June/July 2007 | The Olympian

June/ July 2007

A LETTER FROM WILLIE BANKS

U.S. Olympians President

I was sitting there with sweaty palms and butterflies in my stomach. The excitement was unbearable , and I knew that this was for all the marbles. The man who has been my number one nemesis it seems my entire career seemed equally intense on the result of the competition. For years we h ad battled to determine who would be the best triple jumper in the world. I took one last quick look at my nemesis before settling in for the final moments. As a fellow jumper he probably sensed my gaze and looked over with a sly smile. Was he confident in the outcome, or was he hiding his apprehension behind a mask of in difference? I would know soon enough.

"And the winner is Chicago!" Uggh, once faga in Mike Conley has defeated me in competition. I bet you all thought I was describ i ng a triple jump contest nope, I was describing the selection of the U .S. Applicant City to host the 2016 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Although it was a tough loss to handle , it will be my pleasure to help Chicago win the in ternational bid for the 2016 Games. That said, I want to challenge all of you to enlist to help us bring the Games to the U.S. I have spoken with Olympians Mike Conley (athletics) and with Bob Berland (Judo) about including Olympians in the effort to assist Chicago. They both have important roles in the Chicago bid. They both seem eager to get Olympians involved an d it is our duty to assist them where possible.

In order to facilitate the Olympian effort, I asked Bob if I could publi sh his current email address so that you can contact him with well-wishes and let him know if you are available to assist. This is very important to all of us. The Olympic Movement in the U.S. will depend on you as an Olympian to back this monumental effort by the Chicago bid committee to campaign on an internation a l level. There are many ways that yo u can b e helpful , and we intend to get you involved. I suspect that the Midwest Chapter will be extremely busy for the next two years. Congratulations to Diane Simpson-Bundy for being elected the Midwest Chapter President Your leadership will be tested over the next two years. Please know that you will h ave the complete support of the U.S. Olympian Executives.

Remember, we all have a significant stake in the success of the U.S. bid. As an Olympian you are often judged on the stature of the Olympic Movement. Having the Games in the U.S will give us a chance to raise the public consciousne ss about the real meaning of Olympism It will give us an opportunity to bring the Games back to U S. soil and further inspire the next generation of U.S Olympic and Paralyrnpic athletes. It is time for us to push the leadership for new and exciting ways to promote the Movement which will include the Olympian as part of that new direction.

Indeed, I hope that you all will push me as well to focus on how to get you involved for now and the foreseeable future. Let's work together for the success of Chicago and the good of the Olympic Movement . Don't be mistaken, Olympians can make a difference . Don't le t this opportunity pass us by!

OLYMPIANS REACHING OUT TO KIDS

Real athletes make a difference, as shown by the USOC with this year's Olympic Ideals and Values theme, "Real Athletes Are Good Sports." As part of the theme's launch in January 2007, Olympians and elite athletes across the country spoke to schoolchildren about good sportsmanship. For several athletes,

ner, partnered with Olympic hopeful Ryan Shay (East Jordan, Mich.) to present "Real Athletes Are Good Sports" to students at Flagstaff High School on January 30. "WhL you demonstrate good sportsmanship, it benefits not only yourself and other athletes, but the overall performance of the event," said Shay.

Both Toomey and Shay train at the Northern Arizona University (NAU) Center for High Altitude Training, and Toomey is also an assistant coach at Flagstaff High School. In addition, Toomey coaches part time for the middle school running program at the NAU Center, and she and her husband have started their own youth running program, Toomey Sports.

Natalie Harlan, director for the NAU Center for High Altitude Training , says that many youth are benefiting from the Toomeys' expertise.

As reported in an Arizona Daily Sun article on Feb. 5 about Toomey and Shay's presentation, afterwards 17year-old Lynae Amendarez said she was encouraged to look into joining the Fl-IS track tearr year, even though a knee injury earlier in the school year kept her from playing basketball and volleyball. "It makes me want to try harder and stay positive- no matter what happens," Amendarez said. "There are certain

WE IGHTLIFT ING TECHNIQUES FOR STUDENTS FROM VALDEZ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL , DENVER , COLO things that can happen to you in life. Being a good sport,

however, the impact of their presentation fostered con- helping people and keeping a positive attitude can tinued outreach. Today Olympic hopeful Jen Toomey, help you overcome them."

Olympic hopeful Emmy Vargas, and Olympian Ivan Lee are still playing important roles in the lives of the students.

Jen Toomey (Flagstaff, Ariz.), a middle distance run-

Emmy Vargas (Panorama City, Calif.), a weightlifter, was asked to speak at Valdez Elementary School in Denver, Colo., because she is bilingual in Spanish and English. The school is 95-percent Hispanic, and

JEN TOOMEY COACHES A MIDD LE SCHOOL RUNNING PROGRAM AT THE NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY HIGH ALTITUDE TRAINING CENTER .

OLYMP IC HOPEFUL EMMY VARGAS (LEFT) AND OLYMPIAN CHERYL HAWORTH DEMONSTRATE

Principal Tom Archuleta wanted someone with whom the students could relate.

\~ 0 dS , who is origina ll y from El Salvador, first met with a group of students on February 8 enrolled in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Later that same morning, she addressed 150 third-, fourth -, and fifth-graders at a schoo l assembly. Vargas, who is training for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and studying diagnostic genetics at Northern Michigan University, captured the students' attention and their imagination with her story.

"I asked the kids if they had any questions afterwards , and they really got into it , " said Vargas. "I'm g lad they liked it."

Following her visit to the school, Valdez offic ial s contacted the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Co lorado. Th is time , they arra n ged for a bus to bring students to Vargas.

Jeanette Archuleta of Valdez Elementary (no relation to the principal), said that because the school couldn't send everyone, it became an honor to be chosen for the fie ld trip. "Each teacher was a ll owed to choose two students ," said Archuleta.

On Tuesday, April 3, about 30 elementary school students traveled more than an hour south of Denver and arrived eager for a tour of the Olympic Training Center, for a gymnastics demons n, and for a weightlift in g demonstration by Varga s They were able to meet elite athletes and Olympians like Vargas' teammate, Cheryl Haworth (weightlifting, 2000, '04). The students were thrilled to gain the full experience, and Vargas was pleased to see the students again. Vargas, who took second at the Univers i ty World Champio ns hip s in 2004, will be watched closely by a host of adoring fans from Valdez Elementary School as she seeks to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Weightlifting Team in 2008.

Ivan Lee (fencing, 2004) from Brooklyn, NY, an Olympian in the sport of fencing, says "I feel like I'm giving back. When I was in high school, it wou ld have been great to have an Olympian come back and support the students." Lee has been a great supporter of the USOC's outreach efforts. He spoke on behalf of the USOC in fall 2006 first at PS 111 Adolph S. Ochs School, in an area of New York City known as Hell's Kitchen, then at CIS 117 Joseph H. Wade School in the Bronx. He talked during Red Ribbon Week , delivering "Real Athletes Play Fair" with a strong anti -doping message In the Bronx he also gave a fencing demonstration.

This year Lee returned to his home borough of Brooklyn and

spoke at Progress High School on the theme "Real Athletes Are Good Sports."

Lee is a graduate of the USOC's Finding Leaders Among Minorities Everywhere (F.L.A .M .E.), a leadership development program for minority students He was recruited by six-time Olympian Peter Westbrook, who started a grassroots fencing program in Brooklyn , and Lee sti ll trains with the Westbrook Foundation today. He graduated from St. John's Universi ty in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in communications and during that same year represented the United States at the Olympic Games in Athens. He is a lso a four - time national champion in fencing and is training to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Fencing Team in 2008.

