Fall 2010 | The Olympian

A LETTER FROM WILLIE BANKS

U.S Olympians Pres i dent

"Space the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. It's five-year mission : to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before." This tag line for the 01iginal Star Trek series doesn't just betray my age .it also expresses the feeling I have regarding the new era seemingly ushered in by a rejuvenated Lany Probst, Chainnan of the USOC Board of Directors and the newly hired CEO, Scott Blackrnun. Granted , you need to be old to understand the Star Trek analogy but I feel comfort in knowing that even young Olympians can relate to "boldly going where no man has gone before" (in recent episodes of the franchise , the language states " where no one has gone before")

Over the last few months and culminating most recently with a very successful Olympic Assembly, the USOC has expressed a clear and unambiguous desire to embrace the U.S. Olympians as true partners in their mission Never has there been such a change in attitudes since I've been actively involved with the USOC. We, in essence, seem to be breaking new ground with this new sense of partnership I would like to thank Larry Probst and Scott Black.mun for their support for Olympians.

At the Annual meeting of the U.S Olympic Family, euphemistically called the Olympic Assembly, the U.S. Olympians voted to invite the Paralympians to join our Association. Yes, we expanded our tent to include athletes who have attended the Paralympic Games. Our Association is now known as the "U.S Olympians and Paralympians Association" I want to thank my fellow officer, Caryn Davies , for her leadership on the change. Cmyn led a group of dedicated Olympians and Paralympians to rewrite our bylaws and constitution to allow the Paralympians to join our group This is a monumental change in the Association that will leave a lasting legacy. Our organization can be the first to fonnally begin the integration process with our Pm·alympian brothers and sisters. Once again we tread on te1Tit01y where no man (or "no one") has gone before.

In the trne spirit of change our organization has been lifted to a special place with the USOC. Because of the inherent value of our members, Scott Blackmun has encouraged our group to statt thinking like a Council , similar to the National Governing Body Council, the Multi-Sport Organization Council or the Athletes Adviso1y Council. Granted, we will not have the smne benefits, but we will be significm1tly better off when it comes to working with the staff of the USOC to promote the mission of our organizations

Speaking of doing something that no one has done before, our World Fit program is getting bigger and better in 2011 Gary Hall , Sr. has been working tirelessly for years to turn World Fit into the premiere program of its kind. Nothing else can come close to its breadth and scope. If you have read early atticles you know that this is the U.S. Olympiat1s "signature" progrmn. In fact, we hope to have a congressional resolution in support of the progrmn soon. To top it off the USOC has committed to work with us to incorporate the program into their plans for the future! This is a major accomplishment of which we all should be very proud. Please visit www.worldfit.org and sign up to supp01t the program. Even if you cat1 't serve a school in your m·ea, please sign up!

As you know, we are your democratically elected leadership, at1d every two years you get a say in who will lead this organization. Each Olympian is equally entitled to run for office, at1d I invite any interested patties to submit their application to be included on the November 20 IO ballot. Contact Cindy Stinger for more info1mation.

This is the longest newsletter we have ever produced; at1d deservedly so. There is a lot to announce and a lot to brag about. In this issue there is something for everyone. As you peruse the following pages, I hope you will think long and hard about your level of pmticipation and join your fellow Olympians and Paralympim1s in support of the Olympic Movement. You will find a list of Chapters at1d their Presidents in the back of the newsletter. Please contact your nem·est President and ask them how you can get involved . .If there is no Chapter near you, please let me (willie.banks@ olympian.org) or Cindy Stinger know so we can help you get one started. With your help and supp01t we will "boldly go where no one has gone before!"

WILLIE BANKS SPEAKS TO OLYMPIC ASSEMBLY TOWN HALL

ISSF WOMEN ' S INTERNATIONAL SKEET WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALISTS ARE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT WEI NING , SILVER MEDALIST FROM CHINA , KIM RHODE , GOLD MEDALIST FROM USA AND DANKA BARTEKOVA , BRONZE MEDALIST FROM SLOVAKIA

If you visit Oak Tree Shooting Range or Prado Shooting Spmts Park in the Southern California area on a given afternoon, you just may see a familiar sight. There with her father Richard is America's most decorated female Olympic shooter in history, four-time-Olympic medalist Kim Rhode. Day in and day out, Kim shoots under the watchful eye of her father and coach , Richard.

Kim burst onto the scene at the tender age of 13 when she won her first major international championship. Kim turned her attention to the Olympic Games and qualified for the USA National Shooting Team in I 994.

sAdd up all of her practice rounds over these long years and you may just get an incredible total of two million round s of those familiar red Winchester AA shotgun shells. All of the hard work and practice rounds paid off for Kim in I 996 when she was selected to represent the USA in the event of International Double Trap for the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. At these Games , Kim 's event was one of the initial individual Olympic events that the U.S. was competing in and expectations were running high that these Games would produce lot s of medals for the USA. Kim did not disappoint.

She won the gold medal and spent the rest of these Games enjoying her Olympic experif She returned home to sunny California anc was an overnight sensation even in laid back Los Angeles.

Immediately upon her return, she attended an " Olympic Celebration" event at the Hollywood Bowl featw-ing the music of renowned composer John William s. In the middle of his conceit, Williams asked all of the more than 60 Olympians who were present to stand . Then, quite unexpectedly, he gave a personal salute to Kim and told her how proud he was of her gold medal petfonnance. His comments brought a thunderous ovation from the 19,000 music lovers who were in attendance.

Fast fotward through time ...

Kim wins the bronze at the Sydney Games and follows this up with yet another gold medal in 2004 in Athens. Then, despite the elimination of her event following these Games , Kim keeps shooting and makes the complete transition that is required from International Doubles Trap to the International Skeet event.

For ten months , Kim shoots evety day just to qualify for the USA National Team in this new event. In her first world cup compet ition in Santa Domingo, Kim not only wins ,_

gold medal but also breaks the world record with a score of98 .

As they say, the rest is history

Kim earns the right to compete for the USA in Beijing and wins the silver medal for the USA in International Skeet.

As this st01y is being written, Kim has just returned home from Munich, Germany where she has won the World Championship. This vict01y combined with her other world cup wins earlier this year have now given her a commanding lead in the race to represent the USA in the London Games in 2012 If she is able to win one more medal at the London Games, she will become the first American Olympian from an individual sport to ever medal in five onsecutive Olympic Games .

Kim has been shooting competitively since the age of 10 (over 21 years) During these years of grneling training and the recoil ofS00 to 1000 rounds of 12 gauge shotgun targets each day, Kim was advised that her career was probably over. She credits elite Physical Therapist Robert Forster with helping her to overcome injuries and strength training to bring her back up to an elite pe1formance level which has enabled her successful career to continue.

CuITently she is ranked # I in the world.

As the London Games approaches (now less than two years away), Kim is appreciative of all the efforts of those around her who have empowered her with their continued support.

According to Rhode , "Quite simply, the costs for a competitive shooter are among the highest in the Olympic world. I could not succeed without the support of the United States Ol ympic Committee and USA Shooting as well as my amazing sponsors. In addition," she continued, "There are those who are closest to me who are the ' wind beneath my wings ' and they know how much l appreciate their supportive efforts."

"You should never be afraid of losing because life's hardest lesso ns can teach you how to win.''

-Nikki Stone, Olympian, Skiing

An Open Letter To Olympian Steve Holcomb

Steve:

lam not sure how or if this email will get to you but I wanted to at least make an attempt. Last weekend my youngest son and I attended the Celebrity GolfToumament in Lake Tahoe and were fo1tunate enough to meet you after you fini shed golfing on Saturday. 1am attaching a picture you took with my son. He thought maybe he should autograph it, just so yo u got an autograph after giving so much of your time to the fans that day. Kids are funny!

The reason for the email is two-fold; one, to thank you and let you know what an impre ss ion you made on my son and me, and two , to compliment you on your humble and giving spirit that came through loud and clear that day.

My two so ns and I had planned to attend the golf tournament for the past year. We own a vacation home with friends about an hour away from Lake Tahoe. For months we had talked about going and checked the website regularly to see who would be competing. Then, a week before the tournament, my father passed away. He lives in Canada and it appeared we would not be able to make it. My son was very close to my father and shared a spe cial bond with him so he felt no regrets ifhe had to mi ss the golftoumament, family came first. However, due to delays it was decided that my father's service would be July 24 I decided to come back home to California after being in Can ada for a week, and take the family up to Tahoe to help prepare for this week of funeral plans and the service. My oldest decided to pass on the tournament and the youngest still wanted to go So we got up early Saturday mornin g and headed to the course. It was just what we both needed. The golf was great, the weather was fantastic and my so n filled his hat with celebrity autographs, including yours.

Although I was incredibly impressed with Fonner Vice President Quayle, it was you Steve that made the bigge st impres sion on my so n and I. I realize there were numerous celebrities and star athletes there that day ; however none displayed the humbl e, gentle, giving spirit that yo u did. My son and I spoke with Charles, Mr. Quayle, Ray Romano, Jonathon Ogden , Billy Joe Tolliver and several others. He got more than 20 autographs including golf balls autographed by Mr. Quayle and Henn Edwards. Yet, when the day ended, he felt the couple of minutes he spen t with you was the best part of his day. For that I thank you.

Your thoughtfulness of bringing yo ur medal for others to enjoy was such a great example. You see athletes toda y who are so sel f oriented they would not think to allow others to share in their success. I am sure that many gold medali sts have their medals proudly displayed in expensive cases and never allow another to touch it let alone wear the thing out in public. I have to admit, I was surpri sed by how yo u shared so willingly. I watched as you put it on several yo ung boy s and girls and you smiled at their enthusiasm. You were genu inely excited to bring joy to their day You were humble as I talked to you about your success and your sincerity was obvious as y; u talked about what an honor and thrill it was for you to pruticipate in _.4 the event. ,.al...,;a:...11\il'lof9'~

You brought light to my son and I at a time we were struggling with the loss ofa loved one. You outshone all the other "celebrities" becau se of who you ru·e, not what you have accomplished I have no idea if your father is alive but he most certainly mu st be proud of the man you have become .

If you would like an autographed picture my son would be happy to oblige,just let us know:) Thank you for who you are and what yo u represent. You ru·e a wonderful example for others .

Thank yo u from Gordon and Chad Medd. Forever Holcomb fans!

Gordon T. Medd

Assistant Superintendent, Admini strative Services

Dry Cree k Joint Elementaiy School Di strict Ro sevi lle, CA 95747 '

CHAD MEDO AND STEVE HOLCOMB FOREVER A HOLCOMB FAN!

Jennie Finch had no trouble dazzling everyone.

The striking blonde with the unhittable stuff was the most dominant softball pitcher of her time, giving her sport a new face just as it was starting to really catch on in the United States. Finch won an NCAA championship in record-setting fashion and added Olympic gold as she spread softball's popularity in America and beyond.

