Seven months after carrying Puerto Rico’s flag into the Winter Olympics, Collinsville native Kellie Delka will return home to lead another procession.
The two-time Olympian has been named grand marshal of the Collinsville Pioneer Day parade, set for Saturday, Sept. 19, in downtown Collinsville.
The honor comes during a milestone year for the 38-year-old Delka, a 2006 Collinsville High School graduate who competed in skeleton at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in February.
Delka was Puerto Rico’s only athlete at the Games and carried the island’s flag during the opening ceremony. She went on to finish 24th in the women’s skeleton competition with a combined time of 3 minutes, 57.31 seconds over four runs.
It was Delka’s second Olympic appearance and the latest chapter in an unlikely journey that began in North Texas.
Earlier this year, Delka reflected on the unusual path that took a former Collinsville cheerleader and pole vaulter to a sport in which competitors race headfirst down an ice track at speeds exceeding 80 mph.
“I would say the sport kind of found me in a way, because I didn’t really seek it out,” Delka told the News-Record in February.
While attending the University of North Texas, Delka saw a Facebook post about bobsledding from former UNT football player and Olympic bobsledder Johnny Quinn. She reached out and eventually attended a tryout.
Her size ultimately led her toward skeleton. What began as a curiosity turned into a pursuit that has now lasted about 15 years.
“There’s nothing else like standing on top of the hill and the track’s clear for only me,” Delka said. “It’s just a feeling that you’ll never really find anywhere else in the world.”
Delka eventually began competing for Puerto Rico in 2018 after learning the island was working to grow its winter sports federation.
The move meant giving up some of the resources available to athletes competing within the U.S. system, but Delka said she saw an opportunity to help build something while opening doors for future athletes.
“I want there to be more doors open for these kids in the future, to be like, ‘You don’t have to just play summer sports living on an island, there’s so many more options available,’” Delka said. “And I think these little kids watching from the island or from anywhere in the Caribbean will be like, ‘Wow, if she can do it, I can do it.’”
Delka made her Olympic debut at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, where she also finished 24th in women’s skeleton. Four years later, she returned to the Olympics as Puerto Rico’s lone representative.
Before heading to Italy, Delka said she hoped her second Olympic appearance would demonstrate what persistence could accomplish, particularly for young athletes who might not have access to the resources available to competitors from larger programs.
“You should never count yourself out, because believing in yourself and just grinding and believing that you can do it, I think you’ll be surprised at how far that can take you,” she said.
That message carried a connection to Collinsville as well.
Before the Games, Delka said that while she would compete under Puerto Rico’s flag, she remained mindful of the North Texas community where her athletic career began.
“I feel like I’ve proven that, now, going into my second time, it’s like, ‘I can do this — and so can you,’” Delka said.
On Sept. 19, Delka will be back where that journey started as she leads the Pioneer Day parade through her hometown.
“Our Pioneer Day theme this year is ‘Celebrating 250 Years of Heroes and Legends,’” Collinsville Area Chamber of Commerce president Marva Worsham said. “Kellie is both of those to us here in Collinsville. We are proud of her and humbled that she’d make time for us. She is an inspiration.”
Pioneer Day festivities will continue throughout the day in downtown Collinsville with food, vendor booths, a kid zone, bingo and live entertainment.
The Band of Faith and Backroad Anthem are scheduled to perform before Texas singer-songwriter Austin Cunningham opens the show for legendary Texas musician James McMurtry on the Holiday Chevrolet Main Stage at 9:30 p.m.
For Delka, the parade will provide a distinctly hometown conclusion to a year that began on one of international sports’ biggest stages.
