‘This city shows up’: Cleveland Heights celebrates Laila Edwards’s historic Olympic gold | USA ice hockey team

About 75 residents filled the Cleveland Heights Community Center Thursday afternoon to watch the women’s ice hockey final of the Winter Olympics. They gathered around a big screen, eyes glued to the U.S. team — and to one of their own, Cleveland Heights native Laila Edwards. For once, the tension in the room wasn’t the familiar Cleveland sports scare. It was the kind of thing that comes from watching a hometown kid play for something bigger.

However, the old reflex resurfaced when the American team fell behind Canada from the start and remained behind until the end of the match. Cleveland knows heartbreak, the kind of heartbreak that defined the city for decades before the NBA Cavaliers broke through in 2016.

Then the room tilted.

The U.S. team equalized late on a goal by Edwards, then won 2-1 in overtime. People jumped to their feet, shouted and hugged each other as if the moment belonged to them all.

“My heart is racing,” said Cleveland Heights resident Dena Bufford. “I’m so excited for the team, but to be able to witness the win as it happened and have it happen for one of our locals is just phenomenal. I’m blown away. It’s awesome.”

On the screen, the Americans were coming off the bench. People at the community center stood up, clapped and chanted “USA, USA.” A few kids ran around the rink.

For those in the room, it wasn’t just about Team USA winning. It was Cleveland Heights — a suburb of about 40,000 that prides itself on being close-knit and diverse — taking a ride with them.

“This city is popping up,” said Jessica Schantz, Cleveland Heights communications director. “It’s absolutely exciting. The pride that Laila’s hard work has brought about in people is immense. We promoted these watch parties and sent her our love through social media. The amount of comments and likes we received is more than we got. The engagement – ​​the feeling of pride that took over the city – it’s a lot of goodwill.”

That pride had been building for months, long before the gold medal went to an overtime winner. Edwards’ Olympic run turned into a shared project at home. Before the Games, a GoFundMe helped his family cover travel expenses. And in a twist that only made the story bigger, a major contribution came from Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and his brother Jason Kelce, the former Philadelphia Eagles center, who had previously celebrated Edwards when she became the first black woman to represent the United States women’s hockey team.

In Cleveland Heights, Kelce’s donation landed like a beacon: People outside the city were paying attention, too. But no one on the monitoring team treated this as a miracle. They treated it as confirmation.

“No one from Cleveland Heights was surprised by the outpouring of support,” Schantz said. “We have a lot of engaged residents who won’t sit in their house and engage. »

The community center was an example of this pride and love. It was just after 1 p.m. On Thursday, the place welcomed not only retirees with flexible schedules, but also families, children and workers who found time to be there. They didn’t just come for Team USA. They came for Edwards who started playing hockey at age four in the Cleveland Heights youth hockey program. She was motivated by her father, who played in high school. She became an elite player, which led her to the University of Wisconsin. She won two titles there.

Cleveland Heights Mayor Jim Petras was pleased with the results for Edwards and his city.

“So much energy in this city,” Petras said afterward. “It made its way across the country. I couldn’t be more proud of it.”

Petras said the city plans to celebrate Edwards with a parade in April after his college season ends.

Iris Williams, who sat in the front row, tried to put into words what it felt like to experience a sporting moment in Cleveland without the usual fear attached to it.

“So many times in Cleveland sports, maybe it’s next time and how hard they tried,” Williams said. “But not this time. It’s a solid victory heard around the world.”

For Bufford, the moment struck on two levels at once: hometown pride and something deeper.

“I’m over 60 and I’m inspired,” she said. “Talking about discipline, about vision – it inspires me to be physically active and support what young people can do. There are no limits.”

She connected Edwards’ rise to her own memories of breaking barriers. “I was one of the first black cheerleaders at my high school,” Bufford said. “I remember how my parents were so proud. My school was proud. It’s just a wonderful feeling to be able to inspire someone else.”

Then she said what many in the room agreed with, almost instinctively: the historical weight of what is happening right now, in public, on the biggest stage.

“What Laila is doing for hockey… it’s 2026,” Bufford said. “To be the first black [woman on the US team] – and she won a gold medal. I am thrilled for her family and the way they represent and inspire our community. And it’s also Black History Month? This is a time when we really need encouragement. Our ancestors are celebrating. I’m so happy.

As the crowd moved away, several fans replayed the moment, trading details, telling kids to remember what they saw and texting friends who couldn’t make it.

“People know she grew up here,” Schantz said. “They know his story. They know his family. That’s what Cleveland Heights does.”

On Thursday afternoon, they did it again – together, on a random weekday, for a gold medal and for the name of a city that suddenly belongs in the world.