But after IO years of playing internationally, Finch is turning her focus to her family and her desire to have more children. "This whole career has been way more than I ever even imagined or dreamed," Finch said in an interview with The

Jennie Finch Retiring From Softball

Associated Press. "The opportunities that I'd be able to enjoy and appreciate and be a part of, it's been incredible."

Finch won gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and silver four years later in Beijing. She helped the U.S. win its seventh straight world championship.

Her final international games were the World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City. Her pro team, the Chicago Bandits played its last regular-season game on Aug. 22 at home in Elgin, Ill.

"You go anywhere and you can say, 'Jennie Finch,' and people know who that is," U.S. sh01istop Natasha Watley said. "You say you play softball, •Oh, do you know who Jennie Finch is?' Well, yeah, actually she's my teammate.

"Just what she's done for this sport is amazing."

The 6-foot-2 Finch was much more than a pretty face as she took over for Lisa Femandez as the most recognized player in a sport enjoying growing popularity.

She went 32-0 in her junior year at Arizona, leading the Wildcats to the 2001 Women's College World Series, and would win an NCAA record 60 straight decisions in a span ofnearly two years. After that, she combined with the likes of Fernandez and Cat Oste1man to make up the world's best pitching rotation through the early part of the decade.

Coupled with her softball skills, Finch's beauty and chann landed her a place in the mainstream. She struck out some of the big leagues' best hitters in appearances on "This Week in Baseball," competed on "Celebrity Apprentice" and made the rounds on late-night talk shows.

"She set the standard for softball in a new era of being able to be feminine and play this sport," U.S. outfielder Jessica Mendoza said. "Not that you have to be feminine to play this sport, but I see hundreds of thousands oflittle girls now with glitter headbands, hot pink bats, makeup. I'm not saying that eve1y girl has to do that but when I was growing up, it wasn't like that. period is remarkable."

Allen Johnson Leaves Competitive Track And Field

,,,---..By:

Phil Hersh

A few things have slipped by while I was working on other things. l'm getting to them now one-byone.

Allen Johnson leaves competitive track and field at age 39.

lfhardly anyone noticed when the high hurdler quietly announced his decision that would be ironically fitting for a man whose career highlights an Olympic gold medal and four outdoor world titles always seemed to have been overshadowed by something else.

When Johnson won the Olympic gold in 1996, the story of the night was Carl Lewis' surprise win in the long jump for his record-tying ninth Olympic gold medal.

When he won a fomih world title in 2003, the attention was on U.S. sprinter Kelli White's positive drug test after White had won the I 00 and 200 meters.

"It's the sto1y ofmy life," Johnson told me after winning that fourth world title.

Allen always was the "other" Johnson, much less well known than Michael Johnson, the 200-400 star whose career overlapped his.

But in the 12 seasons from 1995 through 2006, Allen Johnson was the world's No. I-ranked

hurdler four times; No. 2-ranked seven times; and No. I in the United States nine times. Such consistent excellence over a long period is remarkable.

As the 2004 Olympics approached, I thought it was time to recognize and introduce Allen Johnson in a long profile. I spent a day with him in South Carolina, going to the track, the weight room and his home. He gave me hours of his time that day and willingly answered many factchecking and clarification questions for a story that was to appear in the Tribune the day of the Olympic final.

Two days earlier, reigning world champion Johnson fell over the ninth hurdle in the second round and did not advance to the Athens final. What was to be a 2,000-word story never was finished or published.

The next time I saw Johnson, about a year later, I told him what had happened, by way of both explanation and apology. He accepted both with the grace that was a hallmark of his personality.

He also intervened without being asked in another issue.

At the Olympic trials in 2004, I was first to repmt (all offive minutes ahead of the Washington Post and New York Times) that U.S. sprinter TmTi Edwards, then Johnson's girlfriend, had

tested positive for use of a banned substance, an infraction that would keep her from nmning in the Olympics. Because my stmy hit the Internet first and the Tribune received credit for breaking the news, Edwards would be angry at me, which led to a testy exchange between us at the 2005 U.S. Championships.

Johnson witnessed the encounter and asked me what had prompted it. When I told him the back story, he said, "I' II talk to her about it."

The next time I spoke to Edwards, it was as if nothing had happened between us.

All this is a roundabout way of giving Allen Johnson his due as a great athlete who also was one of the good guys in the sport. His achievements should have been celebrated more.

OLV PIC DAY 2010

Park City, Utah

Summit County celebrated Olympic Day at the Utah Olympic Park where more than 600 people attended the Flying Aces All-Stars Freestyle Show

2010 OLYMPIC DAY IN THE UNITED STATES

San Francisco , Californ ia

Greg Mass1alas (Fencing, 1980 1984 & 1988) held a fencing clinic in honor of Olympic Day.

Los Angeles , California

Olympians Greg Louganis (DIv1ng, 1976, 1980. 1984 & 1988) and Genai Kerr (Water Polo, 2004) celebrated Olymp ic Day with an Official Proclamation Ceremony hosted by the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Sports Council.

Camp Pendleton , Ca lifornia

The Bouncing Barrister, three-time Olympian and President of the U.S. Olympians Association Willie Banks (Athletics. 1980, 1984 & 1988) inspired children to live a healthy and active lifestyle. Banks lived near Camp Pendleton during his childhood.

Spr ingfield , Missouri

Archery coach Steve Cornell gave Jerry Clark chair of the Springfield-Greene County Park Board an Archery lesson at the U.S. Olympic Comm1ttee·s Community Olympic Development Archery Program announcement on Olympic Day

Okinawa , Japan (Armed Forces Pacific)

Swimmer Mary DeScenza shared her inspirational story with children at the Camp Foster Marine Corps Base DeScenza moved with her husband. Charlie. an Officer in the United States Marine Corps to Okinawa where he is stationed.

Rockwall, Texas

Members of the U.S. Olympians Southwest Chapter, including President Sammy Walker (Weightlifting 1976). ce lebrated Olympic Day at the Rockwall YMCA with Mayor William R Cecil. Twenty-one Olympic Alumni participated in the twenty Olympic Day celebrations held in Te;~

Elgin , Il linois

U S Olympians Midwest Chapter President Diane Simpson (Gymnastics 1988) celebrated Olymp ic Day at Spnng Hill Gymnastics. a USA Gymnastics

Member Club. Simpson was one of 40 athletes and coaches from her Olympians Chapter to participate in the reg1on·s 52 Olympic Day events

Marsha ll , Texas

Members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Big

in front of their artwork from flag making and painting, which highlighted the Olympic value of respect.

West Windso r, New Jersey

Anna Goodale (ROWJng 2008) and members of the US National Rowing Team partiapated in acomm1nity celebratlDn 1n obse1Vance of OlympJC Day

Chattanooga , Te nnessee Mayor Ron Littlefie1d read the Olympic Day proclamation as part of Chattanooga 's community-wide celebration on Olympic Day, which included a Paralympic cycling race.

Simons Island , Georgia

Cheryl Haworth (We1ghtl1fting.

2004 & 2008) led an inspirational discussion on Olympic values with children from the

Girls

of Southeast Georgia.

Thanks to the stron g s upport of President, Willie Banks, an d th e U.S. Olympians and Paralympians Association , 20 10 Olympic Day in the United States again set new records internationally for th e largest Olympic Day celebration in the wor ld! Between June 19 - 27, approximately 90,000 indiv iduals pa1ticipated in 330 Olympic Day events that were he ld in 220 cities nationwide.

375 Ol y mpians , Paral ym pian s, coac hes and hopefuls participated as speakers and VIP guests at mo st of the Olympic Day events held across the United States. That is 165 more than the 2 10 Oly mpi ans an d Paralympians w ho paiticipated in th e 2009 Olympic Day events.

To see more pictures from 2010 Olympic Day events in t he United States, please go to http: // www.teamusa.org/ abou t-u soc/o lym pic-d ay and click on the photo at the top of the page

Plans have already begun for the 20 11 Olympic Day Ce lebration. Should you be interested i~ paiti cipati ng in the 20 1I Olympic Day fest ivi t ies, p lease e-mail

Keith B ryant at keith.brya nt@ usoc .org or call 7 19- 866 -2238

Thanks to a ll the Ol ympians, Paralympians , coache s a nd hop efu ls w ho participated th is year and in s pired America! We hope to see you again next yeai·!

St.

2000.

Boys &

Clubs

Pines

U.S. OLYMPIANS & PARALYMPIANS 2010 VICE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SEEKING

THREE NEW OLYMPIAN VICE-PRESIDENTS

Campaign Requirements And Procedures

The 20 IO election will be conducted via postal mail.

Each candidate must have been selected onto a U.S. Olympic Team

As stated in the United States Olympian s & Paralympians constitution ARTICLE V, Membership , Section 3 Only members who were Olympic or Paralympic competitors representing the United States shall be officers of the U.S Olympians & ParalympiansAssociation (USOPA).

In order to be placed on the official ballot, all candidates ' candidacy fonns must be received by Friday, November 5, 20 I 0 All candidacy forms postmarked on or before November 5, 2010 will be accepted. The USOPA office will review all candidates for eligibility, legitimacy and compliance Candidates who have properly submitted their candidacy fonns and are eligible and in compliance will have their names appear on the official ballot. This is a four year tenn. Candidates who submit candidacy forms incorrectly or are nominated after the November 5, 20 IO postmark date may still run for a USO PA officer position, howeve,~ their name will not appear on the ballot.

The Following Dates Are The Chronological Order In Which The Election Process Will Take Place

October 11, 2010-The call for nominations is emailed out to all U.S. Olympians with an email address. The call for nominations will also be mailed to all those Olympians requesting such mailings be sent via postal service . (no email access)

November 5, 2010-All candidacy fonns must be postmarked on or before November 5, 2010 to hav e candidate's name appear on the official ballot. A candidate may be nominated after November 5, 20 I 0, but the name will not appear on the official ballot. Eligible members may choose to "writein" a candidate.

November 5, 2010- U.S. Olympians & Paralympians Association office completes check on all candidates' eligibility and compliance for official ballot.

November 19, 20 IO - The United States Olympic Corrunittee's (USOC) Olympians & ParalympiansAssociation office mails out official ballot and self-addressed envelope to all Olympians.

December 10, 2010- In order for the vote to count, the Ce1tified Public Accountants must have received a mail-in ballot postmarked no later than December I 0, 2010

December 13, 2010 - Ballots will be tallied by the Certified Public Accountants.

December 17, 2010 - New Officers-elect will be announced officially by the office of the USOPA.

Procedure for Candidates

I) Obtain candidacy fonn from the U.S. Olympians & Paralympians Association office.

2) All fo1ms must be completed and returned postmarked or faxed by November 5, 2010.

3) Platfo1111 statements must not exceed I 00 words which may be submitted with candidacy form. A head shot is optional.

4) All candidacy forms received by the November 5th postmark date will be reviewed by the U.S. Olympian s & Paralympian s Association office for compliance.

5) Official ballot and self-addressed envelope to be mailed November 19, 20 IO to all United States Olympians.

6) All ballots mu st be received with an " on or before postmark" of December I 0, 2010 to be counted.

