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PHOTOS: COURTESY ARIZONA ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS
Andre Iguodala
Kim Glass
Biz 50 BizTucson
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Summer 2012
“I think it was measured at 7 feet,” he said of his wingspan. “So it helps in swimming. Every stroke grabs a lot of water, so it’s good. I’m a pretty tall swimmer, probably the tallest U.S. swimmer and one of the tallest in the world. My wingspan is bigger than Michael Phelps’ wingspan and my feet are bigger too. But he’s 6-4 and I’m 6-8.” Georganne Rochelle Moline is 5-9 and a wisp of an athlete. Thin but strong. Petite, yet a powerhouse. She’s gone from virtual unknown – out of Phoenix Thunderbird High – to being one of the best in the United States in the 400m hurdles. She’s a junior at UA and qualified for the Olympic Trials by going a personal best 55.25 seconds, beating her own school record. Her potential is unlimited. “My ultimate goal has always been to make it to the Olympics but it wasn’t until this year that I opened my eyes to the reality that I had a chance of not only going to London but actually being a potential threat there,” Moline said. “It amazes me that the athletes I see as icons are now my competitors.” She’ll be ready and determined. It’s brought her to this point so there will be no looking back, no relenting. “The knowledge I have now (with regard) to being an elite athlete is what clicked for me,” she said. “I was set in my ways and stubborn to the fact of changing but I knew I wanted different results. This year, I allowed myself to accept the fact that hard work and talent alone wasn’t going to get me to the Olympics. It’s the want and drive for the sport that’s an ingredient I needed to add to the mix.” UA teammate Brigetta Barrett has the drive and the wherewithal. Perhaps more importantly, Barrett, a worldclass high jumper, has belief in herself. It’s resulted in her being the U.S. indoor champion a year ago and a two-time NCAA champion. Literally, the sky is the limit. “Participating at the international level just solidified in my mind ‘this is where I belong,’” she said. “It was the most competitive environment I had ever experienced in my life, and yet I was not surprised at how I responded to that type of pressure. I feel that I was able to rise to the occasion to the best of my ability and then some. But most importantly, it reminded me why I started to do track and field as an organized sport in the first place. It is the excitement of being pressed to the fire and coming out refined or burnt. I feel that sport truly tests what you are made of as a human being, and being at such a highly competitive environment at times forces you to do things you never thought that you could.” Iguodala has a chance to do something former UA star Richard Jefferson wasn’t able to do – win a gold medal. Jefferson was part of the 2004 Dream Team. It finished third. “It would be incredible, not ever really thinking that I could be there as a kid,” Iguodala said when he was first named to roster of possibly making the team. “I remember Penny (Hardaway) had the Olympic shoe out. I bought that. That was my favorite shoe. Just watching the Dream Team, Dream Team II, and then just following the guys every time the Olympics are on. Just being mentioned in that is crazy.”
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