IVAN LEE (FENCING, 2004) DOING WHAT HE LOVES AND ALWAYS "GIVING BACK"

The students' reaction to Lee was enthusiastic, according to Progress Coach Rebeca Morel. "Ivan didn't just finish his pre sentation and leave. He wanted to tour the sc hoo l, meet the teams, and speak with the students and coaches, which left our kids a little speech less that an Olympian was taking the time to get

to know them, see them practice, and explore their school, " Morel said.

Lee gracious ly accepted an invitation from the girls' vars ity basketball team to watch them play, and he returned yet again to watc h the boys' wrestling team. "As a coach and trying to inspire these kids, the fact that he came back to cheer on our student athletes at their competitions and share his experience that parallels many of theirs was inspirational to the kids , " Morel said.

Lee then met with the Progress High Schoo l principal, and the administration has now pledged to start a fencing program. With Lee's assistance, the school is looking for a volunteer coach , and Morel expects 35 to 45 boys and gir ls from all grades to try out. "The kids are beside themselves in excitement to try a new sport," Morel said

COACH'S CORNER

As a re gu lar feature in The Olympian newsletter through the 2008 Olympic Games , we will conduct interv iews with Olympian s who are hop efuls for 2008 , coaching or supporting athlete s.

STEVE FRASER - GRECO -ROMAN 1S FIRST GOLD MEDALIST IN 184

Tell me how it felt to be the first gold medalist in your sport in 1984?

It was lik e a dream com e true for me! Something I had wo rked for over 13 years to accomp li s h l pu t in a ppro x 16 , 000 hour s of training to be a bl e to compete at that level.

How has the sport changed since then ?

It ha s gone through m any rule changes. It is more of a power sport now w ith very spec ific pos iti ons th at req uir e very specific ski ll.

Your current position a s the National Greco Coach has brought about many challenges. What has been y our bigge s t challenge?

Our mission fro m day one w h en I took the position of nati o n a l coach was to w in the world and Ol ympi c team title We have grown from a co untry that o ur oppon ents ho p e d to draw to a cou ntr y w here we are now feared. We have al ways prid ed ourselves in being be tter condition ed than any of our foreign oppon ents. Our chall enge through the years has been to impro ve o ur t ec hnic a l ski ll s. Bec a u se o ur U.S system is mo re geared towar d freestyle, we have 1 special challenges. A lot of our Gr eco-Roman wrestlers start focusing o n Greco after co ll ege. We are compe tin g aga in st co unt ries that wrest le Greco from five years old on up. I am happ y to say we now are displ ay i ng the same great tec hnical sk ill s as our foreign compe titor s.

We have come a long way in Greco in th e la s t IO years. In the 200 0 Sydney Games we were third in the med a l coun t with three medals-gold, si lver and bon ze. Rulon b ea tin g A lexan de r Karelan was the s tory of the Ga me s In Patras, Greece (2 00]) , we took th e team bronze medal , w ith R ul on defending h is World Gold Last year in t h e World C h amp ion s hips , we tied for second w ith Russia in learn points. In April we took seco nd in t h e World C up w here we beat Rus s ia a nd lost to U krain e by one point.

How has the resident training program benefited your at hletes?

The resident program h as been the key to our success 1 We have been ab le to brin g in our best athletes to one loca ti on, then w ith th e bes t coac hin g a nd trai ning partners and because of th e opportunity and financial support from the U SOC , it has been very effective . Thanks to the US OCI

How are you preparing your athletes for the challenges they will face in Beijing ?

Toug h , cu ttin g -e dge training and coac hin g wi th a ton of international com p et iti on and ex pe rience. Ex pecting to win with relentless inten sity!

What have the international athletes in your sport improved upon since Athens?

Every th ing, e spec ia ll y th e reverse lift and front hea dl oc k.

How do you teach your athletes to be mentally prepared?

Es ta bli s hin g a to ug h mental atmos phere in th e practice room where there a re NO excuses. Teaching th em to take their wres tling careers into their own hand s.

Rulon Gardn e r credits you for his success ... how does that make you feel?

Rulon was o ne of the hard es t work ing indi vidua ls I ha ve coached. He h ad a very big hea rt. It makes m e feel proud!

Do you have a dail y affirmation that spurs y ou on? And if so can you share it with me ?

Expec t to win!

What do y ou want to be remembered as?

One of the coaches that help ed g uid e th e U.S. Greco sq ua d to exce ll e n ce by winnin g the Oly mpic Games! A coa c h and friend to my a th letes who beli eve d in th em

STEVE FRASER HELPING HIS ATHLETE , JIM GRUENWALD (WRESTING / GRECOROMAN , 2000 , '04)

4 FINALISTS

Shimer-Bobsled-Naples, FL

A. ew Coggan-Cycling -Ballwin, MO

Wolfgang Schlaedler-Luge-Lake Placid, NY

Dave Ellis- Ice Hockey-Colorado Springs, CO

"Doc" Counsilman Award winner

Kat Arbour-Figure Skating-Philadelphia, PA

As a licensed physical therapist and rated figure skating coach through the Professional Skaters Association, along with being a Ph.D. candidate in biomechanics and movement science, Kat has combined a number of interests into serving U.S. Figure Skating as well as her own athletes. She is a ready resource for many of the top figure skating coaches in helping them design trnining plans , and she teaches athletes and coaches how to prevent injuries.

Volunteer of the Year

4 FINALISTS

Tom Barker-Archery-Victoria, TX

Patrick M. Barry-Boxing-Las Vegas, NV

Jack Kelly-Field Hockey-Westport, CT

Chuck Slaughter-Amarillo , TX

Volunteer Coach of the Year winner

Booker Woods-Athletics-Los Angeles, CA

For 34 years, Booker has been impacting lives through track & field. He has produced 104 national champions and his team h~ med over 23 national records. In 2006, he had 43 athletes qc. ,y for the National Junior Olympic Championships His contagious enthusiasm has even inspired his daughter, granddaughter and a great-granddaughter to be track and field athletes.

Developmental Coach of the Year

4 FINALISTS

John Hynes-Ice Hockey-Ann Arbor, MI

Bill Rose-Swimming- Mission Viejo, CA

Frank I. Madden-Equestrian-Colts Neck, NJ

Jhonny Prado -Judo - Coral Springs, FL

The United States Olympic Committee is in the process of creating the Athlete Speaker's Referral Network (ASRN), a tool allowing the general public to contact U.S. Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls to schedule speaking appearances for corporate events, civic organization meetings, school visits, etc.

In June 2007, any athletes interested in becoming an athlete speaker in the network will be able to upload biographical

2006 USOC COACHES OF THE YEAR

Developmental Coaches of the Year

Mark Mitchell and Peter Johansson-Figure SkatingWellesley, MA

The coaching team of Mitchell and Johansson have been working their magic for 11 years at the Skating Club of Boston. Both men had stellar international careers themselves and are now producing some of America's top athletes. They have coached 21 national medalists and 22 international medalists. In 2005, their athletes brought home 2 golds, 1 silver and 2 bronze for the U.S. They are active volunteers in the continuing education programs for U.S. Figure Skating.

Paralympic Coach of the Year

Julie O'Neill-Swimming-Colorado Springs, CO

In 2006, the U.S. Paralympic team won a total of 56 medals at the IPC World Championships, set 11 new World records and won it's first Paralympic World Championships. This is the impact of Julie O'Neill. O'Neill is quietly building a dynasty for the U.S. by creating a network for Paralympic swimmers with swim clubs throughout the country.