7) Ballots will be counted on December I 3, 20 I 0.

8) Results of election will be announced at an appropriate time by the office of the USOPA.

Election Procedures

1) Election Day is December 13 , 20 IO.

2) All ballots must be signed by the voting individual.

3) Space will be available for write-in votes (candidate must be eligible)

4) A Certified Public Accountant will tabulate the ballots (multiple counts to ensure accuracy).

5) The top three candidates receiving votes from higher to lower in subsequent order will be named as Vice Presidents, 4, 5 and 6, and f~ considered officers of the USOPA.

6) In the event of a tie the U.S. Olympians & Paralympians Board of Directors and newly elected officers , not involved with the tie , will vote to break the tie. If a tie occurs after this procedure the President of the U.S. Olympi a ns & Paralympians will break the tie

7) The newly elected officers will be invited and expected to join the USOPAPresident, Vice Presidents, 1, 2 and 3 at an appropriate time.

Candidacy forms should be mailed or faxed to: Cynthia E Stinger, Manager

U.S. Olympians & Paralympians Association

United States Olympic Committee

1 Olympic Plaza

Colorado Springs, CO 80909-5760

FAX: 719-866-4643

U.S. OLYMPIANS & PARALYMPIANS Vice Presidential Officers Election-2010

CANDIDACY APPLICATION FORM

U.S. OLYMPIANS & PARALYMPIANS-MISSION STATEMENT

The U.S. Olympians and Paralympians will foster the Olympic Spirit in each community, motivate and encourage youth, develop camaraderie and honor those who have shared the unique experience of representing their nation at the Olympic or Paralympic Games.

Date:

First Name:

M.I .:

Last Name:

Olympic Year(s):

Olympic Sport (s):

U.S. Olympians Association Membership Number: __ (optional)

I understand that I must have my Candidacy Application Form as well as a 100 words or less platform statement/ head shot (optional) to the U.S. Olympians & Paralympians Association office on or before end of business, Friday, November 5, 2010. This is a/our year term and we are seeking three new Olympian Vice-Presidents.

All Candidate Application Forms will be reviewed by the Manager, U.S. Olympians & Paralympians Association (USO PA) for compliance and legitimacy. The office of the USO PA will be receiving Candidate Application Forms until November 5th in order to have your name appear on the official ballot. All write-in candidates not previously identified must meet the same criteria before assuming any office. Fax or mail to :

Cynthia E. Stinger, Manager

U.S. Olympians & Paralympians Association 1 Olympic Plaza Colorado Springs, CO 80909 FAX: 719-866-4643

Signed:

Date: - - -Candidate

ALUMNI NEWS IN THE NEWS

On August 27, 20 IO in Nashville, Tennessee, home of Coach Ed Temple and his legendary TSU Tigerbelles, was the site of a 50th anniversary celebration of the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Thirteen 1960 Olympians attended, as did the sister (Charlene Rudolph) and niece (Kim Rudolph) of Wilma Rudolph . Attendees were:

Coach Ed Temple

Ralph Boston

Shirley Crowder-Meadows

Martha Hudson-Pennyman

Rafer Johnson

Barbara Jones-Slater

Lance Larson

Willie May

Phil Mulkey

Gordon McKenzie

Jerry Siebert

Peter Snell (New Zealand)

Lucinda Williams-Adams

Pulitzer Prize-winner David Marani ss, author of the be stse llin g book " Rome 1960, The Olympics That Changed The World," moderated a di scussion among

Ol ympi ans Ra fer Johnson, Lucinda Williams, Rat Boston, Lance Larson, and Coach Ed Temple as prut or the evening's ente1tainment. Olympians and dozens of Temple's fonner Tigerbelles spanning his entire cru·eer as coach also attended a private brunch The event, atte nded by more than 300 people and held at the Hutton Hotel, raised funds for the Ed Temple Scholarship Fund at New Hope Academy in Franklin, Tenn. Gu st outside of Nashville), a school that has " adopted " Coach Temple and has racial rec onciliation as part of its core mi ss ion.

Doctor Debi Thomas' New Walk of Life - New group to provide free 01thopedic surgery in Nepal.

She's known aro und the world as Debi Thomas, champion figme ska ter. But in Kathmandu, Nepal , she'll soo n be known as Docto r Debi Thomas , miracle worker. For Thomas , who traded in her figure skates for a caree r as an 01thopedic surge on , is heading to Nepal with a group of female physicians to perform smgeries that will change the liv es of many women.

"Nepal is a very, very, poor country," Thom as said during a recent vis it to Chicago. " It relies on women to be the head

fthe household . And if they can ' t function, it's highly detrimental to the whole famil y unit."

Thomas , 43, is a member of the Women Orthopedi st Global Outreach (WOGO) , a nonprofit volunteer organization that provide s free surgical treatment in developing countries for people who would otherwise have no acce ss to treatment for arthritis or other bone and joint conditions . She

describes the mission as one of"women helping women ."

WOGO's ambi tious mission? To empower, ed ucate and engage women an d their larger community in developing countries arou nd the world .

In Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world , few people have access to health care. According to WOGO, mo st Nepalese live on less than $ 1 a day, and most -- 8 1 percent derive their livelihood from ag ricu lture.

"Whi le our mission is to provide care for anyone in need, we have a special connection to the plight of women in under-served communities due to the

"The s urgerie s we do are life -changing," she said . " We can take patients that physicality of their lives and the lack of access to orthopedic care," said haven't walked and make them fully funct ional again. In Nepal we hope to Thomas , who comp leted a fellowship at the Don- Arthritis Institute in Los

empower the women, educate local doctors and engage young gir ls to show Angeles after graduating from No1thwestem Medical Schoo l in 1997 them what girls can do [in life]."

A fonner wor ld champion and U.S national champion, Thomas became the fir st African -American athlete to medal in the Winter Olympics, earning bronze in Calgary in 1988 Although her skatin g career is part of her past now, she'll happily trade on its legacy.

"Hop efully I can use that past recognition to bring WOGO's message to a different level," she said

WOGO was fanned after its founding members attended a conference on arthriti s, a di sease that disproportionately affects women

On her Facebook page, Thomas once wrote that she would like to change the world . In response, some peop le felt compelled to chide her. What kind of fantasy world was she living in? Didn't she know that you can ' t change the wor ld? To which Thomas responded Well , yes you can

" I'm not into pol it ics ," she said . ' Tm into helping peop le. That' s why I went into medicine . We're a group of five women who are inspired , and we want to make a difference Once you start, there's no telling where you can go. "

Aloha/1980 Voll eyba ll Reunion

Submitted by: l au rel Brass ey Ive rsen

After a year of planning, La urel Brassey Iversen, welcomed some of her teammates from the 1980 United States Women's Olympic Volleyball Team to beautiful Kaua 'i for our 30th Anniversary Reunion at the end of May. This tropical paradise which is my island home became the backdrop for a week of more great memories to add to the all the years we played together for USA.

The ga ls; Debbie La ndreth Brown, Lamie Flachmeier Corbelli, Sue Woodstra, Diane McC ormick French, Laurel Brassey Iversen and husbands Dennis Brown, Rick French and Dave Iversen stayed right on the beach in a fabulous location and enjoyed Kaua ' i Aloha spir it as we were hosted at private homes and wonderful local restamants We had paddle smfing lessons, hiked in Waimea Canyon , sai led the Na Pal i Coas t ofKaua ' i, and were treated to a fantastic Reunion Reception and Dinner at the Bay Cottage at Kukui'ula There was also a fair an10tmt of shopping an d just relaxing together and remini scin g on our incredible experience s. There were many high lights during the week , but here are just a few. "Whatever

Diane McCormick French brought her 1980 Descente Our major contributing sponsors were USA VolleybaJI,...-----..___ Wool Travel Suit and wore it to the airport when we picked Aloha Volleyball Region , Kukui'ula Development up the others. It still fits her! Laurie Flachmeier Corbelli Company (Hawaii) , Merriman's Restaurant, E xecutive modeled her playing uniform complete with " bun huggers" Board Sports , and numerous small busines ses and private sans ela stic. Laurie and Sue Woodstra demonstrated their individu a ls expert Kayak techniques at Kalapaki Bay. One night, sitting under the stars on the lanai , Debbie Landreth Brown Dave Ashleigh (waterpolo, 1964, '68) produced one of her trip journals from 1979 and read her Dave taught math and coached water polo & swimming at interpretations of the 6-week trip we took to S. Kore a , Modesto Junior College for 34 years; he retired in 2004. Japan, Peru and Brazil. She truly had a wonderful time and The college just named the new swimming pool complex we all wondered ifwe had been on the same trip. I think the "Dave Ashleigh Aquatics Center" The dedication took we laughed the hardest that night listening to her read that place on May 22. Over 250 athlete s and friends attended journal. l tried very hard all week to produce the "Perfect In addition to the naming of the center, there are 4 yearly Mai Ta i" . I think by the 6th day I had the optimal recipe . scholars hips given to deserving Modes to athletes. Men It's a tough bunch to please. Our favorite place was & women's water polo and men & women ' s swimming definitely that lanai looking out at the ocean. We had our will receive a scholarship each yea r. This w as all done coffee there , talked there and enjoyed the sunset and the without Dave's knowledge and is the first facility in the full moon and stars there also. It was a magical spot. history of the oldest Junior College in California to have an instructor's name. Dave said , "This is such an amazing Much of our week revolved around the planning and execution or our clinic for local Club volleyball athletes and coaches 85 youngste rs from ages 8-1 7 attended along with nine coaches. The participants were put through drills by the Olympians and even enjoyed a couple of fast-paced demonstrations We paid the price for that the next day!

The Kaua ' i kids and their families put on a local style pot luck dinner for the Olympians and had a chance to "talk story" with us . They each received posters , stickers and autographed mini volleyballs and Diane showed them highli g hts from Beijing . Diana Cole from USAV was instrumental in helping to organize the clinic.

The Reunion Dinner was held at the end of the week in a marvelous location at sunset. The catered dinner and live Hawaiian music by Malani Bilyeu was the perfect ending to an awesome week. Diane had put together a wonderful slide pre sentation of our past exploits. We were joined by some of our sponsors and other g uests and stayed late around the fire pit enjoying the stars

honor. "

Carissa Gordon Gump (weightlifting, 2008)

New Adecco position announced. Carissa Gump, 2008 Olympian (Weightliftin g), is now working as an Athlete Liaison for Adecco to optimize the Team USA Career Program and Athlete Career Program Carissa ' s responsibilities include identifying, recruiting and placing Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American Sport Elite athletes, and hopefuls for employment by enlisting the job placement assistance services of Adecco, a U.S . Olympic Committee Sponsor. If interested in career development or job placement as sis tance, Carissa can be contacted at 719866-4035 or Caris sa.Gump@adeccona.com.

