With the 2026 Winter Olympics getting underway in Milan-Cortina, Italy, The Hudson Valley will have two athletes native to our area to root for! Both will be competing for medals in ice sports. 

Clayton DeClemente — Short Track Speed Skating

(Team USA Speed Skating; REUTERS/Yves Herman)

Clayton DeClemente hails from Dutchess County. He's a 2017 graduate of Arlington High School in Poughkeepsie who reportedly began skating at the age of 11. However, he was a roller skater before switching to learning to ice skate. DeClemente made the United States Olympic team competing as a short track speed skater. In Milan-Cortina, Clayton will compete in the 1000 meter and 1500 meter events.  

Aerin Frankel — Women's Ice Hockey

(U.S. Women's Hockey goalie Aerin Frankel; James Long/Imagn Images via REUTERS)

26-year-old Aerin Frankel hails from the Chappaqua/Briarcliff Manor area of Westchester County. She's serving as goalie for the U.S. Women's Ice Hockey team at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Her love for the ice reportedly began as a child skating at Westchester Skating Academy. She briefly attended high school at Horace Greely in Chappaqua before transferring to an academy in Minnesota where she played ice hockey. Frankel also plays professionally for the Boston Fleet in the Professional Women’s Hockey League. She was named to Team USA’s Olympic roster last month.

Keep an eye out for these two Team USA rock stars during the Winter Olympics. Here's when you can watch them compete:

Men's Short Track Speed Skating 1000 m takes place on Tues., Feb. 10th, with the 1500 m scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 14th.

In Women's Hockey, Team USA began preliminary games Thurs., Feb. 5th, with a game against Finland set for Sat., Feb. 7th, versus Switzerland on Mon., Feb. 9th, and facing off against North American rival Canada on Tues., Feb. 10th.