Dream comes true for Taylor Heise, who is bound for the Winter Olympics

It’s official, Lake City native Taylor Heise is an Olympian.

Heise will compete as a member of the Team USA women’s hockey team in February in Italy.

The roster reveal happened Friday, Jan. 2, on the “Today Show” on NBC.

“It’s a dream come true to be an Olympian,” she said over the weekend. “So much hard work and sacrifice has led to this, but it has all been worth it!”

Heise is no stranger to honors and awards. She was named Minnesota’s top high school player and the nation’s top collegiate player, in addition to professional and international accolades. But a spot on the Olympic roster eluded her until now.

“I have won some really cool awards in my life, but this experience is extra special and very unique,” she said. “I’m excited to take full advantage of it and truly bask in every moment representing Team USA!”

Reaching the Olympics has been a long-time ambition for Taylor, according to her mother, Amy Heise.

“Taylor penciled the word ‘Olympics’ above the light switch in her bedroom around the age of 12,” Amy said. “Almost 14 years later she achieved that goal. If you know Taylor, you know how proud she is to represent her country and be named an Olympian—you also know she’s ready for the real work to begin when the women’s team opens play on Feb. 5.”

When that happens Taylor will have a lot of people cheering for her here and in Italy.

Amy estimates that around 25-30 friends and family will travel to Italy to watch the games. Many had to buy tickets months before Taylor was officially named to the team.

“Taylor also has so many people in her life—like her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, coaches, and teammates—that will be cheering her on back home,” Amy said.

One of the people travelling to Italy is Greg Berge. He’s known Taylor since she was very young and coached her brothers Nate and Ryan when they played for the Lake City High School boys basketball team.

Berge is also an author who writes an online newsletter about coaching and athletic success read by thousands of people in athletics.

“As Taylor has often said, ‘she didn’t do everything, but she did the right things.’ Taylor’s work ethic, consistency, and competitiveness are second to none. I saw her competitiveness firsthand during our elementary basketball years when Nate’s team (same grade as my son Jackson) would practice against Taylor’s team, which was three years older. Those games would get incredibly physical and incredibly competitive; I knew Taylor was going to be a special athlete even then. I also really think playing both basketball and hockey through elementary school had a positive impact on her in hockey. Taylor is a tremendous passer, and I think her understanding of spacing and seeing things play out on the ice parallels what happens on a basketball court.

“I think the biggest thing people don’t always see is how much time and effort go into being an athlete like this. It is a daily grind and a commitment to the process; it’s finding joy in that process that truly separates Taylor.”

Lake City hasn’t been known as a hockey town. There’s no indoor rink. No high school team. Both Taylor’s parents, Amy and Tony Heise, played college basketball. Same for her two brothers, Ryan and Nate.

So how did she end up playing hockey?

“It really started when I enrolled my elementary-aged son, Charlie (Taylor’s classmate), in Wabasha’s youth hockey program,” Joe White said. “It was very low-key—outdoor ice, no travel, just scrimmaging within our own group. The following year, I helped start the Lake City youth hockey program to create some friendly competition.

“I recruited help from a group of guys I played with in the Red Wing’s adult league—many of them also had elementary-aged kids. That included Jay Nibbe, Mark Bailey, Bruce Wallerich, Dean Kaartenin, and Glenn Hartzell. We sent flyers home through Bluff View Elementary to recruit more players, and luckily one of those flyers ended up in Taylor’s backpack.

“Most of the kids who joined were first-time skaters—Taylor included. For a few of them, the learning curve was short. With a growing love for the game and strong family support, a few players, Taylor among them, went on to enroll in more competitive youth programs like Red Wing.

“One moment really stands out to me. One of our Red Wing adult league guys coached a Peewees team, and we lined up a scrimmage on indoor ice. By that time, Taylor had already moved on to Red Wing’s program, but she came back to help us out for that game.

“The mismatch was obvious from the start—but Taylor completely took over. She kept us competitive and, if I remember right, scored all of our goals herself. I think she saw it as a chance to show the Red Wing boys what she could do. That’s when I knew Taylor had a very high ceiling.

“It’s funny—coming from a basketball family, you might have expected a different path. But Taylor always seemed destined for hockey. Thankfully, Lake City youth hockey ended up being the conduit that started that journey.”

Amy said that she and her husband, Tony, are so grateful for the community of Lake City.

“They have really embraced our children and supported them all. We are forever greatful to Joe White who put together the Lake City hockey team back when Taylor brought home the flier and asked us to join,” Amy said. “I mean without him and his oldtimer buddies who helped him get it going, where would she be?

“I’m also so thankful for the Peters Memorial Fund, which just put everything a kid would need to skate in the warming hut (at the Lake City rink), as well as Adam Schimbeno, who uses a skate sharpener that Taylor donated to sharpen the kids’ skates. Opportunities to get kids trying new things, being active and learning about life through those avenues is something we are passionate about in our family.”

Now, thanks to Taylor, young people here can see that there is a path from Lake City to the upper echelons of whatever career they pursue with the right support and work ethic.

“Taylor has worked incredibly hard,” Berge said. “And whenever she has faced setbacks, she has used them as fuel to motivate herself even further. When she didn’t make the Olympic team in 2022, I know that pushed her focus and motivation to another level, and it has really helped her flourish into the person she is today.

“What is even more special, from my perspective, is how well she carries herself. I think that is what Lake City should be so proud of; she is a phenomenal athlete and competitor. She is humble, confident, and a great person who has a tremendous impact on so many other people. She does things the right way as a leader and is a positive influence for kids everywhere. As a coach, it is always great to see kids achieve their dreams, but more importantly, do it the right way and always remember where they came from.”

Heise and Team USA open Olympic competition Feb. 5 vs. Czechia.

More information can be found at https://teamusa.usahockey.com.