When Laila Edwards was selected for the Olympic team, her family started a fundraiser to afford to go to Milan to see her. The goal was to raise $50,000, equivalent to just over 400,000 kronor, but they raised almost $60,000.
NFL star Travis Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl winner with Kansas City, donated $10,000, as did his brother Jason, also a former NFL player. Travis Kelce is the fiancé of pop icon Taylor Swift.
“Big supporter”
So a total of 14 family members are on site in Milan.
"I've always been a big supporter of his. Growing up, we came from the same town and Travis was always incredibly popular. He's a great athlete, but I've learned that he's an even better person, which is really cool," said Laila Edwards ahead of the Olympics.
She is from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, but is now in her senior year at the University of Wisconsin.
“My biggest motivation”
She says she has embraced her role as a trailblazer and role model for other Black girls who want to play ice hockey or other sports.
"I've learned to appreciate it. It's a big thing and my biggest motivation. If I can have a positive impact on others, then why not? It's cool that everyone has reached out and said I've paved the way for them," she said.
Edwards may have made her Olympic debut for the national team in Milan, but she already has a gold and a silver in the World Cup.
When she made her World Cup debut in 2024 as a forward, she scored six goals and became the youngest player in history to be named the World Cup tournament's most valuable player.
That year, the USA won silver; last year she played defense on the national team and the USA won gold.
She is a defender on the Olympic team as well, but alternates between defense and forward.
So far in the Olympics, she has scored 7 points in 6 games — 2 goals and 5 assists.
