Central Catholic graduate becomes Modesto's first Winter Olympian

For the first time, the city of Modesto will be represented in the Winter Olympics.

Central Catholic High graduate Kendall Wesenberg has been selected to the U.S. Olympic Skeleton Team, along with Katie Uhlaender, Matt Antoine and John Daly. The announcement, which was made by USA Bobsled and Skeleton on Monday, completes an eight-year journey for Wesenberg, who was raised on the slopes of Dodge Ridge.

Wesenberg's appointment to the Olympic team follows a series of breakthroughs the last three years. In January 2015, Wesenberg became the first American woman to win a European Cup title.

"The speed is a lot of fun," Wesenberg said during a podcast with KCRA's Deirdre Fitzpatrick in December. "There's nothing like putting together a run for 18 turns that you're proud of ... or winning the race is so fun. Also, it's the lifestyle. You get to travel and see the world."

Wesenberg graduated from Central Catholic in 2008 and was recently inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. She has a legacy of excellence on the South Carpenter Road campus, no matter the endeavor. She was a multi-sport athlete, excelling in soccer, volleyball and basketball, and was also a member of the school's Leadership class, 4-H and Girl's Scouts.

"If you know Kendall, she was one of those amazing kids, all the way around," Central Catholic activities director Kari Paris said. "She was friends with everyone, a great student, and a great athlete. Everything she does, she puts everything into it.

"When this came about, you just knew something like would happen because she has that kind of determination."

The Winter Games are scheduled for Feb. 9-25 in South Korea. Skeleton is a one-person event that involves head-first, face-down sledding down a steep ice track at speeds in excess of 70 miles per hour. The athlete steers with either their knees or shoulders. Their hands, as Wesenberg revealed in her interview with Fitzpatrick, are tucked under their legs.

"There are 18 turns in less than a minute and you're going 70 mph," she said. "You're trying to make a bunch of decisions, so you need to be all there in that moment."

Wesenberg explained her unique path to skeleton and the Winter Games. During the Vancouver Games in 2010, she was watching the bobsled competition and wondered how an athlete might transition from mainstream sports, like soccer, volleyball and basketball, to bobsled.

Wesenberg performed an Internet search and found information for a combine, where her ability to run, jump, throw and lift was measured. Because of her narrow shoulders, she said during the podcast, she was a prime candidate for skeleton, not bobsled.

After a "lackluster" combine and finishing her business administration degree at the University of Colorado, Wesenberg moved to Utah to pursue her Olympic dream in skeleton.

"I was serious in that I thought I could be good at it and wanted to give it a shot," Wesenberg told Fitzpatrick. "I don't know that I really thought it would lead here eight years later.

"Skeleton is a sport that the more experience you have, the more runs down the track, the better you're going to be," Wesenberg later added. "... I don't get to make up ground, so it's just learning as much as I can and putting it together as I best I can on race days."

Paris hopes Wesenberg's Olympic runs coincide with Central Catholic's school schedule. She'd like to coordinate watch parties with students, faculty and staff members.

"Our philosophy is the 'We' philosophy and Kendall couldn't be a better representative of that," Paris said. "Though the kids don't know her, because she graduated in 2008, they'll be behind her."

Wesenberg joins a small list of Winter Olympians from the Stanislaus District.

Stan Fail of Turlock was a speedskater in the 1964 Olympics, while Angels Camp's Kyle Rasmussen was a downhill skier with three Olympic appearances in the 1990s.

Tracy's Bill Tavares competed in doubles luge racing in 1992, and Valley Home's Barbara Wagner-Hoffman skated to Olympic gold in figure skating pairs in the 1960. Wagner-Hoffman was a member of the Canadian team. Auburn's Jeff Hamilton, a medal-winning speed skier in the '90s, had numerous family members in the Modesto, Denair and Merced areas.

This story was originally published January 16, 2018 at 1:53 PM with the headline "Central Catholic graduate becomes Modesto's first Winter Olympian."