National Coach of the Year

4

FINALISTS

Steve Fraser-Wrestling-Colorado Springs , CO Clyde Hart-Track & Field-Waco, TX Ryan Shimabukuro-Speedskating-Layton, UT Andy Sparks- Cycling-Temecula, CA

National Coach of the Year

Bud Keene-Snowboarding-Stowe , VT 2 golds, 2 silver and 2 fourth place finishes at the Torino Games in halfpipe snowboarding. A near sweep by Bud Keene coached athletes catapulted him to another level-that of Coach of the Year. Those amazing performances captured the hearts of Americans everywhere. Bud established a deliberate and focused strategy to work with all U.S. riders building a strong coach/athlete relationship for U.S. dominance. With and for USSA, Bud has developed coaching material so that the U.S. can continue its success.

ATHLETE SPEAKER 1 S REFERRAL NETWORK

U.S. Olympians Association button on the homepage of www.usolympicteam.com.

information by simply clicking on th e Referral Network page of www.usolympicteam.com and select an athlete speaker by utilizing several search filters.

Once at the U.S. Olympians Association page , click on the "Athlete Speaker's Referral Network" link.

Once you input your information, it will be reviewed by the USOC Alumni office. After an athlete bio is uploaded , the general public will then be able to access the speaker bios on the Athlete Speaker's

The Athlete Speaker's Referral Network will be launched to the public in August 2007, so remember to upload your bio and be on the lookout for the official launch announcement 1

OLYMPIANS REACHING OUT

Many Olympians are actively involved in helping in the community, the nation, and the world. In this section of ou r Newsletter, we will be highlighting some of the ways our colleagues are continuing the Olympic path of excellence.

Athletes ' Advisory Council Members Initiate "Project Rebound" To Help New Orlean's Schools

On Friday, April 20, more than 2,000 students at 10 New Orle ans sc hools received an unexpected surp rise as Olympi ans , Paralympian s and e li te ath le tes attended school assembli es and physical education classes to spread a mes sage of hope and donate much needed sports eq uipm ent lo st durin g the Hurricane Ka trina di sas ter.

Members of the Athletes' Advisory Council (AAC) proactively spe arheaded the Project Rebound program when they learned that their first quarterly meeting would be held in New Orleans. The group wanted to also find the

most effect ive way to in co rporate the USOC's 200 7 theme of Sportsmanship Thi s res ulted in a cooperative effort betw ee n the AAC and the New Or leans Recovery School District.

"We were pleased that our first meeting thi s year was in New Orleans bec ause it provided us with the opponunity to help the sc hools and srudents most affected by th e hurricane ," said Olympian MC member Courtney Johnson (water polo, 2000). "The AAC members who parti c ipated in Project Rebound were amazed by the res ponse they received from s tudents and teachers. They have been through such an ordeal, but were all foll of hope for the future. It was a wonderfu l day for everyone involv ed ."

In addition to promoting the Olympic Valu e of Sportsmanship through pre sentation mate ri a ls supplied by the USOC, ath lete representatives ate lunch with stu dents and participated in physical education c lasses, where they were able to informall y reiterate a message ofrecovery and hope.

USOC corporate sp on sor, N ike, donated more th an 2,000 pairs of shoes to srudents in grades 5-8 at eac h participating schoo l. Th e Major League Baseba ll Players Trust also supported the AAC in itiative b y donating $5, 000 toward the purchase of baseball e quipm en t. USA Badminton, USA Basketball, USA Diving, USA Swimming, USA Table Tenni s, U.S. Telllli S Association , USA Triath lon and U.S. Tea m Handball Fed era tion donated a wide assortment of equipment and apparel , and Olympian Julie Foudy

(soccer, 1996, '00, '04) donated ov e r 200 soccer balls. "We are honored to be pa1t of this donation to the youth of New Or leans," sa id Craig Chee k, Vice Pre si dent and General Manager for Nike USA. "It's be en our ongoing effort to help encourage kids across the country to lead more active li ves , and we hope thi s gift wi ll inspire the kids in New Orleans to get out and play."

The 23 Olympians, Paralympian s and e lite ath letes who traveled to New Orleans to launch tbe Project Rebound program in advance of th e AAC meeting scheduled on Apri l 21 includ ed:

Aaron Alafa (boxing)

Patrick Cota (fie ld h ockey)

Walter Davis (athletics , Olympian - 2000, '04)

Tim Dement (boxing, Olympian - 1972)

Tom Dolan (swimming , Olympi an - 1996, ' 00)

Scott Fortune (vo ll eyball, Olympi an - 1988 , '92, '96)

Mark Henderson (swimming, Ol ym pian - 1996)

Amy Hillenbrand (softba ll )

Courtney Johnson (water polo, Olympian - 2000)

Kate Johnson (rowing, Olympian - 2004)

Ni na Kemppel (skiing, Olympian - 1992, '94 , '98 , '02)

Eric Laurin (ta ekw ondo)

James Lagerstrom (skiing, Paral ympian - 1992, '94, '98, '02, '06)

Jon McCullough (soccer, Paralympian - 1996, '04)

Mike Peters (soccer, Paralyrnpian - 1996, '04)

John Ruger (biath lo n, Olympian - 1980)

Brad Schumacher (wate r po lo , Olympian - I996, '00)

Danielle Scott (vo lle yball, Olympian - 1996 , '00, '04)

Ann Swisshelm -Si lver (curl in g, Olymp ian - 2 002)

Matt Van Houten (team handball)

Ann Wunderlich (tenni s)

Felicia Zimmerman (fencing , Olympian - 2000)

Trischa Zorn (swimmin g, Paralympian - 1992, '96 , '00 , '04)

The Greater New Orlean s Spor1s Foundation provided substantial ass istan ce toward Project Rebound by providing transportation for the athletes to the sc hool s, dis tribut ing equipment and acting as a li aison for media. While th e primary mission of the Greate r New Orleans Sports Foundation is to attract and manage sp orting eve nts to benefit the New Orleans are a, the organ izat ion was proud to support th e AAC's efforts to show the N ew Orl eans com muni ty the spirit of O lympi sm.

The AAC has a hi s tory of incorporating outreach efforts as a part of its quarterly meet ings. In 2 005, Olympian s, Paralympians and elite ath letes visited families and patients at Ronald McD ona ld Hou se in Denver. In 2006, they met w ith c hildren at The Childre n's Ho sp ital in Denve r. While Project Rebound was the large st outreac h effort undertaken to date by the AAC, it plans to introduce s imilar community efforts as a part of its future meetings throughout the nation.

AA CMEMBER NINA KEMP PEL ANO LOUISI AN A-BASED TIM DEMEN TVISI TSTUDENTS ATBENJAMIN BANN EKER MIDD LE SCHOO LINNEWORL EANS AS APAR T O f PRO JECT REB OU ND

USOC

Dea r O ly mpic Family :

The Unite d States O lympic Committe e is proud to support partnerships with 11 Official U.S. Olympic Training Sites and 8 Community Olympic Developm ent Programs (CODPs) across the nation. These facilities and communities are working dai ly to support the Olympic l~ment. Th e Officia l U.S . Ol ym pi c Train ing Sites offer training fa c iliti es and sup port serv ices to e lite American athletes a nd also ho st r,. ,1al and internationa l co mp e tition s. The CODPs kee p the Ame ri can O lym pic pip el in e grow ing by offer ing non-tradition a l Ol ymp ic sports to yo ung athletes in their communit ies at littl e or no cost. For more infom1atio n about these program s or to vo lunteer to ass ist

th ese faci litie s and comm unity group s, pl ease contact Bobbi Ullman , Man ager Ath le te Servi ces and Programs at 7 19-866-4607 or bobbi ullm an@ u soc org. Thank you.

