By: Sabrina Ahmed
SAhmed@klkntv.com
Former Husker Jordan Larson fought for a gold medal today and people from her hometown of Hooper threw a big party to watch it all unfold.
Win or lose, friends say she's now a Hooper icon.
Jordan Larson grew up just outside of Hooper, Nebraska.
And today the entire town came out to support her in the one of the biggest moments of her life ... The gold medal match up at the Olympics.
Her neighbor growing up, Bob Weisenberg, says she was a volleyball star from day one. She always knew the Olympics were in the cards. It was just a matter of hard work to get there. "there were a lot of nights at 10, 11 o clock that we could hear the volleyball hitting the garage door and you knew that was Jordan, out there practicing," Weisenberg says.
While her days at Logan View have come and gone, she is still remembered, both on and off the court. Janae Mallete says, "I remember watching high school games, husker games, finally the Olympics—I mean it's crazy."
The emotions were high in the room as the US team fought hard for the gold. They ended the day with silver in the game against Brazil.
The people of Hooper say they're just happy to have someone with high morals be a product of their home town. Weisenberg says, "when you get this much notoriety, you've got a decision to make—whether you're gonna play it to the hilt or if you're gonna be just another one of the people and I think she knows she's a good player but she doesn't flaunt it at all."
Today's young athletes are hoping they get the chance to meet Larson and follow in her foot steps. Mallete says, "I hope she can come back to Logan View, talk to us about what it took to get there and always to dream big like she did."
Larson has one more year committed to playing professionally in Russia. Friends in Hooper say they hope she will come back and coach in Nebraska.
