EAGAN, Minn. — The mutual respect was evident.

Aaron Jones, Sr., asked questions and listened intently to responses by Aidan Oldenburg and his teammates. Oldenburg, Rich Ruohonen, Danny Casper, Luc Violette and Ben Richardson make up the 2026 U.S. Olympic Curling Team and will represent our country in Milan, Italy, where festivities begin Feb. 6.

The Vikings hosted Team Casper, the men's team, on Jan. 3 at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center. The USA also will be represented at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games by Team Peterson (women's) and Team Dropkin/Thiesse (mixed doubles).

"It's awesome. I've been a Vikings fan my entire life. It's been cool to be out here and watch these guys that I've always watched on TV," Oldenburg said. "I met Aaron Jones just now, and that's sick."

Being an ultimate competitor himself, Jones was captivated by the athletes' explanation of their process and commitment to their craft.

Oldenburg (Mapleton) and Ruohonen (Brooklyn Park) are proud to rep Minnesota for the team. And though he hails from Briarcliff Manor, New York, Casper attended the University of Minnesota after being inspired by John Shuster, who helped Team USA win the country's first-ever gold medal in curling at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Another common thread — with Minnesota ties — through Team Casper is their familiarity with Vikings Legend Jared Allen, who picked up curling following his Hall of Fame football career.

"I actually curled with Jared for a year, and so did Ben Richardson," Oldenburg noted. "He's awesome. I loved watching [the Vikings] the season he was very close to breaking the all-time sacks record."

Added Ruohonen with a laugh: "I've curled with Jared Allen, and … if I didn't say he was my favorite Viking, he'd probably be mad at me, so he's my favorite Viking."

In truth, Allen is among several favorites of Ruohonen, who has been a Vikings Season Ticket Member for 30 years.

"I've been to Mankato, been to training camps, but to be here and get a whole tour of the facility is awesome. And to be able to watch it and meet some of the guys has been fantastic," he said. "I've helped out 'Learn to Curl' classes with former Vikings … but I love them all. I'm a big fan.

"I'm a big Randy Moss fan, a big Harrison Smith fan. I've had — when you've been around for 30 years, it's the guys who have been around for a while, like Harrison, who have been loyal, lifetime Vikings," he added. "I'm really excited to be here."

Ruohonen has been a Season Ticket Member longer than his teammates have been alive … and they don't let him forget that.

At 54, Ruohonen joked he "gets a lot of crap for being the old guy." He accentuated, however, the true camaraderie among their team that's enabled them to find so much success.

"The whole month of November and early part of December, we're on the road with each other 90 percent of those days. We see each other more than our families. We're as close as you get — a real tight-knit group," Ruohonen said. "We all give each other a hard time. But we hang out outside of curling, too, and we spend a lot of time together. We're ready to go, and we're good friends. It's like family."

Team Casper was honored to meet not only Jones but several of his Vikings teammates who stopped by to encourage the group and offer well wishes for their upcoming competitions.

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell also made a point to connect with the team and had a few sport-specific questions.

"I'm sure they have lots of people visiting and people they meet, plus lots of media they have to do all the time," Casper acknowledged, "so for a lot of them to take a moment and shake our hand — Aaron Jones talked to us for a while, and he was super curious about curling and what we do, and that was pretty top-class of him.

"Anytime you get the chance to be with a professional sports team, an NFL team, it's just super awesome to walk around, see the facility, meet the players and maybe try to learn a thing or two about what makes them good," Casper said. "It was super special, and I'm happy to be here."

Since visiting the Vikings facility, Team Casper has competed in additional practices and tournaments before preparing to travel to Europe.

"It's almost still unbelievable at this point," Oldenburg said. "I don't think it will really fully set in for me until we get on the plane to go over there."

It may feel surreal, but Oldenburg and his teammates share a quiet, calm confidence in their ability to contend for an Olympic podium spot.

"We play free, we have a lot of fun out there, and I think that's a little dangerous for some of the teams we're going up against who are maybe feeling the pressure a little bit more than I think we will," Casper said.

"We're always confident," Violette added. "Our camaraderie is awesome; we absolutely love playing together, and we know we can beat every team there, so we're just going to take it a game at a time, enjoy every minute of it. We know we can win."