Magnus Boee found himself unexpectedly featured on national television on Monday during a White House event honoring college championship athletes.

Boee, a member of the championship ski team at the University of Colorado Boulder this year, stood behind Vice President Kamala Harris during a speech — on the day delegates and key party leaders rallied behind her candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination — wearing a CU Buffs ski team shirt.

“It’s a funny thing to happen and obviously I’m stoked,” Boee said. “I want to show the world what CU Boulder is because I love my school and I think it’s fun we got some exposure there.”

Each team selected one athlete to appear on the stage behind the speakers, and Boee was selected from CU’s ski team. He ended up being coincidentally placed directly behind the podium for a widely televised speech from Harris.

“They were giving us instructions on where to stand … and at first I was standing way further to the left side,” Boee said. “But he moved me to right behind the speech podium and I realized that would be right over the speaker’s right shoulder inside the frame.”

Members of the CU ski team visited the White House on Monday to be celebrated with college athletes from national championship teams in different sports from all three NCAA divisions.

The athletes took a tour of the White House, met fellow athletes and heard speeches from Harris and NCAA Senior Vice President of Championships Lynda Taeler.

Boee, a South Korean-born Norwegian skier, didn’t share any political thoughts on the event.

Originally Published: July 25, 2024 at 11:17 a.m.