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games bronze medalists Jordan Malone and JR Celski and Olympian and IOC member in tl1e United States Angela Ruggiero participated in a conversation regarding their experiences in Vancouver at an event on June IO held at the Foundation. The conversation was moderated by sports journalist Alan

\brahamson. More than 40 Olympians who competed in the Olympic Games and Olympic Winter Games between 1936 and 2010 were in attendance. They were joined by members of the Southern California SpeedskatingAssociation (SCSA) and their families. Jordan Malone and JR Celski trained at the SCSA with Coach Wilma Boomstra. The Foundation has supported the efforts of the SCSA since 1989. The event is one of several activities being held this year to celebrate the LA84 Foundation's 25th Anniversary of operation.

Katherine Reutter, who won a silver and bronze medal in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, was also a participant.

IN HONOR

Burdette Haldorson (basketball, 1956, '60)

By: Mike Moran

One of our Colorado Springs own had the moment of a lifetime in Springfield, Massachusetts. Who, you ask? Let me tell you in case you haven't been keeping tabs on what goes on in our town, or engulfed in the media-driven Tebow Time; 40-year Colorado Springs resident Burdette Haldorson was inducted on into the prestigious Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, along with his teammates on the preeminent 1960 United States Olympic Team that won the gold medal in Rome a halfcentury ago. This is arguably the real "Dream Team" in Olympic basketball annals Check out the roster - Walt Bellamy, Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Jay Arnette, Bob Boozer, Terry Dischinger, Burdette Haldorson, Darrall Imhoff, Allen Kelley, Lester Lane, Adrian Smith, head coach Pete

Newell and assistant coaches Warren Womble and Dutch Lonborg. From this team, West, Bellamy, Lucas and Newell have been inducted into the Hall ofFame and rank among the lionized college stars of all time. Haldorson also earned a gold medal in 1956 with the U.S. Olympic Team that included the legendary Bill Russell and K.C . Jones, as well as one ofHaldorson's teammates at the University of Colorado, Bob Jeangerard. Burdie won All-American honors at CU on a 1955 Buff team that lost to eventual champion San Francisco and Russell in the NCAA semifinals, 62-50, but took third place by whipping Iowa, 75-54. He won his two Olympic Team berths as a member of the old Phillips 66 Oilers of the National Industrial Basketball League in an Olympic selection process that used a fotmula of college players, AAU players and armed service players at the time. He averaged 8.9 points per game for the '56 Olympic Champions and 3.9 per game for the iconic 1960 team. His two Olympic Teams went 16-0, winning gold medals in championship tilts against the Soviet Union, 89-55 in 1956 in Melbourne and by 81-57 over the USSR in 1960. His Colorado No. 22 is one of ju st two retired basketball jerseys in CU history, and he left quite an imprint in the school's basketball annals. The Austin, Minn. , native still holds four schoo l rebounding records some five decades after his CU playing days, including the most in a half (2 I) , game (31) and season (346). As a senior in 1954-55, he led the Buffs to the Big Seven title by averaging 23.9 points per game, and was also named as a first-team All-American. Burdie then went on to have a brilliant career in the National Industrial Basketball League as a member of the Phillips 66ers, the team entry for the Phillips Petroleum Company, which hired him after his playing career. Later, he moved to Colorado Springs to form his own gas and oil company and has been here ever since.

DAVE ASHLEIGH, CARISSA GORDON GUMP AND BURDETTE HALDORSON

Sammy Lee (diving, 1948, '52)

Counci l members Tom LaBonge and Herb Wesson joined numerous Olympians and members of the community to dedicate a square in the cultura l center ofKoreatown to Dr. Sammy Lee. The 90-yea.r-old Olympian and pillar of the community also received comm endatory proclamation from the Los Ange les City Council declaring August 5, 2010 "Dr. Sammy Lee Day. " David Simon , President of the Southern Ca liforni a Committee for the Olympic Games (SCCOG) and Barry Sanders, Chainn an ofSCCOG and President of the Los Angeles Coli sewn Commission, were also present.

"Dr. Sammy Lee is a great American," Councihnember Wesson said. "He has honored America throughout a lifetime of service to his community and his nation . Our tribute to him is a sma ll token of apprec iati on for his many contributions, and his distinguished record of achievement."

"We're here today to hon or a celebrated Olympian and an

American legend," Council member LaBonge said. "1 ~ dedicate this square to Dr. Sammy Lee for his li fetime or remarkable achievements."

David Simon added, "Dr. Sammy Lee is a great Olympic champio n whose contributions to the wo rld of sport have continued for decades since he last stepped out of an Olympic pool. 1 am sure he will continue his inspirational work on beha lf of the Olympic Movement."

Open Letter of Thanks

From four time Olympic diver Juno Irwin .

You know Sammy is responsible for my being a diver. I be lieve it might have been in 1944 or 1945 that my brother and I was swimming at the Los Angeles exposi tion swim stadi um

We were mes sing around on the diving board like a lot of divers. San1my talked to us and gave us some pointers on our divin g. He worked with us. Then he said, "Do you

.,.....-.,,

vant to go up on the 16 ft platform ?" I said ,"Sure. " Then he showed us how to hold our hands to enter the water. He said to me, " I have a friend who is a coach , Bud Lyndon." Long story short that was the beginning of Juno's diving career. Thanks Sammy!

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame Announces 2010 Class oflnductees

The Oregon Sports Hall ofFame & Musewn has announced its 20 IO class of inductees. According to Mike Rose, executive director, the Hall ofFame will induct 8 new members to join over 325 prior inductees The presentations were made at the Multnomah Athletic Club on September 28, during the 31st annual induction ceremony.

This year's class includes Nick Robertson, one of the most successful Oregon high school basketball coaches of all time ; Brian Henninger, USC golf All American and PGA professional; Joy Selig Petersen, OSU championship gymnast and NCAA record holder; Paul Brothers, OSU outstanding quarterback and CFL professional; Nate Jones, Pac-8 football and basketball referee and NFL referee; Dwight Jaynes, veteran newspaper sports journalist, radio and television sports commentator and author; Terry Porter, fonner Trail Blazers great and NBA coach; and Olympian Jack Elder (luge, 1972), Special Contribution to Sport.

Each year the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame helps preserve Oregon's rich sports heritage through its recognition of outstand ing Oregon athletes and special contributors to sport

Janet Evans (swimming 1988, '92, '96)

Five-time Olympic medalist and swimmer Janet Evans was among 12 people inducted in San Diego into the National Federation of State High School Association's National High School Hall ofFame.

Considered by many to be greatest long-distance swimmer in American high school history, Evans set IO CIF Southern section records and two national records while swimming for El Dorado High in Placentia from 1987 to 1989

Her record in the 200-yard individual medley stood for five years. Her 500yard freestyle time of 4 minutes, 37.30 seconds was the standard until 2008.

Evans , 38, fonnerly ofLadera Ranch, competed in the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics, winning five medals including four golds. ln her career, she held seven world records and 45 U.S. titles

At the 1988 Seoul Games, she set world records in the 400-meter freestyle and 1,500-meter freestyle that stood for 18 and 19 years respectively. Her world record in the 800-meter freestyle, which she set in 1989, was not broken until the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

This 28th Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was held at the San Diego Maniott Hotel and Marina.

Annual Southern California Induction Ceremony

The Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall ofFame (formerly African American Ethnic Sports Hall ofFame) took place on August 27, 2010 at the Playboy Mansion.

Congratulations to this year's inductees.

Class of 2010:

Jim Brown (Football)

Anita DeFrantz (Rowing)

Bruce Jenner (Track & Field)

Eddie Futch (Legendary Boxing Trainner)

Dr. Sammy Lee (Diving)

Other Honorees:

Leigh Steinberg (Lifetime Sports & Entertainment Award)

Billy Mitchell (Youth Education Award)

Robert Mariani (Community Support Award)

Xavier Mitchell (Art & Cultural Award)

Lou Fusaro (Community Support Award)

Anita DeFrantz (rowing, 1976, '80)

Olympian and United States Olympic Committee Board member Anita DeFrantz was inducted into the College Spo1ts Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Hall ofFame® on July 6.

DeFrantzjoins fonner Academic All-America® football selections Dr James Kovach, '78 of the University of Kentucky and Dewey Selmon, '76 of the University of Oklahoma and f01mer Academic All-America® basketball standoutAdonal Foyle, '99 of Colgate University as this year's inductees into the College Sports lnfonnation Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Hall ofFame®.

The four honorees will join 108 previous inductees as members of the CoSIDA.Academic All-America Hall of Fame®, which was created in 1988.

"No matter: what accomplishments you make, somebody helps you." -Wilma Rud0/ph, Olympian, Athletir;;s

"The CoSIDAAcademic All-America Hall of Fame® represents everything we all beli eve co llege athletics can be and the Class of2010 certainly lives up to that standard," said Justin Doherty of the University of Wisconsin, the 2009-10 CoSIDA President. "These four individu als were high achievers as student-ath letes and continue to make a positive impact on society to this day They each add something spec ial to the Academic All-America Hall ofFame® and CoSIDA is ve1y proud to recognize their extraordinary contributions."

On an annual basis, the Academic A ll-America Hall of Fan1e® honors a wo1thy candidate whose college career preceded the Academic All-America® program in their particular sport. The eligible candidate's academic and athletic achievements must meet minimum criteria for selection to the Academic All-America Hall of Fame®

Former Connecticut College rowing star Anita DeFrantz is this year's honorary inductee. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Political Philosophy in 1974 She also earned a Juris Doctorate from the University ofpennsylvania in 1977 whil e training at the prestigious Vesper Board Club . After graduation , DeFrantz was the team captain and a bronze medalist for the first U.S. Women's Rowing team in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. She competed on every national team from 1975 to 1980 DeFrantz was elected to the International Olympic Committee (JOC)

in 1986. She is the first African-American and the firs(\ American woman to serve on the IO C. DeFrantz is the chair of the IOC 's Women and Sprnt commi ss ion and the lOCAthletes' Commission Election Committee. She also serves as a member of the IOC's Juridic al Commission , the Finance Commission and the Coordination Commiss ion for London 2012 Olympic Games . DeFrantz is vice president ofFlSA, the International Rowing Federation and she was inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame on March 20, 2010 in Mystic Seapo1t.

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees

The Women's Basketball Hall ofFame's 2010 induction weekend honored the C lass of 20 l 0, Leta Andrews, Teresa Edwards, Rebecca Lobo, Gloria Ray, Teresa Weatherspoon and Chris Weller, for a lifetime of contributions to women's basketball.

The weekend began with a private welcome reception , which in cluded the unveiling of the Class of20 10 exhibits in the "Hall of Honor," di1mer with family and friends, a basketball presentation for the Class of2010 inductees and a storytelling sess ion led by ESPN pe rso nality and WBHOF Board Member Debbie Antonelli. The following day the Hall of Fame hosted its second annua l "4 Kay " Run/Walk in memo1y of the late Women's Basketball Hall of Farner and fonner Nrnth Carolina State women's basketball coach Kay Yow. More th an 300 people laced

,p their shoes for a good cause, the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund Class of20 IO Inductees and board members were on hand to enjoy the festivities.

