Torah Bright — This 19-year-old, internationally recognized snowboarder will represent more than her home country, Australia, but also The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Bright started skiing at age 2 and then picked up snowboarding at 11. She followed in the footsteps of her older siblings — her alpine skier sister, Rowena, competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and her brother and coach, Ben, is a professional snowboarder.

Bright has competed all over the world, winning competitions even in the pro circuit. She made her debut when she was 16 in the 2003 World Cup, where she medaled in four of her five events. She is one of the favorites for gold in Torino.

When asked about posing for magazines like other female athletes to raise her profile, she said her beliefs as a life-long member of the Church keep her from doing so. “We are taught that our bodies are our most sacred things. I definitely would never do anything like that to better my career,” Bright said.

While she said her beliefs don’t necessarily help her while she’s in the half pipe, other aspects of Bright’s life are uplifted. “[My faith] doesn’t help me in competitions, but it gives me a purpose. It gives me values and morals to live by, which I definitely like,” Bright said.

Werner Hoeger — At age 52, Hoeger will be the oldest man competing in the Olympics, for his second time. Hoeger, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for 20-plus years, will be competing in the luge for his native country, Venezuela.

Hoeger started his Olympic quest at a young age. He was one of the most decorated gymnasts in Venezuela’s history, but missed his opportunity when the Venezuelan team never qualified. He went to BYU at age 16 on a gymnastics scholarship. However, he decided to pursue a different career and currently works as a professor at Boise State University.

Hoeger started in the luge after being inspired by the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Despite many crashes and injuries, Hoeger said he was hooked. He and his son Chris both began competing and made it to the 2002 Olympics, coming in 40th and 31st, respectively.

However, this year Chris Hoeger will not be competing because he recently returned from a mission to Germany and has started classes at BYU.

Hoeger said someday his age will force him to redirect his luging goals, “But I’m coming off the best season I’ve ever had and I’m still getting better. We’ll just have to see,” he said.