A li c ia McConnell

Directo r, USOC Athle te Services and Pro grams

U.S OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC TRAINING

SITE DESIGNATIONS

Mission: Access additiona l resources, serv ices an d facilities fo r athl etes and NGBs while providing a n e lite athlete training environm e nt that positively imp ac ts performance

The Home Depot Center

(Anschutz Southern Col~ornia Sports Complex)

Sports : T&F, Cycling and Soccer

Contact: Rod O'Connor

Senior Vice President & General Manager

18400 Avalon Boulevard , Suite 100 Carson, CA 907 46

Lakeshore Foundation, Birmingham, AL

• Olympic and Paralympic Training Si te

Designation

/'""" port: Olympic and Paralympic Sports onlact : Jill Collins Director of Recreation & Activities

4000 Ridgeway Drive Birmingham, AL 35209

U.S. Sailing Cen ter (USSC-Miami)

Sport: Sa iling

Contact: Pat Downey

Executive Director

2476 South Bayshare Drive Miami, FL 33133

The Pettit National Ice Center

Sport : Speedskating

Contact: Cindy Yomantas

Executive Director

500 South 84th Street Milwaukee, WI 53124

Utah Athletic Foundation

Sport : Bobsled, Skeleton, Luge, Freestyle, Nordic Combined , Speedskating

Contact: Colin Hilton

President & CEO

Olympic Parks

P.O. Box 980337 Park City, UT 84098-0337

Hil l Country Shooting Sports Comple x

Sport: Shooting

Contact: Jack Burch

1886 Cypress Creek Road Kerrville, TX 78208

U.S. Eques t rian Ce nter, G lads tone, NJ (USET)

Sport : Equestrian

Contact : Jim Wolf

Executive Director of Sport Programs, USEF

P.O. Box 83 Gladstone, NJ 07934

U.S. Row i ng Cen ter

(Princeton National Rowing Association-PNRA)

Sport : Rowing

Contact : Kay Worthington

Executive Director

l South Post Road Suite A West Windsor, NJ 08550

Northern Arizona Univers ity

(Center for High Altitude Train ing)

Sport : Endurance Running

Contact : Sean Anthony NAU Lumberjack Stadium, Bldg. 34 Flagstaff, AZ 86011

U.S. Nationa l Whitewater Center (USNWC)

Sport : Canoe/Kayak

Contact : Jeff Wise

Executive Director 820 Hawfield Road Charlotte , NC 28214

Un ive rs ity of Cen tral Oklahoma Di sabled Spo rts and Events (UCOD) * Pa ra lympic Train ing Si te Des ignation

Sport : Seated Volleyball

Contact: Katrina Shaklee

Asst Dir. Disabled Sports & Events

Wellness Center, Box 99 100 N. University Drive Edmond, OK 73034

CODP (COMMUNITY OLYMPIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM) D ESIGNATIONS

Mission: Partn e r w ith NGBs and Community Sport Groups to enhance high quali ty inte1mediate spo rt programs for talented youth to maximi ze th eir potential in Olympic Sports.

Atlanta , GA (Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta)

Sports : Team Hand.ball , Judo , T&F

Contact : Matthew Ryan or Darrick Heath

l DO Edgewood Avenue , Suite 700 Atlanta , GA 30303

Gainesville , GA (Lake Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club)

Sport: Sprint Canoe / Kayak

Contact : Connie Hagler 3105 Clarks Bridg e Road

Gain es ville, GA 30506

Minneapolis , MN (Community Athletic Development Program)

Sport : Wom en's Ice Hockey

Contact : Lenny Vannelli

Appl e Valley, MN

San Antonio , TX (Son Antonio Sports Foundation)

Sports : Diving , Fencing, Gymnastics , Table Tennis , Volleyball and Badminton

Contoct : Alma Striker Asst. Executive Direc to r, Youth Programs

Alamo Dome, 100 Montano San An tonio, TX 78203

Flagstaff, AZ (NAU/Center for High Altitude Training)

Sport : Track and Field

Contact: Natal1e Harlan

North ern Arizona Univ ers ity Lumb erjack Stadium , Bldg 34 Room 110 Flagstaff, AZ 8601 l

Lake County, IN (Midwest Weightlifting Club)

Sport : Weightlifting

Contact : Frank Eksten 399 Ellendale Parkway ycrown Point, IN 46037

Moorestown , NJ (Moorestown Weightlifting Club)

Sport: Weightlifting

Contact : Jo e Delage

7 North Columbu s Blvd Philadelphia, PA 19106

Springfield, MO

(Greater Springfield, MO Sports Commission)

Sports: Tenni s, Volleyball , Wei ghtlifting , Ice Hockey

Contact : Linda Dollar 4331 S Fremont Springfield, MO 65804

Alumni News

HONORS

Joe Corso (wrestling, 1976) has been named the 2006 Women's Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling. Thi s is the second time that Corso has recei ve d this prestigious award (2002, 2006). He is th e fir s t person to win the USA Wrestling Women' s Coach of the Year award twice.

Julie Chu (ice hockey , 2002 , '06) a sen ior forward from Harvard University, was named the re cipient of the 2007 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Celebrating its I 0th annive rsary, the award is presente d annua ll y by Th e USA Hockey Foundation to th e top player in NCAA Divi s ion I women's ice hockey.

"I n my thirteen years coaching at Harvard, no one has distinguished th emselves more than Julie , " said Harvard Head Coach Katey Stone. "H er commitment to h er teammates, coaches and sc hool far exceeds that of any of her predece ss ors. She is a gifted ath lete and tru e hurnani tarian."

Jacquelyn "Jackie" Fie (gymnastic s, 1956) has been inducted into the 22nd No1ihwestem Univers ity Athletic Hall of Fame. A 1979 inductee in th e USA Gymnastics Ha ll of Fame, Fie ha s dedicated more than 50 years of her life to the sport of gymna stics. While a student a t Northweste rn , she

earned a berth on th e 19 56 U.S. Olympic Team and participated in the Me lbourn e, A u stra li a Games.

A 1959 graduate, Fie is the o nl y American to rise to the Pre s idency of th e Federation of International Gymnastics (FIG) Women's Technical Committee (WTC). She was the first woman to hold an administrative position with the National Governing Board for Gymnastics (USGF). She served on th e USAG Ex e cutive Committee and Board of Directors ov er a 40-year period.

Fie has made several notable contributions to the sport, but perhaps her most important was taking a lea ding stance on in crea si ng the degree of honesty applied to performer's scores

Fie retir ed in December 2004 an d is enjoying a much less-trave led and less-hectic life now as a wife, mother and gra ndm other. Sh e resides in Jefferson , Iowa with her husband, Lany.

Mia Hamm (soccer, 1996 , '00, '04) and Julie Foudy (soccer, 1996, '00, '04) who shared two Olympic gold medals and two World Cup titles , were both elected to the Na tional Soccer Hall of Fame

"What a blessed career that Julie and I have been a bl e to hav e with su ch a wonderful group of women," Hamm sa id. ''To top it

off w ith thi s nomination is truly exci ting for both of us. It's going to b e a weekend that we never forget."

Hamm and Foudy, each in their first year of e li gib ility, com pri se the first all -women class e lect ed to the Oneonta , NY-b ased hall. They will be inducted on A ugust 26, 2007.

Th e duo will join the five women who ha ve been inducted s inc e the hall be gan in 1950

"Thi s inde ed confirms that we are o ld , " Foudy said. "It's fitting to go alongsid e Mia, having pla yed alongside her fo r 18 y ea rs. It' s ne at to have two women. We've done a lot of firsts in our careers."