Coach Pat Summitt, Kay Yow/ WBCA Cancer Fund and WBHOF board member, spoke about the meaning of the event and Susan Yow, Kay Yow's

sister, officially got the race staited.

Several of those gymnasts went on to win medals at the 1984 Olympics, boycotted by the Soviet Union in Los Angeles, but not all the '80 Olympians made the next team

USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny said a tribute is long overdue.

The weekend concluded with the 20 IO induction ceremony at the Tennessee "A lot of them went on to give a lot back to the sport," Penny said. "They're Theatre, where the Class of2010 received the coveted Eastman Award still giving back to the sp01t. I'm not sure they'll ever be over the fact that and was officially inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. the boycott cost them a huge opportunity, but it didn't keep them from doing

A pre-induction reception , which included a silent auction, was followed great things in the Olympic movement." by the ceremony, which featured the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and the WBHOF choir. The evening ended with a post-induction celebration. USA Gymnastics also announced a new $50,000 prize pool for men's Among those in attendance were Mary Costa , Brett Grimm, David Duncan, gymnasts, to be awarded to top finishers at nationals.

Mintha Roach, Pam Fansler, Dave and Carol Conklin , Joan Cronan, Chris

The money will help make up for some of the training opportunities lost and Lori Fuller, Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, Rutgers coach C with cutbacks in NCAA programming and the los s of Chevron, which used Vivian Stringer, Georgia coach Andy Landers, and TeJ111essee coach Pat to be a major sponsor of men's gymnastics Summitt.

1980 Gymnast Honored

The American gymnasts who could not attend the Moscow Olympics were honored this past summer, the 30th anniversary of the U.S boycott of the ' 1980 Game s. Members of the team include Kathy Johnson, Julianne McNamara, Tracee Talavera, Bart Conner, Peter Vidmar and Ron Galimore .

They were honored in August at national champion ships, which took place in Hartford , the home of an invitational friend s hip meet in 1980 that was set up for countries that joined the United States in its boycott.

2000 U.S. Women's Olympic Team received Olympic medals in Hartford

The U.S Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics announced that the 2000 U.S. Women's Olympic Gymnastics Team was awarded their Olympic team bronze medals at a spec ial ceremony in Haitford, Conn ., in conjunction with the 2010 Visa Championships. The medal ceremony took place at the XL Center,just prior to the start of the first day of the senior men's gymnastics competition. Anita DeFrantz, one of the USA's international Olympic Committee members, was present to represent the IOC at the ceremony

"I learned to win by learning to lose."

-Jeff Blatnick, Olympian, Greco-Roman Wrestling

TERESA WEATHERSPOON, KATHY JOHNSON , AND JULIANNE MCNAMARA

"We are excited about recognizing this athletic accomp li shment," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. " Hosting the medals ceremony with our national championships allowed the USA Gymnastics family to be a part of the affair. Every athlete dreams abo ut being awarded an Olympic medal."

The memb ers of the 2000 U.S. Women's Olympic Gymnastics Team are: Amy Chow, Jamie Dantzscher, Dominique Dawes, Kristen Maloney, Elise Ray and Tasha Schwikert. Morgan White was nan1ed to die team but withdrew ju st prior to the Games due to injury, and Alyssa Beckerman was ilie alternate.

"T he USOC suppo1ts USA Gymnastics ' eff01ts to create a meaningful cere mony for the women's gymnastics team ," said Scott Blackmun, CEO of the U.S. Olympic Co mmittee . "We are glad iliat gy mn ast ics fans in Hartford and around the count1y were able to honor the ach ievements of these women."

The IOC recently stripped China of its 2000 Olympic Games women's team bronze medal because one of its athletes did not meet the age requirement.

Rulon Gardner (wrestling, 2000, '04)

Olympic hero and fonner Nebraska Co rnhu sker Rulon

Gardner was inducted into the National Wrestling Ha l'~ Fame and Musewn in Stillwater, Okla

Gardner is a I 993 All-American for ilie Huskers and a twoyear lettennan after transferring from Ricks Junior College in Idaho

The defining moment of hi s career came in the 2000 Olympics, when he shocked the sp01ts world with a 1-0 ove1time victo1y over Russia's Alexander Karelin in the Greco-Roman super heavyweigh t go ld-med al match.

Karelin is a three-time Olympic gold medalist and had not lo st an international match in 13 years.

MILESTONES

Amanda Borden (gymnastics , 1996) and husband, Brad have a new baby boy, Brody born on July 1. He joins 3 year old Kennedy. f

Iris Zimmerman (fencing, 2000) married Kevin Nowack on June 19, 2010 at the Roch ester Museum an d Science Center Kevin ha s been a national stron g man champion an d co mp ete d in the 2005 & 2007 World's stro n gest man competition fo r I 05k.

'..lien Wilson Deerman (judo, 2000, '04) a nd husband , Alle n we lcomed their son, Colton Allen Dee1man, on January 2 1, 20 I 0. Weighing ? lb s 13 oz and 20 1/2 inches long

Carol Lewis (athletics, 1980, '84, '88) married Gianluca Zilla on June 19, 2010

IN MEMORIAM

James Atkinson (bobsled, 1952)

A lso s urv iv ing is a niece, Polly Broga Geer of Mary land and a cou s in , Prisci lla Beardsley Glenn of At la nta , GA.

Jim was a member of the USA bobsled team that won a silver medal in the 1952 Olympics. He also won World C hampio nships in 1949 and 1950 He is reco g nized in the Rom e, NY Spo11s Hall ofFame

J im was Pre sident and Chainnan of the Board of hi s profess ion a l socie ty. The American Society for Indu stria l Secur ity (ASIS, Intl.) be fore he retired and moved to Black Mountain , NC . AS I S is an organization of 40 ,000 professional security practitioners wor ld-wide. He was a member of St.

Jame s Episcopal Church. Contributions can be made to St. James Episcopa l Jam es Neil Atkinson passed away on July 3 I, 2010 at the age of 81. Jim was Church of Black Mountain, NC Foundation or Four Season's Hosp ice of born in Deland , FL but was reared tlu-ough his teen years in Rom e and Lake Flat Rock, NC. Placid, NY. He was a son of C larence John a nd Eleanor Graham Atkin so n.

and Ka ia

At 16 C w1 was a 6' 7" tall at hl ete wi th dreams of play in g pro fess io nal bas ketball.

On a sunn y day in 1970 in She ll ey, Idaho , Curt climbed a power pole on the

Jim served in the U.S. Air Force as a Specia l Agent, Office of Special Raymond Curtis Brinkman (basketball Paralymian) Inves tigations , worked at Bell Aircraft , Sy lvania , TRW Sys tem Group, Raymond Curtis Brinkman 56, of Pl easant Grove, formerly of She ll ey, Xerox Corporat ion and Northern E lectric (Mo ntrea l, Canada). He retired as Idah o passed away September 7, 20 IO at hi s home. C urt is is survived by Director of Corporate Security for John son and Johnson Worldwide. The se his mother Karma Reed Brinkman , two sisters E llen (Crai g) Garrett and po si tion s involved extensive domestic and international travel. Katherine (Rogers) Smith, three chi ldren Greg (Lydia), Lorian (Marcum) Bouche, Jenna (Joe) Brown a nd fom g randchildren, Asher, Mekhai, Trega n Jim is survived by Kathryn Hawley Atkin son, his wife of 43 years whom he sa id is "the mo st loving and carin g perso n o ne co uld hope for. " He is also s urvi ved by three wo nderful children and th eir spouses. James Scott (Donna) Atkinson, Deborah Lynn A tkin so n (Sam) Schi llaci an d Jod y Ann Atkin so n (Roger) Swing le, a nd four g rand children; James N. Atkinson, Jeffre y S. Atkinson, Trevor S Swingle, Emma H. Swingle all ofupstate New York.

"If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never change the outcome." -Michael Jordan, Olympian, Basketball

ELLEN WILSON'S SON COLTON , IRIS ZIMMERMAN AND HUSBAND KEVIN , CAROL LEWIS AND HUSBAND GIANLUCA

farm where he worked, and was electrocuted by a 72 ,000volt power line. The electric shock stopped his heait and his body plummeted to the ground The impact of the fall restarted his heait.

As he regained consciousness and looked down at his legs he cried, "I'll never walk again."

After several months in the hospital and in rehabilitation, Curt turned his athletic ambitions elsewhere He organized and competed in wheelchair marathons , setting nwnerous world records, winning eight Paralympic medals, five of them gold , and countless other medals in National competitions

In 1980, Cutt became the first person in a wheelchair to win the Boston Marathon, finishing 17 minutes ahead of the first runner. And , after a I0-year break, he came back to set a new wheelchair world record. Curt was an educator, motivational speaker, and author of the best-selling books The Will to Win and Still Winning/Lessons for Life.

Curt held multiple degrees , including Associates in Business, Bachelors in Psychology and Education , and a Masters in Educational Leadership.

He held membership in the National Speakers Associ ,~ Utah State Rehabilitation Council, the association of Supervision and Cun-iculum Development, the International Reading Association. Curt was the Executive Director of the Utah Handcycling Team. He was listed in the National Distinguished Service Registry.

Cutt was a tremendous success and inspiration to others ai1d he emphasizes the power we have within ow-selves and what we can accomplish when we "Command ourselves in Greatness."

Harold Connolly (athletics, 1956, '60, '64, '68)

Hai·old Connolly, 79, who won a 1956 Olympic gold medal in the hammer throw and who remains the most dominant An1erican in the history of his sport, died August 18 at an exercise gym in Catonsville, MD. He collapsed while riding a stationary bicycle, his son Adain Connolly said , and died of a hea1t attack He had lived in Catonsville since February.

Mr Connolly held the world record in his event for nir ~ consecutive years, 1956 to 1965, setting six separate world marks during that time After his athletic career, he became a top official wiili Special Olympics in Washington and was an assistant track coach at Georgetown University.

,,...........\

fter winning his gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956, Mr. Connolly became involved in a much-publicized Cold War romance with Olga Fikotova, a gold-medal-winning discus thrower from Czechoslovakia. Their engagement became nothing less than an international cause celebre, as their efforts to marry were repeatedly rebuffed by the Czech bureaucracy and Fikotova was denounced as a traitor in her Communist-controlled country for wanting to marry an American. Mr. Connolly sought assistance from the U.S State Department and traveled to Prague in 1957 to make a personal appeal to the Czech president for pennission to marry.

When the marriage finally took place, more than 30,000 people attended their public ceremony in Prague. Olga Connolly went on to compete for the United States in four Olympic Games before they were divorced in 1974.

Mr Connolly, meanwhile, maintained his pre-eminence as a hammer

stimulants," he testified . " I knew any nwnber of athletes on the 1968 Olympic team who had so much scar tissue and so many puncture holes in their backsides that it was difficu It to find a fresh spot to give them a new shot."

Without apologizing for his use of steroids, Mr. Connolly said the musclebuilding drngs should not be used by yow1g athletes and were no substitute for skill, training and competitive fire .

