind of this adrenaline high for the three weeks I was there,” she said. “Every morning when I woke up, I was excited. Normally I’m pretty grounded and down to earth, but I just felt amped through the whole Olympics. I literally felt like I was on Cloud 9.”
The only downside for Tysland and her teammates was the way the Games ended. The U.S. women’s hockey team was expected to reach the gold-medal game against Canada — indeed, the Americans had three lopsided wins in the qualifying round, outscoring their opponents 18-3 — but were instead upset by Sweden in the semifinals. The game ended 2-2 and the outcome was decided in a shootout, won by Sweden.
Tysland recalls being “very disappointed and very upset when we lost in the semis. I remember being in the shootout and thinking, ‘This isn’t happening. There’s no way we’re in this situation right now.’ I think we were all kind of in a state of shock.”
Afterward, she said, “we felt like we’d totally underachieved. And that kind of stunk.”
Three days later, the U.S. women defeated Finland 4-0 to win the bronze medal. And although it took time, Tysland now treasures that medal as a precious memento and symbol of her Olympic experience.
“To me,” she said, “it’s a little pompous to say, ‘Oh, I’m not very satisfied because I didn’t get the gold medal.’ I mean, I’m grateful to have participated in the Olympics, to have had the opportunity to be on one of the best teams at the Olympics, and then to come home with a medal. Big picture, it was an amazing experience and I’m thankful that I had the opportunity I did.”
And when she holds her medal today, “I can feel content and proud,” she said.
The Turin Olympics were the end of Tysland’s competitive career, though she still sometimes puts on skates. She occasionally plays recreational hockey, and a few weeks ago she practiced with the U.S. women’s team prior to an exhibition game against Canada in Spokane.
Which begs the question, does she still have the itch to play?
“I’m not going to lie, a little bit,” she admitted. “There’s definitely a part of me (that misses it). I love the game of hockey. And who doesn’t want to be a part of the Olympics? But to be totally honest, I wasn’t willing to commit to another four years. I was ready to move on.”
She married her husband Shanon Tysland in 2007 and today they work together at Lynnwood’s Experience Momentum Inc., a business that Tysland calls a “wellness center.” Her husband is a physical therapist while she does massage therapy and personal training. Some clients are recovering from surgeries, while others are trying to lose weight and overcome other personal obstacles.
“We’re wellness oriented,” Tysland explained, “so we’re coming from that full spectrum of mind, body and spirit. If someone comes in with weight-loss issues, there’s something else going on and we try to get to the root of it, which is really enjoyable and fun.”
And it can’t hurt that clients are hearing a message of accomplishment and success from a onetime Olympian.
“It gives a kind of extra respect and validity to what you’re presenting,” she said. “And I feel so blessed to have had an amazing life and to be passionate about what I’m doing now, and then to be able to convey that to other people.”
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