Jackie Joyner-Kersee (athletics, 1984 , '88 , '92 , '9 6) cons id ered one of the greatest female athletes of a ll time , was named as a recipient of the 2007 Interna tional Olympic Committe e (IOC) Women a n v Sport Trophy. Nominated for L honor by the Un it ed States Olympic Committee, JoynerKersee was se lected as the Americas continental trophy winner for her acti ve role in the adva nc ement of girls through sport.

The IOC Wom en and Sport Trophy was awarded March 8, 2007 at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Swit ze rland , in con -

junction with International Women's Day and as part of the annual meeting of the IOC Women and Sport 0µn iss ion , which is chaired by L_.JC Board and IO C member Anita DeFrantz (rowing, 1976, '80).

Mike Moran , lon g time public relations exec uti ve for the United States Ol ympic Committee (USOC), was hon ored with the United States Sports Acad emy 's Di s tingui s hed Service Award on March 15, 2007 at the El Pomar Foundation's Penrose House in Co lorado Sprin gs, CO. Th e awa rd was pre se nted b y former U.S. Olympic Committee VicePresident Dr. Evie G. Denn is , Trustee Emer itus of the Academy and Chef de Mi ssio n fo r the 1988 United States Olympic Team in Seoul.

Joe had an extended chat with Stan Pocock Stan's father George was a master shellmaker who immigrated from England, built shells for the Un iversity of Washington and eventually supplied s hells to mo st of the s uccessful rowing programs throughout the nation. Geo rge built the Husky Clipper which retired from th e H usky fleet undefeated. Stan also coac hed at the Univers ity of Washington and carried on his fathe r' s business , Pocock Racing Shells, until he himself retired and sold the business

When Joe was introduced as th e evening' s s pecial guest and repr ese ntative for the 1936 and 1937 varsity c rews, he rece ived an extended standing ovat ion with enthu siastic applause fro m the over 400 guests. Then Coach Ernst

Alumni News

"Shorty" Hunt and Roger Morris were w1defeated over their entire four-year careers at the UW, 1934 through 19 37 . We do not believe that an y other Husky rowers achieved that feat over a fouryear career.

Al l Husky Fre shmen rowers have to memorize the names and seat positions of the 1936 Olympic crew, so the number of current an d form er Husky rowers that lin ed up to shake Joe's hand and wish him well was amazing. Jo e was extremely touched by their sentiments and sa lu ted the ir dedic ati on to uphold the proud tradition of rowing at th e University of Washington.

Sugar Ray Leonard (boxing , 1976) wi ll be honor ed by th e LA Sports & E ntertainm ent Commission (LAS EC) at

Currently, a sports and media consultant anno un ced that Joe was providin g a ll of its 8th Annual Go ld C lassic at The and director of communications for the Colorado Springs Sports Commi ssio n, Moran has serve d for almost 40 years as one of the nation's leading sport s media and public re lations execu tiv es in the co lle giate, Olympic and amateur athlet0elds.

Joe Rantz (rowing, 1936) was the sp ecia l guest at the Va rsity Boat C lub Banquet he ld Friday, March 23, at the Conibea.r Shellhouse on the University of Washington campus. He dined at Table 1 with Coach Bob Ernst (rowing coach, 1980 ,. '84, '88) and hi s wife Ellen and other rowing luminari es. This put him a lm ost directly be neath hi s seat #7 in the Husky Clipper which hangs from the ceiling above the ath lete's din in g area.

his cups , medals and Olym pi c memorabilia to go into a special display case now under construction for the shellhouse lobby. The display will honor the 19 36 and 1937 varsity team th at wen t undefeated. Their wins included the IRA Nationa l Championships both years in Poughkeepsie, NY on the Hudson River and the 1936 Olympic Gold Meda l at Lake Grunau near Berlin , Ge rman y.

It is no tewort hy th at the Husky crews swept all three events (Freshmen, Junior Varsity and Varsity) at the IRA Nationa l Champ ionsh ips in both 193 6 and 1937. To our knowledge th at feat was on ly duplicated by one other co lleg e.

Joe and two of his teammate s, George

Riviera Cow1try Club in Pacific P a li sades on Monday , May 14 , 2007. A world -titl e holder in five different weigh t classes, Leon ard's boxing career began at the age of 14 . His career included three Nati ona l Golden G loves titles, two Amateur Ath le tic U ni on (AAU) championships and the 197 5 Pan American Games crown. In addition , Leonard won a gol d medal in th e 1976 Ol ymp ic Games.

Paralympic swimmer Long wins Sullivan Award

Para lymp ic sw imm er Jessica Long was honored in New York as the re cipient of the 77th AAU Sullivan Award, presented to the USA's top amateur athlete . AAU official s , U.S. Olympic

11 Awinner never quitsa quitter never wins.

11 - Bob Mathias (athletics, 1948, '52)

1 _ , R) : COACH BOB ERNST& JOE RANTZ , SUGAR RAY LEONARD, AND JESSICA LONG

Alumni News

Committee members and college sports information directors voted. The other third was determined by public voting at USATODAY.com.

"It's so cool to be the first Paralympian to win," said Long, who because of lower leg anomalies had her legs amputated below the knee when she was 18 months old. "It's a huge honor. I just like to swim ."

Long , 15, won nine go ld medals at the lnternationa l Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships in Durban, South Africa, last year. She had 18 world record-breaking pe1fom1ances last year and holds the record in 12 events.

She was also named the U.S. Olympic Committee's 2006 Paralympian of the Year.

Other Sullivan finalists include Brady Quinn, Joey Cheek, Sasha Cohen, Troy Dumais, Chris Leak, Joakiro Noah, Apolo Ohno, Candace Parker, Michael Phelps, Angela Ruggiero, Troy Smith, Hannah Teter, Joe Warren and Bill Zadick.

Madison Sports Hall of Fame Class announced

The Madison Sports Hall of Fame C lub announced its 2007 inductees who will be honored at the June 5 banquet to be held at the Monona TetTace Conventio n Center in Madison, WI.

Tho s e to be recognized are John Byce, a three sport ath lete at Madison Memorial, two sport University of Wisconsin athlete and Boston Bruin hockey player. Lori (Monk) Goff, a three sp01i Madison West athlete and 1976 Olympic speed skating team member. Jim Nye, longtime West Madison Little League and Edgewood High School baseball coach, softball and basketball official, and outstanding bowler. Peter Barrett, three time Olympic sailor ( 1960, '64, '68) and member of the Sailing World's Hall of Fame.

George Wilson (basketball, 1964) has been selected as one of the l 00 Legends of the Illinois High School Association (THSA) Boys Basketball State Tournament. This basketball tournament is a souP,...--._c great pride for the IHSA. It is the oldest tourname, sponsored by any state association and has a long and unparalleled history. The 100 L egends Team has helped thousands of high school basketball fans relive the achievements of basketball players and coaches from previou s years Congratulations, George , you are an important part of the IHSA's rich basketball tradition.

IN THE NEWS

Chandra Cheeseborough (athletics, 1976, '80, '84) may be going to the Olympics again. The Tennessee State track and field coach was named an assistant coach on the 2008 Olympic team. Cheeseborough has already qualified for the Olympic team three times as an athlete , including winning three medals - two gold - at the I 984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

"I think it's a huge honor," Cheeseborough said. "It's a milestone. Something I've always wanted and worked for."

Kirsten Clark (skiing, 1998, '02, '06) who went from junior national champion to three Olympics , a World Championship silver medal, a World Cup win and seven U.S. titles, including the only American to v. four straight U.S go ld medals in downhill , announced her retirement after 13 years on the U.S. Ski Team.

