Brokerage Invests in Hopkins Grad’s Olympic Dreams

Former Hopkins High School Nordic skiing star Jakob Ellingson is getting some help pursuing his Olympic dreams.

TD Ameritrade has selected Ellingson, who competes in the biathlon, as one of seven “next-gen” Olympic hopefuls with prospects for the 2018 Olympics. The brokerage has organized a campaign called #itaddsup to send the athletes to the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia.

There, they’ll see firsthand what it takes to get to the Olympics and meet Team TD Ameritrade mentors and legends in their sport who will advise them on how to make their dreams come true. The whole goal is to help promising athletes who need financial assistance to help make their dreams a reality.

“The journey from a 4-year-old on skis for the very first time to an Olympian competing for the Gold isn’t about big leaps, it’s about small steps over many years that add up to something epic,” a news release about the campaign stated. “It’s not unlike investors planning for a long-term goal.”

Under the TD Ameritrade campaign, every mention of #itaddsup on Twitter or Instagram brings the athletes closer to Sochi. The group needs 37,017 mentions to get to the Olympics.

“I am thrilled that Jakob will have the opportunity to cheer on Team USA at the Sochi 2014 Olympics Winter Games,” a release quoted Tim Burke, Ellingson’s mentor and a biathlete who’s a two-time winter Olympian. “There is no greater motivator than actually being at the Games, yet very few developing athletes get this chance. I am confident that this experience will help fuel Jakob’s desire, as he prepares for the 2018 Winter Olympics.”

Ellingson was 14 when he was first introduced to the biathlon, a sport that combines Nordic skiing and shooting. He finished the 2013 season ranked 13th in the country and competed in the U.S. Biathlon Nationals in Ft Kent, ME. At Hopkins, Ellingson made his mark in Nordic skiing, winning the 2013 state championship by 1.2 seconds.