"I can't think of another athlete of his stature who has talked as openly about steroids ," his son Adam , who was once the No. 3-ranked hammer thrower in the United States, said Saturday. "His general view was that the health consequences were overblown , and that if you're an adult there's nothing wrong with it. "

thrower for years He pruticipated in the Olympics in 1960, 1964 and 1968 Mr. Coru10lly's tolerant stance was contradicted by that of his second wife, and continued to throw the hammer in international track meets untiJ his late Pat Wmslow Connolly, a three-time Olympian who later coached gold40s. He was one of the first world-class athletes to admit to using steroids, medal-winning sprinter Evelyn Ashford and was an outspoken opponent of which were not illegal for mo st of his career. perforn1ance-enhancing drugs .

"For eight years [1964 to 1972] I would have to refer to myself as a hooked "The ove1whelming majority of the international track-and-field athletes 1thlete," he told a U S. Senate subcommittee in 1973 I have known ," Mr Connolly said in 1973, "would take anything and do anything short of killing themselves to improve their athletic performance." He said anabolic steroids were unknown in I 956, but by the early 1960s elite Western athletes were following the exrunple of athletes of Eastern Emope. Harold Vincent Connolly was born in Somerville, Mass. , on August l, l 931. "By 1968, athletes in eve1y event were using anabolic steroids and He weighed 13 pounds at birth, and his left ann was broken and sustained nerve damage dming delivery. His left arm was frequently fractw·ed in chiJdhood and was four inches sh01ter than his right ann. His left hand was

two-thirds the size of his right.

Nonetheless , he paJticipated in spo1ts and tried the shot put at Boston College before switching to the hammer a 16-pound metal ball at the end ofa rigid, four-foot-long twisted wire. Mr Connolly, who was 6 feet tall and weighed between 235 and 250 pounds at his peak, soon mastered the fast-spinning technique of the event. He wore smooth-soled ballet shoes to increase his foot speed.

In 1955, he became the first Americru1 to throw the hammer more than 200 feet. A yeru· later, he broke the world record by more than 13 feet with a toss of224 feet, 10 1/2 inches. He would not relinquish the record for nine years, and at one time had seven of the eight longest throws in hi story. His personal

"Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the me for the we."

-Phil Jackson , Coach, Basketball

HARO LD CONNOLLY

best was 233 feet, 9 1/2 inches in 1965 . No other American has won a gold medal in the hammer throw in international competition since Mr. Connolly's Olympic victo1y in 1956.

Because Olympic athletes of that era were held to a strict amateur code, Mr Connolly spent 29 years as a hi gh schoo l English teacher and vice principal in Santa Monica , Calif. He moved to Silver Spring in 1988 to become director of U.S. programs for Special Olympics. He was a volunteer coach at Georgetown, where one of the ath letes, Kevin McMahon, made two U.S. Olympic teams.

From 1999 to February 20 I 0, Mr. Connolly lived in Radford, Va ., where his wife was head track coach at Radford University During the past decad e, he established a Web site for his sport and was youth coordinator of the hammer throw for USA Track & Field, the national governing body for the sport.

Survivors include his wife of35 years , Pat Winslpw Connolly ofCatonsviJle; four children from his first man-ia ge, Mark Connolly of Las Vegas , James Connolly of Marina de Rey, Calif , Merja Freund of Corona del Mar, Calif., and Nina Southard ofTe mecula, Calif ; two children

from his second man-iage , Adam Co nnolly of Silver S1~ and Shannon Podduturi ofNew York City; a stepson , b1dd Winslow of San Jo se, Calif. ; and five grandchildren.

Horace "Smitty" Duke (volleyball, 1968)

Passed away on September 18, 20 IO at his hom e with hi s wife Sharon LeRette Duke and his daug hter Teresa Belrose at his side. He was born June 12, 1942 in Center, Texas to Clara Bell e and Virgil Duke. He graduated from Pasadena High School in Pasadena, Texas in 1960 and received his Teaching Degree from the Uni vers ity of Dalla s in 1964. He taugh t in Irvin g, Texas and coached at the University of Dallas. He later taught at the high school in Nacogdoche s, Texas an d coached volleyball there.

Smitty was an a ll around athlete and while at the University of Dall as was an I I-tim e All American in Volleyball and 4-time All American in Baseball. He was also a sc ratch go lfer, a Class A Handb all player and was known for beating everyone in the county at tennis

Jn 1965 , Smitty toured 11 majo r cities in Canada with ~ Ru ss ian and U.S. Volleyball teams. In 1966 he went to Prague, Czechoslovakia to play in the World Cup matches

\e received a special setting honor at the 1966 World Championship that took place in the former Czechoslovakia Smitty was a go ld medal winner on the USA team at the 1967 Pan American Games and a member of the

He was preceded in death by his father: Virgil Duke and nephew William Duke.

Mexico City Olympic Team that was the first USA team to defeat the Soviet He is survived by wife: Sharon Duke of Unico i, TN; his mother: Clara Union in the opening match of that Olympic tournament. During this period, Belle Duke of Center, TX; daughters: Teresa and husband Lester Belrose, he was considered one of the top six vo ll eyba ll players in the wor ld

Judy and husband Bruce Snider a nd Rusty and hu sband Mark Gorby ; I 0 grandchi ldren; 2 great-grandchildren; brothers and sisters-in-law : Jim and

Smitty was a remarkab le athlete and vol leyba ll player, who performed wife Betty Duke, Virgil and w ife Ruth Duke; along with 2 nieces and 2 during most of hi s career in the Dallas area and pfayed on th e Nationa l Team nephews; and a host of other loving relatives.

start in g in 196 5 through the early 1970 s. In 1967, he went to Canada and won a go ld medal in the Pan American games Then in 1975 he was made

Thomas L. Gage (ath letics , 1972) head coach and player of the El Paso-Juarez Sol professional vo ll ey ball

Thomas L. Gage, 67, longtime resident of Billings and Olympian died team. sud den ly at his home on Thursday, July I 5, 2010.

Smitty was named an All-Time Great by USA Volleyball in 1990, and had He was born May 16, 1943, in Ithaca, N Y., the son of Thomas Asa Gage and an outstanding athletic career. As those who knew him wi ll recall , he was Charlotte Moore Lewis. Dming the early years he lived in Kinderhook, N.Y. an outgoing and engaging personality and helped make every team he ever , San Antonio, Texas , Pembina, N.D. , and Fai 1 f ax , Va. Ga ge graduated from played on more fun, as well as more successfu l.

Fairfax High School in Virginia in 1961. He received hi s masters degree in chemi cal engineerin g from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y , in 1966.

In his ear lier day s, Smitty wa s a noted Olympic Volleyball player and he faced the end of his life with the same grace, determination and spirit that he Gage m oved to Billings in the late 1960s and worke d at the Exxo n refinery, ro ught to his athletic career. at which he speciali zed in computerization of operat ion s, until retirement

in 1998 He spent severa l years doing consulting work in the oil indust1y, especia ll y for C itgo in Lake Charles , La., until recently. Gage spent most of hi s caree r with Exxo n in the Billings refine1y except for stints in Brussells, Be lg ium , Baton Rouge, La., and Concord, Calif.

Gage, an av id sportsman , tireless ath lete, an d an Olympian was a member of the Cornell Athletic Hall ofFame , inducte d in 1988. As a collegian, he won three Heptagonal Champ ionships with victorie s in the shot put and weight throw in 1965 fol lowing hi s win nin g the hammer throw in 1964. He then won the hammer throw championship at th e 1967 Pan American Games. As an Olympian, he placed 12th in the hammer throw in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany.

Just one month prior to his death he comp eted in a masters com petit ion for older ath letes, Gage fin ished first in the weight throw and super weight events and second in the hammer throw at the M65 Hayward Masters Classic held in Eugene, Ore. , June 26-27.

CHARLES BUCHANAN HICKCOX

He also volunteered as a coach for many young athletes at Montana State University, Rocky Mountain College and Billings Senior High School. At Montana State, he coached Lance Deal who later medaled in the Olympics throwing the hammer. He was involved in the Yellowstone Valley Track Club and was instrumental in the creation of the Big Sky State Games.

education and graduated from Salmon P. Chase Colle~ of Law at Northern Kentucky State University. Returm11 to Phoenix, Charlie successfully pursued a career in commercial real estate development. His career included a variety of positions including heading the Scottsdalebased real estate investment and development firm, The Feldman-Hickcox Company. He was also a member of the Arizona Bar Association. Throughout his life, he As for the outdoors, he especially loved attending elk camp generously volunteered his time by visiting schools, youth in the Gravelly mountain range and fishing expeditions in the nmth of Canada.

He is predeceased by his father, Thomas A. Gage of Montpelier, Vt., in I 968 and his mother, Charlotte L. Gage ofBillings, in 2007.

He is survived by his wife, Reva Vincent Gage, married in 2002; two sons Todd and Ryan both of Billings; a daughter, Mrs. Allison Gage Kershaw and two grandsons of McKinney, Texas; former wife, Judie Gage of Billings; and brother, Richard M. Gage of Prescott, Ariz.

Charles Buchanan Hickcox (swimming, 1968)

Charles "Charlie" Buchanan Hickcox JJ, died peacefully at his home in San Diego on June 14, 20 IO of cancer at the age of 63 Charlie, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, was an Olympic Swimming Champion in the 1968 Olympic Garnes in Mexico City winning three gold medals in the 200-meter individual medley, 400-rneter individual medley and the 4x 100 medley relay, as well as a silver medal in the I 00 meter backstroke; he was also named Athlete of the 1968 Olympic Games. Other swimming accomplishments included leading lndiana University to two NCAA Championships, captw-ing seven NCAA individual championships, two gold medals at the PanAmerican games and setting eight world records. Charlie was also admitted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Indiana University Sports Hall of Fame, as well as the Arizona Sports Hall ofFame. Sports lllustrated also ranked Charlie as one of the greatest 20th century athletes to come out of Arizona in its 50th Anniversary issue After graduating from Indiana University, Charlie continued his

groups,juvenile detention centers and prisons to share his story and "encourage others to rise to their potential, make the right choices in life, and reinforced that everyone has an opportunity for a second chance." Charlie was a kind, loving and humble man with a very big heart He had an enormous faith in God and was blessed with such character, honesty, dignity and grace. He will be missed as surely as he will be remembered. He is survived by his beloved wife of seven years, Kathy; proud father of Kristen Hickcox (Marc Welborn), Erin Hickcox, Michelle Sedgwick (Joe), Hayley Hickcox, Sharly Borer (Ryan), Charles B. Hickcox, IJJ (Randelle) and step daughter Elizabeth Ballew; nine grandchildren; his father, J. Co' ----. Hickcox; siblings John Hickcox (Myrna), Mary Sue Magura (Jack), Tom Hickcox, Martha Wyatt (Bill); nieces and nephews Jay Hickcox, Katie , Stratton and Cole Hickcox, Elizabeth and Emma Magura and Bill and Holley Wyatt, as well as a host of other relatives and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his loving mother, Mary Jane (Sharty) Hickcox.