Nancy Kerrigan (figure skating, 1992, '94) has become a spokesperson for the Foundation Fighting Blindness. "With my mother being blind, I have long been interested in being involved with organizations that try to find cures for blindness, that support the vision impaired and that educate people about the importance of taking care of their eyes ," Kerrigan said. "The Nancy KetTigan Foundation was started with all of this in mind. The mission of the Foundation

Alumni News

Fighting Blindness is to dri ve research that wi ll lead to cures for the retinal dege nerative diseases that cause blind/\ So, our objective is very much in

John Kelley (athletics, 1956, '60), a marathoner an d l 959 Pan American Garnes Champ ion , is still going strong and was honored as the grand marshall of thi s year ' s 20 0 7 Boston Marathon. This honor occurs on the 50th anniversary of hi s epic 19 57 Boston Marathon triumph.

Dick Fosbury (athletics, 1968) on March 15 , 2007 was invited to present a lecture at the first "Olympic Messenger" program pr ese nt ed by the American College of Greece in Athens, durin g it s annual sport s tournam ent. The American College of Greece was one of the s ites used by the USOC for administrative purposes during the Athens 2004 Games, w ith a beautiful setting in the northern foothills of Athens. The tournament had participation from The American Univers ity of Beirut, The ri can Un iv ersi ty of Sharjar (United J Emerites), The American College of Thessalonik.i , a nd The College of William and Mary in Virginia. Th e college at hl etes participated in soccer, basketball, tennis, and table tennis.

The College's Olympic Legacy Project has been coordinated through the World Olympians Association with the Athletic Director, Mr. Arthur Christopher and M s. Olga Kikou, Director of Institution a l Research and Planning Mr. Fo sbury enjoyed meeting with Mr.

John Pa lio s, Vice Pres ident of the Hellenic Olympians Association and severa l members of the H e llenic Association , discussing Olympian's is sues and agreeing to work in s uppo11 of the WOA pursuing the goals of Olympism. The College is working to develop academic course s inv o lving issues in the Olympic Games such as ethics, fair play and sportsmanship as part of th eir Legacy Project.

Following the lec ture presentation , Mr. and Mrs. Fosbury toured severa l of the Greek antiquities and sites along with the men and women athletes from the College of William and Mary. At th e conclusion of the competition , Fosbury participated in the awards ceremony for th e athletes and their re spec tive team s.

John McDonnell, Razorback track and fi e ld head coach, was nam ed to th e 2008 Olympic Team Staff as the middle distance coach, it was announced by USA Track and Field.

McDonnell has coached 23 Olympians, including a go ld , silver and bronze medalist, spanning three decades and s ix different Olympic Games during his career. However, the 2008 Ol ymp ic Games in Beijing, China will mark the first time in his career that he will be a me mber of the Team USA Staff.

McDonnell will join Harvey G lanc e (athletics , 1976 , '80 , '84) of Alabama , Joe Vigil (athletics coach, 1988) , Irving "Boo" Schexnayder of LSU and Criss Somerlot (athletics coach , 2004) on th e men' s coac hing staff. Bubba Thornton

of Texa s is the Team USA men' s head coach.

Appointments

to the Governor's

Council

on Physical Fitness In Florida

The Governor's Council on Physical Fitness will consist of 15 - 20 members appointed by the Governor to serve a term beginnin g on April 23, 20 0 7, and ending Jul y 23, 2008. Members of the council will reflect a broad range of interested partie s, in c luding , but not limited to elementary, secondary and public university repre se ntatives, health care practitioners , advocates for senior citizens and person s with speci al needs, physical fitness and sport s organizations, parks and recreation ex pert s, busine ss community and corporate interests , s tate and local government representatives and pri va te c iti zens.

The council will provide the Governor with a state plan of action to promote physical fitness and nutrition. The plan will include pro gram and policy recommendations to coordinate pri va te secto r initiatives with rel evant programs in state agencies and w ill be d e live re d to the Governor in draft form by August 1, 2007. The final version will be deli vered to the Governor, Senate Pre s ident , and Speaker of the House by December 1, 2007.

Today in Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami Governor Crist was joined by seve ral profes siona l athletes who will serve as me mb ers of th e Gove rnor's Council on Phy s ica l Fitness. In

Alumni News

Jacksonville, Governor Cris t toured the C SX Wellness Cen ter and was accompanied by Ol ympi an Shannon Miller. In Tampa , Gove rnor Cri st v is ited the George M. Steinbrenner Boys & Girls Club and was joined by Derrick Brooks, w ho will serve as chairman of the council. In Miami, Governo r C r is t vis ited th e Hank Klein Boys & Girls Club with Jennifer Capriati. Rocco Baldelli, Keo Griffey Jr., Shaquille O'Neal and Corey Simon will also serve on the co un c il.

"I am so grateful to the professional and Olympic athletes who are becomin g involved with thi s important co un c il , " said Governor Crist. "They are really setting an example for the people of Florida, especially the c hildren we ar e encouraging to adopt and maintain healthy life sty le s."

Je n nifer Capriati (telllli s, 1992) earned 17 Women's Tenni s Associat ion Tour title s in s in g les tenni s. She is an O lymp ian who at age 13 was recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee as Athlete of the Year in the sport of tennis.

Nancy Hogshead - Makar (swimming , 19 80, '84) is a faculty member at Florida Coastal School of Law and advoca tes for ge nder equity in sport s. At age 14 , Hogshe ad -Makar won three Olympi c gold medals in swimming She is a member of the

Int ernationa l Swimming Hall of Fame and graduated from Duke University.

Shannon Miller (gymnastics , 1992 , '96) hosts a weekly television show entit led "Gymnastics USA with Shallllon Miller" and serves as a USA Gymnastics Women's Na tional Team Athlete Representative. Mill er is the most decorated American gymnast, having earned seven career Olymp ic and nine wor ld championship medals She graduated fro m the University of Houston.

Shaquille O'Neal (basketball, 1996) has played for the Miam i Heat s in ce 2004. His NBA c areer began in 1993 and include s four seasons with the Orlando Magic and eight seasons with the Los Angele s Lakers, who wer e threetime NBA champions in 20002002. He attended Lo uisiana State University and left after his junior year ; he completed his degree in 2000. O'Neal al so won a go ld medal at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.

MILESTONES

Stacey Blumer Eva ns (skiing, 1998) and her husband Troy proudly announce the birth of their daughter Kendra Mitchell Eva ns born on March 31 , 2007. Kendra was 7 lb s, 8 oz. Both Stacey and Kendra are doing fantastic .

Mia Hamm (soccer, 1996, '00, '04) and husband, Nomar Garciaparra (baseball, 1992) announce th e b irth of their t daughters on March 27,2 00 ,. Both are health y and over 5 lb s.

Dave Tamburrino (speedskating, 1998) and hi s wife Amy allllounce the birth of their dau ghter, Catherine "Cate" Elizabeth born on March I, 2007 at 4:04 p.m She weighed 7 lb s, 11 oz and is 20.5 in ches.

IN MEMORIAM

Herman Brix (ath l e tics , 1928) , an Olympic shotput medali s t who becam e a screen Tar zan in the m i d - 1930's, w en t on to act in more than I 00 other films under the name Bruce Benn e tt and w as effective as a doomed gold prospector in "T he Treasure of the Sierra Madre." Mr. Brix died on February 24, 2007 at UCLA Medical Center i n Santa Monica, CA w ith " plications from a broken hi1He was 100.

Mr. Brix was a star on the Un ive rsity of Wa s hington football team and won a s ilver medal in the 1928 Summer Olymp i cs in Amsterdam, throwin g the shot 51 feet, 8 1/8 inche s.

