For two weeks in February, the small county of Athens had something to rally around as one of their own took the Olympic stage in Milan, Italy. Gwyneth Philips, a goalie for the gold-medal winning US Women’s Hockey Team, represented southeastern Ohio on the world’s biggest sports stage.
As Olympic officials took turns awarding gold medals to Philips and her teammates, a replay of her career raced through her head.
“That was the coolest moment of my life,” Philips says. “We were lined up, and every once in a while, it would hit one of us, and all of a sudden one of us would just start tearing up for a second. We would think about how cool it is that a gold medal is getting put around our necks, and we’d start tearing up again.”
It’s not every day Athens County is in the national news. Growing up in a college town, Philips never imagined reaching her level of success. She’s a former NCAA Goaltender of the Year, a First-Team All-American, a member of the U.S. Women’s national team for multiple years and a finalist for the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL) Rookie of the Year and Goaltender of the Year awards.
All that to say, Philips says her busy life feels “surreal.”
Philips approaches hockey with superstitions and a carefree attitude. She attributes this style of play to her hometown. Often described as a little bit quirky and carefree, Athens is never far from Philips’ mind when she takes the ice for each game.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t grow up in such an amazing, diverse community,” Philips says.
When they were young, Philips and her brother, Guy Clark Philips, would practice at Bird Ice Arena on Ohio University’s campus. With her brother as her biggest role model, the Olympic goalie says she fell in love with hockey at a young age.
“If it had not been for our Athens youth hockey program, none of this would have started,” Philips’ father, Guy Philips, says. “We’ve got a very nice hockey rink here at Ohio University. The college students help, they train and have clinics for the kids.”
Like many younger siblings, Philips followed her brother everywhere growing up. The two practiced at Bird before joining travel hockey teams in Columbus. Soon after, the two attended the same prep high school in Pittsburgh. Now, Philips’ brother remains one of her biggest supporters.
“I was pretty close to tears myself just watching her realize her dream and just seeing her skating out there after the game enjoying herself,” Philips’ brother says. “All her hard work paying off, it was pretty surreal.”
Philips credits Athens for shaping her as a player and as a person, but the small city didn’t always present the same opportunities as others. Philips’ parents drove her to practices four days a week from Athens to Columbus.
“It was fun to watch my children play the sport that they loved,” Philips’ dad says. “Driving them to hockey practice and to the games was not a negative experience. They would do their homework in the car, or we’d be talking about things. It was a wonderful experience for the family.”
With every accomplishment Philips has achieved in her career, she remembers the time and money that her parents put into setting her up for success.
“Making the Olympic team was also a big thank you to a lot of people who have supported me in the past,” Philips says. “My parents were driving two hours, one way, two [or] three times a week for me and spent so much money over the years… I would hope they see it was worth it.”
Evidenced by press interviews, it’s all about Athens for Philips; meanwhile, during her two-week Olympic run, Philips was all Athens could talk about. Banners hung in the streets wishing her luck, while bars and restaurants adjusted their hours so people could come together for games she played in. Even the city council talked about Philips and how Athens can recognize her accomplishments.
“I think having an athlete from Athens being in the Olympics, people [can] forget about political views or differences in other things, and are able to come together to support Gwyneth,” longtime Athen‘s’ resident and Philips’ soon-to-be sister in-law Riley Sole says.
One local business that supported Philips at the Olympics was one of her personal favorites growing up: Avalanche Pizza.
Avalanche renamed their popular pizza, “The Godzilla,” to “The Gwynzilla” to celebrate Philips during the Olympics. Avalanche reached out to Philips directly to find a way to honor her. When they learned what Gwyneth’s favorite pizza was, “The Godzilla,” the rest was a no-brainer.
When people went to Avalanche to order “The Gwynzilla,” they weren’t just supporting Philips or the restaurant; a fraction of all sales on the specialty pizza was donated to the Joe Burrow Foundation, which supports hunger relief efforts in Athens.
“Elite athletes on the world stage come from here,” Duncan Hadley, an employee at Avalanche, says. “I think that is kind of important to be able to say they’re from Southeast Ohio, a place that, on paper, is where this shouldn’t happen. I think that’s kind of beautiful.”
Although Avalanche was one of the first local businesses to recognize Philips publically, it was not the only one. Its traction inspired other companies to follow suit by the time the gold medal game came around.
“It’s just mind-blowing to me that it reached this many people, and it meant that much,” Hadley says. “I think it’s a fun thing for everyone. I kind of see it as a morale boost for the town. We’ve got some legendary people from here. It’s pretty sick.”
In return, Philips says, she wants the community to know their support didn’t go unnoticed.
“That’s what the Athens community is about, just supporting one another,” Philips says. “It was really special. I really did feel the love and support from everyone. It really made me have a lot of pride in my hometown. Because, man, we are an eclectic group, but we are a loving group.”
As soon as the Olympics ended, Philips returned to Ottawa, Canada, where she is the starting goalie for the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge. However, she promises as soon as her pro season ends, she’s coming back to Athens with her gold medal to celebrate with all the people who supported her.
Philips and the USA Women’s Hockey team pose for a photo with their gold medals during the closing ceremonies of the Milan Olympics. | Courtesy of Gwyneth Philips Instagram
More than anything, the Olympian wants her gold medal, which is the first to come from Athens, to inspire future female athletes from Southeast Ohio.
“It was never on my radar, until kind of recently, that maybe people knew who I was, or that little kids or little girls playing hockey could start looking up to me,” Philips says. “I didn’t have a role model to look up to, but I think it would be great to have someone there now to be able to help kids or be someone to strive for.”
As for Philips’ family and friends, who have watched her become one of Athens’ most recognizable figures, they have no doubt that the city is exactly where they need to be. They all agree that Philips achieved greatness because of the opportunities and support received from the Athens community.
“Both my kids love Athens, and to see that support come back just solidified in their minds and ours why we love it here,” Philips’ mom, Linda Philips, says. “It is a small town. People do support each other. People come and try to do whatever they can to be on your side.”
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