Delbert Thomas Lamb (speedskating, 1936, '40, '48) Delbert Lamb, a three-time Winter Olympian and member of the National SpeedskatingHall ofFame, died on September 25, 2010 at his home in Franklin, Wis.

He was 95 and had Alzheimer ' s disease.

"Our Del just passed away," said his wife of 43 years, Joanne Lamb. "The Lord was good to him."

In February, in the midst of the 2010 Games, the Jownal Sentinel wrote about the life and times of Lamb, who ro~

om races on the frozen lagoon at Washington Park to representing the United States at the 1936 and 1948 Games.

"The Olympics meant everything to him," Joanne Lamb said. "That was the holy grail of skating." His specialty was the 500 meters -he finished fifth in the event in 1936 at Garmisch-Paitenkirchen , Gennany and sixth in 1948 at St. Moritz, Switzer land. In those days, teams traveled to Europe by ship, and Lamb was taken ill before his big races.

His second Olympic berth also cost him his job with the Milwaukee Fire Depaitment. He had arranged time off to compete in the Olympic trials in late 1947 in St. Paul, Minn. But before the trials began, a big snowst01m was nearing Milwaukee. Lamb was warned not to leave his post. He went to the trials a11d was later fired His appeal was turned down by the Fire and Police Commission. Lainb told the commission: "Olympic winners receive no rich awards; they compete for love of the sport and the glory of their countries. I set the Olympics as my goal 14 years ago. I made the team in 1936 and qualified in 1939 but the (1940) Games were ca11celed because of the war (World War II).

"I have been training for eight years: riding a bicycle, running a11d skating in bad weather and good. Skating is in my blood. My heait is on skates. !fl can nake the Olympic tea111 I want to go."

After his competitive cai·eer ended, Lamb se1ved for many years as a skating official. He also owned and operated Del La111b's Spo1t and Cycle shop in Milwaukee.

"So many people know him as a competitor and a good athlete," said his son, Pat La111b. "He had a big heait He enjoyed being mound kids. He really was a good guy. He really cai·ed about doing right for people. You wonder if that is even more important than the skating."

Besides his wife and youngest son, Lamb is survived by his children, Susan Lamb of Hawaii and Thomas Lamb of Hartland, step-children Kathleen Ojedak ofNew Berlin a11d James Gray ofFox Point, nine grandchildren a11d five great grandchildren. A daughter, Judith Lai11b preceded him in death

James Gilbert Lea (athletics, 1956)

James Gilbe1t Lea Re si dent of Sunnyvale passed away on March 27, 20 I0 at the age of78, at Villa Fontana, in San Jose, California, after a long battle with heart disease. He is survived by Ana Bruch and her children Carlos, Florence, and Hans, a11d Florence's son Jaime. Jim was born in Little Rock Arkan sas, grew up in Seattle, Washington , and graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Real Estate and Finance. He received a J.D. from Santa Clara University, maintained his law office in Sunnyvale, and practiced law in the San Jose area. He was married to Bai·bara Lea and lived in Los Gatos before clivorcing and moving to Sunnyvale. Jim was a great runner of the fifties and set the World's Record at 45 8 in the 440 Yard Dash at the Modesto Relays in 1956. He also went on to represent the United States Air Force Track Tea111 in Europe a11d to coach a fledgling track teain at Sa11ta Clara University while attending law school. He se1ved on the Sunnyvale Parks and Recreation Board, was a member of the Santa Clara County Republican Central Committee, and taught Real Estate Law at West Valley College in Saratoga for several years. Jim loved

0ELBERTTHOMAS LAMB AND CHARLES C. LYDA

beach volleyball and sai lin g on hi s b at in the Santa Cruz Bay.

Charles C. Lyda (canoe/kayak, 19 6, '80)

Charles C linton Lyda, a Lt. Col. in th e Ca lifornia Nationa l Guard, died on Saturday, June 12, 2010, after a 7-month battle with cancer. He was 57.

Marie Corridon Mortell (swimming, 1948)

Marie C01Tidon Mo1tell passed away Wednesday, May 26, 20 IO at the Norwalk Hospital surrounde d by her lovin g family. The daughter ofDr. J. Donald and Louise Fitzpatrick C01Tidon, she was born at the Georgetown Hospital, Washington D. C. where her father was an Assistant Professor of Surge1y. Shortly thereafter her family moved to East Norwalk where her father began a Mr. Lyda, was USA Canoe Kayak Team member in slalom medical practice. and a sprint canoer who competed in the mid to late 1970s.

He won two gold medals in the mixed C-2 event at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Champion ship s, earning them in 1975 and 1977.

Lyda competed as a sprint canoer in the C-2 1000m event at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, but was eliminated in the repechage rounds. He also qualified for the 1980 Summer Olympics but was unable to compete because the United States boycotted that event.

Chuck, a world champion athlete, was also co ac h of the U.S. Biathlon Team at the Nagano (1998) and Salt Lake City (2002) Winter Olympics, and served one year in Tikrit, Iraq, with the Army Corps of Engineers in 2006.

She was predecea sed by her beloved husband, William Edwin Mortell. She is survived by her seven children, Maureen Mortell Koziol and her hu sband , Dr Joseph Koziol ofNew Jersey, Michael Mortell and his wife , Bethlam Forsa ofNew York City, Keny Morte ll of Los Angeles, CA, Kate Mo1tell of Weston, Sheila Mortell Stolarski and her hu sband , Edward of Weston, Margaret Mo1tell Montesi and her husband, John of Riverside , CT and Anne Marie Morte ll of New York City She is survived by 11 grandchildren. She is also survived by her two brothers, John C01Tidon of Falmouth, MA and Jame s Corridan ofWilton.

Marie learned to swim at The Longshore Club in Westpo1t, CT at the age of 5 and it became readily appa rent that she had a natura l ab ility and much potential as a speed swimmer This resu lted in her becoming a Nationa l

hampion in the 100 yard freestyle in 1948 breaking the existing U.S, record Olympic silver medal hockey team, died September 13 ,201 0 at hi s son's m that event. She won thi s event again in 1950. In 1948 Marie was on the home in Sun Prairie, Wis. Rompre was 81

400 meter freestyle relay team in the Lon don Olympic Games, winning go ld and setting a new Olympic record in the proce ss.

Rompre played at Colorado College from 1950-51 before he was drafted in to the Marines. According to his obituary, he would have been se nt to fight Marie attended St. Joseph 's Parochial School in South Norwalk, Sacred in Korea ifh e hadn ' t tried out for and made the U.S. Olympic team. He then He art Academy in Stamford, CT and Marymount College in New York City. set the Olympic record by scoring four goals in one game.

After the Olympics, Marie worked for the United States Ol ympic Committee reporting to its President , Avery Brundage. She was later employed as an executive secretary at the Walter Re ed Army Hospital. Upon returning to Norwalk, Marie worked in the public relations departm en t of the Norwalk Hospital.

Antonio Pettigrew (athletics, 2000)

The N01th Carolina assistant track coach Antonio Pettigrew passed away in Chatham Co un ty on August I 0, 2010.

Pettigrew was pait of the 1,6 00-meter U.S. relay team that won the go ld medal in the Sydn ey Olympics in 2000 , but the International Olympic Committee stripped the team of the meda ls two years ago after Pettigrew admitted doping during a trial against former coach Trevor Grah am. ettigrew had spent four seaso ns at No rth Carolina and focused on sprint s, hurdle ai1d relays. He graduated from St. Augu stine's in Raleigh in 1992.

Antonio is survi ve d by hi s wife Cassandra and so n Antonio Jr.

"He was quite a hockey player ai1d a real gentleman," sai d former U.S. and CC teainmate Andy Gambucci. "Whenever he came out here, we'd meet up and do something together. It 's sad to hear he's gone."

Rompre tw-ned down an offer to join the New York Rangers organization to fini sh his schoolin g at Colorado College, where he played from 19 53 -56. He met his wife Nancy Hooker while in Colorado Springs

They later moved to Waupun , Wis., where he was president of the local chamber of commerce and one of the founders of a local hockey association where he was a top player for years.

He was a scout for the U.S. nat ional teain and officiated at Wiscon sin home games In 1989, Rom pre received the William Th aye r Tutt award from USA Hockey for his years of dedic at ion to the sp01i.

In 1992, he was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall ofFame in Eveleth, Robert Rompre (ice hockey, 1952) Minn ., where his si lver medal is on di splay He helped organize an d was

Former Colorado Co llege center Robett Rompre, a member of the 1952 U.S. later inducted into the Minne sota and Wisconsin hockey halls offaine.

"For athletes, the Olympics are the ultimate test of their worth." -Mary Lou Retton, O/ympiat:'I, Gymnastics

MARIE CORRIDON MORTELL , ANTONIO PETTIGREW AND ROBERT ROMPRE

He is survived by three children, 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Damian Troy Silvera (soccer, 1996)

Damian Silvera (soccer, 1996) was born in Flushing, New York on July 27, 1974. He grew up in Huntington, New York and attended Shenendehowa High School in Clifton, New York where he played on the boy's soccer team. In his Junior and Senior year, he was named to the All American High School Team. Soccer became Damian's first love and he decided to pursue his dream to play on the Olympic Team and professionally. Damian passed away on June 14, 2010 in Houston, TX.

He attended the University of Virginia (UVA) where he played midfield on the men's soccer team from 19921995 He left UVA with many individual records but he was proudest of the three NCAA National Championships the team won in 1992, 1993, and 1994.

He played for the U S. National team in 1994 and 19 ~ including the Pan American Games. He was drafted by ,ne New York MetroStars and his dream of playing professional soccer came through During the 1996 season he left the Metrostars and joined the U.S. National team for the 1996 Summer Olympics. He returned to Major league soccer and finished his career with the Kansas City Wizards. ln 200 I he stai1ed coaching young kids and he found something else that he was passionate about. He moved to Houston, Texas in 2003 to be closer to his brother. He leaves behind one brother, three sisters, four nieces and three nephews

~ eorge Steinbrenner

By: Mike Moran

It seemed pmdent to wait a bit before speaking about George Steinbrenner and his passing while the epic tonnage of writing and reporting was overwhelming the media everywhere, even engulfing the Baseball All-Star game itself with its impact. This man was tmly larger-than -life in eve1y way, perhaps the most accomplished owner in the history of American professional sport, a lightning-rod for controversy and bombast, but an iconic figure whose friendship with, and support of America 's Olympic athletes and his impact on the United States Olympic Committee will become legend, spoken of among the greatest. The Reader ' s Digest of my youth carried a regular feature called "The Most Unforgettable Character I Have Ever Met," and it crossed my mind that he was mine, while thinking about The Boss and his life, his contributions to the USOC, and how much we all will miss him

In Boston during the summer of I 998, the USOC held a board meeting at the M,UTiott Copley Place, some 250 people on hand , and a nightmare ofairpo1t pickups and traffic de lays. Steinbrenner was due to arrive about dinne1time rom New York at the teeming Logan Airport with Red Sox executive John Harrington and George needed to be picked up and delivered to the hotel; our staff was scared ofhim, and there were no volunteers for the job. I had met George in 1988 in Calgary when he launched his Olympic Overview Commission effort, and eruoyed a ve1y positive relationship with him. He even gave me a seat in his box at Yankee Stadium during the l 996 World Series, so I jumped at the chance to get the car and pick him up. When he emerged from the gate and saw me waiting, his reaction was "What are you doing here, did you draw the short straw?" Then can1e the usua l bear-hug and slap on the back that was his trademark It did not take long in the suffocating traffic at 5:30 to produce his famed anger, and he was really hot as our car crawled along through one of the tunnels and the minutes rolled by.