When Mr. Brix pared down his movie work , and became a mas-

ter salesman for a vending business and a real estate investor. He enjoyed parasailing and skydiving , ng out 10,000 feet over Lake , __ ,0e when he was 96

His wife of 67 years, Jeannette Braddock Bennett, died in 2000. Survivors include two children, three grandchi ld ren, and two greatgrandchi ldren

Allen Coage (judo, 1976), better known to wrestling fans as Bad News Allen and Bad News Brown, died on March 6, 2007. He was 63.

The Brooklyn born Coage repre se nted the Uni ted States at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. He broke i nto professional wres tlin g through the New J apan Pro Wrestling organization , t raini n g in Japan and s pending th e first few yea rs there , where he wrest l ed as Buffalo Coage. He is survived by h is w ife, Helen, and the ir children.

liam L. Good (weightlifting , , 2, ' 36) died on Apri l 19 , 2007. He was 96 Emp lo yed by Eby Shore Co., Ephra ta , PA for 50 years, he was a weightlifte r most of hi s li fe, and was America's Strongest Man in the l 930's. He and his broth ers competed in the 1 932 and 1936 Olympics. He enjoyed dancing and playing cards.

Col. Don "Sp ee dy" Hull , Olympic Hall of Fame class of 1992 , passed away in Apri l. He was one of th e

last members of the gen e ration from the "o ld sc hoo l" - the generat i on th at lived through the Depression an d fought in WWII.

He li ved through t h e D epression on a horse ranch in the Midwest an d fo u g h t his way onto th e J 932 Olympic boxing team as an alternate. He hit chhiked hi s way to the Los Angeles Games so h e could attend hi s first Olympics.

He joined the r egu lar Army, wo rk ed hard , an d earned a comm iss ion to attend West Point. While a tt ending the U.S. Military Ac ad emy he discovered words that wou ld d efine hi s life: Duty, Honor, Country.

Alumni News

h e was elected President of the International Amateur Boxing Association.

He attended every Olympic Games from 1948 - 1984 as an official in some capacity. Then in 1992 he was indu cted int o the U.S. Olympic H all of Fame as a "contributor" - his most cherished award. He devoted his life to the spirit and id ea ls of the Olympic Movement.

Trenton James Jackson (athlet ics , 1964), considered to be one of the greatest a ll- around ath l etes ever to come out of Rochester , NY, died on March 25 , 2007. He was 65.

Mr. Jack s on was a multi-time , a llDuring WWII, he parachu ted behind scho lasti c se l ect ion in football, base ne my l in es o n O-day, fought during ketball a nd tra ck and field at the Batt l e of the Bu lg e, an d received Franklin High Schoo l in Rochester. the Purple Heart. He a lso se r ved in On June 3, 196 J , he ran the 100Korea , and during peaceful times h e yard da sh in 9 .4 seconds to match was ab le to wo r k for th e A rm y as a th e nati ona l high sc hool record set s ports officer. by Jesse Owens in 1933. One stopwa tch read 9.3 seconds.

Eventua lly he b ecame the Arm e d Force s representative on the U.S. Olympic Committee. It was during his work for the Olympi c Committe e that he discovered a second set of words that wo uld define him for the rest of his li fe : Citius , A ltiu s, Forti us.

A fter his Army career, he became Executive Director of the Amateur Athletic Union in 19 62 where he adminis ter ed all ama t eur sports in America un til 1978. Then in 1978

He was a star on Fra nklin' s 1960 Se c tion V Class AA championship ba s ketba l I team and played against We bster in th e 1961 champ i o nship game, cons id ere d b y many to be th e most-anticipated high school basketb a ll game in Rochest e r's hi story.

Mr. Jackson earned a footba ll -track scholarship to the University of Illin ois, made the 1964 Un it e d States Olympic team an d briefly pl ayed wi th th e NFL Philad e lphia

Alumni News

Eag l es as a kick return e r and wide recei ver.

He returned to his hi g h school a lma mater and coach ed the basketba11 team for 26 yea rs , posting a 388 -181 re co rd and retiring after winning hi s sixth Section V titl e in 200 I

Parry O'Brien (athl et ics, 1952 , '56, '60 , '64), w ho se fascination with the s h otp ut and ph ysi cs fueled a career in which he held th e wo rld r ecor d from 19 5 3 to 19 59 and wo n two go ld medals and a silver medal in four Olympic Games , died on April 21 , 2007. He was 75.

O'Brien, w ho rev olutioni z ed th e s p o rt by d ev is ing a new throwin g technique, died Saturday while parti cipa ting in a master s' sw im me e t in Santa Clarita. Hi s w i fe, Ter r y, with whom he li ved in the Rancho Belago sec tion of Moreno Valley, sa id he had s uffered a heart a ttack.

A t his peak , O'Brien wo n 116 co n s ecutive co mpetition s . He was the first s hotpu tter to excee d 60 feet and ex te nded th e wo rld record from 59 feet , 3 / 4 in ch in 1953 to 63 feet, 4 inches in 1959 , ra ising it 16 times. "He w as one of th ose ra re athletes who changed h is s port t ec hnically, but what impressed me just a s much was his r e m a rkabl e consistency ," sa id

David Wallechin sky, an author and Ol y mpic historian.

"I wa s very fortunat e to realize my fondest ambition by winning th e Ol ym pi c s hotput , " he told The Times. "It was the grea t est thrill of m y life w h e n I stoo d o n the v i c to r y s tand a nd saw th e American flags go up for the first thr ee pl a ce s a nd heard th e band p lay 'Th e StarSpan gled Banner.' "

In 1964 , he wa s th e flag be are r for the U.S Olympic team at the Tokyo Game s, "a signal honor , " h e told Th e Ti mes. He fini s h ed fourth b e hind D a ll as Long , a nother USC product.

Later , aft e r he became s uccessful in banking, real estate and civil engineering , O'Brien compet e d a t th e ma s ters' l evel and se t a ge - group r ecords in th e shot put and discu s . He al so took up competitive swimming.

O'Brien was induct e d into U SA Track an d Fie ld' s Hall of Fame in 1974 , the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fam e in 19 84 an d US C's Ath l etic Hall of Fame in 1994.

In a ddition to hi s wife, survivors include two s ons, two dau g ht ers and seve n g r a ndchildren

Gino Pariani (soccer, 194 8) w ho pla ye d on th e 1950 team

th a t produc e d one of th e g reates t upsets in World Cup history di e d on May 9, 2007. He was 79

P aria ni, th e so n of It a li an immigrants, grew up playin g so ccer i n St. Lo uis' s fam ed It a li a n n e ighborho od T h e Hill an d was pa rt of th e most ly am a t e ur team that jolted the soc cer worl d w ith it s 1-0 d efea t of po we rful E n gla nd in Belo Hori zon te, Bra z il.

Pari a ni also played on th e U.S. Olympic team in 194 8. He and a fellow World C up tea m memb e r , Frank Borghi, no w 82, grew up on Daggett Street, w h ere a s idewalk pl a qu e marks th e ir ce lebrit y

Velma Dunn Ploessel (diving, 1936 ) a pl a tfo rm di ve r wo n a si l ver med a l at the 19 36 Olympics and went on to teach physica l edu cat i on in th e Los Angeles Unified Schoo l di ~ for nearly 40 years pa sse d « J oo May 8, 2 007 She was 88

At 17, Plo esse l (then known as Dunn) fini shed s econd in the l 0 - met e r pl a tform eve nt a t the B e rlin Gam es She was a mer e thre e -tenth s of a point b e hind t ea mmate Doroth y Po y nton Hill , who was c omp et in g in h e r third Olympic s .

Plo esse l m a int a ined her

Olympic ties later in life, volunteering at the 1984 L.A. Games and participating in the torch relay before the 1996, 2000, and 2002 Games, the last of those at age 83. 5',-',ad planned on traveling to Beijing for the Summer L ., .,1pic next year.

Jean Saubert (skiing , 1964) an Olympic medalist and six-time U.S. ski champion died on Tuesday, May 15 , 2007 of cancer. She was 65.

Saubert , who grew up skiing in the Cascades mountain range in Oregon - where her father was a forest ranger, saw her first Olympic Winter Games in 1960 when her parents took her to Squaw Valley , CA, to see the alpine races. She raced in the next Olympics - at Innsbruck, Austria in 1964 where she tied for the s ilver medal in giant slalom and earned the bronze in slalom.

She also won six U.S. ski championships in four disciplines. In 1964, she was the U.S. downhill , slalom, g iant s lalom and combined champion.

After retiring from racing in the pre-World Cup era, Saubert returned to Oregon and taught for more than three decades. She retired from teaching to live in Salt Lake City, where she was a part of the Olympic Torch Relay and volunteered at the 2002 Olympics.

r<ren Stre low (ice hockey coach, 1980, '02) a piomg coach and assistant for th e 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team died on April 11, 2007. He was 73.

The highlight of Strelow's lengthy career was his work with the "Miracle on I c e" U.S. Olympic team in J 980 , when he aided coach Herb Brooks, his former boss at the University of Minnesota Backstopped by goalie Jim Craig, the team s tunned the sport and inspired a nation by beating the Soviet Union and winning the gold medal in Lake Placid, NY.

Strelow also worked with the 2002 U.S team, which won silver medals. In 2004, he was inducted into the

United States Hockey Hall of fame.

Richar d Tom (weightlifting , 1948, '52), who was the first Asian-American to win an Olympic medal, died on February 18, 2007 at his home in ' Aina Haina.

He was 86.

"He was a very nice per s on , and one of the most enthusiastic about the sport that l knew," said Tommy Kono, an Olympic champion Ii fter.

Competing as a bantamweight weightlifter, Tom won the bronze medal in the 1948 Games in London. His teammate was Harold Sakata, who went on to play "Odd Job" in the 1964 James Bond mo v ie, "Goldfinger."

Tom and Kono were teammates at the 1952 Games in Helsinki. Kono said Tom and hi s Hawaii teammates exce l led d es pite a lack of formal training.

Despite b e ing "so far removed from the Mainland , the y had excellent technique , " Kono s aid. "They learned from reading books and looking at magazines."

Harold Onaga sa i d his uncle was an Army veteran of World War II Tom retired from a government job at Schofield.

Un til last year , Tom officiated at weight-lifting contests at the Nu'uanu YMCA.

Onaga said hi s uncle "was a lover of jazz mu s ic. His collection goes back to 78 vinyls."

Two weeks ago , Tom was inducted into the Hawaii Sports Hall of fame. Because Tom was recovering from double-bypass surgery in December, Kono accepted on Tom's behalf.

"He was a great person," Kono sa id.

Did you know that theUS Olymp ians have reg ional chapters throughout the country? Look for updates on chapter happenings in future issues of The Olympian! If you would like to find out what is happening in your area , contact :

Colorado Olympians

President : Gene Kotlarek (skiing, 1960, ' 64) (303)-807-3911

Florida Olymp ians

President : Jim Millns (figure skating, 1976) (8 13) 926-5955

Georgia Olympians

President: Mel Pender [athletics, 1964, '68) (404) 434-8514

Hawaii Olympians

President : Richard "So nny" Tanabe (swimming, 1956) (808) 735 -1088

Indiana Olympians

President : Ollan Cassell (athlet ics, 1964) (3m 466-0444

Midwest Olympians

President : Diane Simpson Bundy (rhythm ic gymnastics, 1988) (847) 452 -7843

National Capital Area Olympians

President: Arlene Limas (taekwondo, 1988) (540) 720 -1988

New England Area Olympians

President : John Thomas (a thletics , 1960, '64) (508) 584 -7474

Northern Californ ia Olympians

President: Greg Massia las (fencing , 1980, '84, '88) (415) 44 1-0521

Oregon Olympians

Pres ident: Clem Eischen (athletics, 1948) (503) 492-2232

Southern California Olympians

President : Cathy Marino Bradford (canoe/kayak, 1988, '92) (714) 847-5596

Southwest Olympians

President: Sammy Wa lker (weightlifting, 1976) (469) 955-3158

Tri -States Olympians

President : Otis Davis (athletics, 1960) (20 l) 392-8448

Utah O lympians

President : Debra Stark Clark (gymnastics, 1972) (801) 369-9918

Washington State Olymp ians

President : John Stillings (rowing, 1984) (206) 440-0708

No chapter in you r area? Interested in starting a chapter? Contact the U.S. Olympians Association office for deta i ls at (800) 717 -7555

UNITED STATES OLYMPIC COMMITTEE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

USO( CHAIRMAN

Peter Ueberroth

Bob Bow lsby

Bob Ctvrtl ik

Erroll Davis

Anita DeFrantz

Jim Easton

John Hendricks

Joir Lynch

Ma ry McCagg

Mike Plant

Stephanie Streeter

USOC CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Jim Scherr

5-T IMEOLYMPI CMEDALIS TAPOLO ANTON OHNO (SP EEDSKATI NG , 2002, '06) AND PARTNER JULI ANNE HOUGH , 2007 DANC ING WITH THE STARS CHAMPIONS

ATR IBU TE TO AL OER TER TH E50TH ANN IVER SA RY OFHI SFIRS TOLYM PICGO LDMEDA L

STAND ING L TO R: RINK BABKA (1960) , OTIS DAVIS (1960), CARLOS ARENA (1996) , NIKKI DRYDEN (1992, 1996), BOB BEAMON (1968), JENNY THOMPSON (1992 , 1996, 2000, 2004), HANS WOLF (1964) , PAT MCCORMICK (1952 , 1956), HORACE ASHENFELTER (1952), JOHN HENWOOD (2004), CURT CLAUSEN (1996, 2000, 2004), ELLIOTT DENMAN (1956) , HAZEL GREEN (1984 , 1988) , TOM COURTNEY (1956)

SEATED : BRUCE MCDONALD (1956, 1960, 1964), RAY LUMPP (1948) , AL OERTER (1956, 1960 , 1964 , 1968), CHARLEY MOORE (1952), HERB DOUGLAS (1948), OLLAN CASSELL (1964).

US OLYMP IANS OFFICERS 2005 -2008

EDITOR IAL STAFF

PRESIDENT

Willi e Bank s(athl eti cs , 1980, ' 84, '88 )

VICE PRESIDENTS

Dwigh t St ones (athletics , 1972, '76 , '84)

Connie Pa raske vin (5pee dskating , 19 80, ' 84 /cy di ng, T988 , '92, '96)

Carol Le wis(athl etics, 1980, '84 , '88 )

Dick Fo sbury (athletic s, 1968)

Micki King (di ving, 1968 , '7 2)

Gary W Hall Sr (sw immin g, 1968, '7 2, '76 )

HONORARY EXECUTIVE DIRECTO R

Doroth y Franey Lang kop (spe edskating , 1932)

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

John Nab er (swimming , 1976)

PA STPRESIDENT

Bill To omey (athl et ics, 196 8)

SENIO REDITOR

Cynthia E Stinger (t eam handball , 1984, '88, '92 )

ASSOCIATE EDITOR S Christine Ta ylar

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Deni se O'Sh ea - O ' Sh ea Design

Photos by : Getty Imag es& Th e USOC Libra ry

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