"What the hell do we have to get to now?" he said. We were supposed to go to some museum for a USOC reception, and he was having none of that.

"I'm not going to go and stand around and make small talk over shrimp cocktails and weenies, " he roared, "let's find some p lace for dinner." My memory te ll s me we ended up on the Boston Harbor Pier at Anthony's Pier

r""°'\ 4, which was packed, but as soon as the host saw him coming, a table was "Attitude is something we can all control."

-John Naber, Olympian , Swimming

located by the windows and we sat down for what would become an evening never to be forgotten . George, as he always did, began the chat after we or dered (Petrale So le for me, steak for him) by pe lting me with personal questions , "Got a girlfriend?" then "Yo u look like you ' ve gained some weight, do you work out?" and "Are you coming to New York th is summer?" Once he ' d had enough of that, the talk turned to his Yankees and Baseball. Most people believed he )mew nothing much about the team and its history before 1973 when he bought the Bronx Bombers from CBS for $10 million; but for the next three hours, intenupted only by the affiva l of ow· food and waiters and waitresses sneaking over for an autograph (they wou ld whisper that since they were in Boston and worked there, would he simply sign the napkin or card and leave it discreetly on the chair when he left), we talked about the Yankees, their magnificent history and the immortals, Ruth, Mantle, Dickey, Gehrig, Maris, Ford, 8e11"a, and the rest of the Gods that wore pinstripes He knew everything about each one and more, and he to ld stories I never heard in my life about the stadiun1 and the scores who inhabited it over

GEORGE STEI NB RE NNER

the decades. At the end of the meal, he grabbed the check, of him now and then , and occasionally a long-range ; ~ of course, and after it was settled with a generous tip for the of him up in a box at Yankee Stadium or down in Tampa, whole staff, we made our way through the bar, where there but I knew, like everybody else, that there was a lot wrong. was some applause and some jeering by Red Sox fans. I ln my scrapbook is a letter he wrote me during the Games had not called the USOC office to tell them where we were in Salt Lake in 2002, after he had read my quotes praising and that I had picked him up, so when we got to the hotel his role in the sudden emergence of our Olympic team as a around 9:30, chaos had ensued. Our staff had called the winter sports power with 34 medals, our best perf01mance police asking about an accident, and the media covering in history. He scolded me for giving him too much credit, our meeting thought something might be up George? He but I knew he was proud of our athletes and the USOC. went right to bed , sleeping like a baby. The last time I saw You can see his hand in the medal charts for USA athletes him was in the autumn of 2004, October 13 , at the Regency in Barcelona, Atlanta, Nagano, Sydney, Salt Lake, Athens, Hotel bar on Park Avenue in New York, I was working in Torino, Beijing and Vancouver. And his legacy of winning the city on the ill-fated New York 2012 Olympic bid and medals is now the standard for the USOC and its athlete had gone to the second game of the ALCS series with the perfonnance and support programs. There has been a Red Sox; the Yankees had won that night as Jon Leiber modest amount of reporting about his contributions to the beat the hated Pedro Maitinez, 3- l, with a save, of course Olympic athletes and the USOC, overshadowed rightfully by Mai iano Rivera. George had brought his granddaughter by baseball-related moments , players and managers , and and her chorale up from the University ofN01th Cai olina his times. Those ofus who saw him time and time ag ~ that night to sing the National Anthem before the game. wearing his USOC windbreaker in spring training and They were all in the bar getting a late snack and celebrat- at gaines here and there, know how he cared about this ing the win when I stopped in to get a burger and a glass special family of athletes , many of them recipients of his of wine. He saw me and hailed me to come over ai1d sit financial generosity, and the men and women he worked down, taking the tin1e to introduce me to his family and alongside as part of the world's greatest sporting event talk about the USOC a bit (he had stepped aside from most sleep well, Boss Olympic stuff in 2002 but kept a lot of friends within the family). It was time to go, not knowing it would be the last time I would be in his company. The Yankees won Game 3 by 19 -8 at Fenway Park, but tragically lost the series to the Red Sox in seven games, which must have set George off like a rocket on the Fourth of July. I left New York for good in June , 2005, after the Olympic bid crashed, and from that point on , it was a sighting here and there in the papers or on TV, stories of failing health and gossip , and a gradual decline in his appeai·ances in New York, snapshots

ed Stevens

By: Mike Moran

Every American Olympic ath lete who has mounted the podium to receive a medal from Lake Placid to Vancouver should have paused to take a moment to remember fonner Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, who died in a tragic plane crash in a remote area of the state he loved and served for six terms in Washington. Stevens authored, sponsored and delivered the most important piece of legis lation in the history of the American Olympic movement in 1978--the Amatew· Sports Act, now named after him. The historic legi slation is the blueprint by which the Uni ted States Olympic Comm ittee gained its pivotal, central role in carrying out its mission and assurin g that eve1y American athl ete, no matter their lot in li fe, can dream and have the right to compete for the chance to realize their goal. Simply put, Ted Stevens had the back of hundreds of thousands of men and women from eve1y state, city, town or hamlet who wanted to achieve somethin g special. Mo st failed, but many others have made up our Olympic and Paralympic teams, Pan A.rnerican Games teams, and scores of others who earned the right to represent o ur 1ation at World Championships or Trials le ading to the ultimate recognition. Acting on the findings of the Pre sident's Commission on Olympic Sports

from 19 75- 77, Stevens took on the decades-long dysfunction of Am eri - those same guarantees built into their chaiters, and it in stalled a brai1d-new can ainateur sports and deliv ered a document ending years oftw-fbattles system of appea l and arbitration for our at hletes they wou ld never have between the NCAA and the once-powerful AAU over control of o ur athletes dreained of under the fom1er good o ld boys network now demolished. As a and their right to compete. It ush ered in a new era for amateur and Olympic product from this massive refonn came the reborn USOC , which had been sport, and it created a system of right s for the athletes and gave birth to the littl e more than an Olympic travel agency for decades, selling lapel pins an d new USOC, placing the organization squarely in the driver ' s seat for th e task belt buckles to help finance the trips to t he Games , its board dominated by of ma naging the Olympic movement. Stevens was a id ed by Olympic greats the AAU and its cronies, doing bu siness in some smoke -filled back rooms in like swimmer Donna de Varona, who worked tirelessly from 1976 to 1978 New York City. Now there were to be Olympic Training Centers where athas a consultant to Stevens and the Senate on behalf of American athletes letes could develop their skills at no cost, a new national headquaiters was and their rights, and what they brou ght home was monumental. It not on ly opened in Colorado Springs in August, 1978, where th e USOC grew from a guaranteed the rights of ath letes in critical areas, but it created a USOC wi th dozen staffe rs like me, to the mature, diverse and effic ient, prominent force power and influence , g iving it the protection of the coveted Olympic marks that it is today Training centers came alive in Colorado Springs, Squaw and tem1inology vital to its fundraising. It brought the system of individual Valley an d Lake Pl aci d, and later Ch ula Vista, and the stage was set for what national governing bodies for each O lympic or Pan Am games spo1t with ha s now become reality ; the United States is a power in both the Winter and

TED STEVENS

Summer Games and we have, because of the strength of head tab le, front -row, at eve1y one of the grand Oly1 the National Governin g Bodies, a deep and resilient talent Dinners we staged in Washington through the years with pool. The Amatem Sports Act is not perfect, and it has his anns crossed and a frown on his brow until it came been challenged, criticized and amended over the years time for me to introduce the athletes and bring them to the to meet the needs and changes in American sp01t--from stage for their recognition. Eerily, he had sw"Vived another the rapid growth of the Paral ympic movement to issues plane crash in Alaska in 1978 that took the life of his first

lik e women's representation in the USOC and the NGBs, wife , Ann His untimely death comes only weeks after the but it continues to sustain the complex nature of Olympic pas sing ofanotl1er of the USOC's most influential figures , spott. Stevens neve r let down in his vigi lan ce on behalf George Steinbrenner, who also brought needed change of American athletes; he was the watchdog of the USOC, and direction to the movement at a critical tim e in 19 89 and any nw11ber of meetings I endmed in his Senate offices and who was also a friend to Olympic athletes and their over 25 years are unforgettable. He cou ld be chaiming or plight. Not much of the reporting about Stevens' life and he cou ld be a bully when he wanted to make a point, but death will mention his mass ive contributions to America's we listen ed and we obeyed. The la st time I saw him in athletes or the USOC, but it will never be forgotten by person was in February, 2003, when he was in a gym at the th ose ofu s who were pait of the rebirth of the organi zation Olympic Training Center in front of more th an 500 USOC in 1978, it's move to our cherished Co lorado Springs and emp loyees, waving a binder of documents in the air that the Rockies , and by thousands of athletes who had a dream he had gathered during a long investigation into charges of g reatness, and those who are just now beginning to ~ of mismanagement and systemi c problems since 1999. It ate their own. ended with the depaiture of the USOC's chief exec ut ive, h wnb lin g, rancoro us hearings in Washington and a massive reform in 20 04 that reduced the Boai d of Di rectors and changed the way the USOC conducted itself internally. To the end, he was th e Man in Washington for American at hlete s and the guardian of the flame for th e USOC. His Senate career ended in 2008 and he endured problems and issues since that have made some overlook his triumphs for his state and fo r Olympians and those who dreain of being one. He opposed t he clumsy, de structive boycott of the 1980 Mo scow Games forced on the USOC by the Congress a11d the inept Caiter inner circle. He wou ld ope n his office to any asp irin g Ol ympic athlete wh o felt unheard or ignored, and he was at the front of the line when we brought our Olympic Teams to the White Hou se after eve1y Gaines to we lcome these special athletes. He sat at the

USOC AND ADECCO INCREASE COMMITMENT TO CAREER ERVICES FOR ATHLETES

Recently, Adecco, a worl d-le ad ing human resources so lution s company, increased its partnership with the USOC from a su pplier to a spo n sor to augment the career services and job placement assistance they provide America's Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls. In 2005, the two organizations partnered to create the Athlete Career Program (ACP), a three-part program created to assist athletes with career coaching and consultation both while they are training and competing as well as when they have tran si tioned fro m sport to their next endeavor. The three-part Athlete Career Program consists of the following services:

• Personal Career Coach - just as ath letes have a coach to assist them with preparation for optimal performances in sport, a personal career coach can provide guidance on self assessment exercises, creating a resume , learning how to network effectively, short and long term career planning and more.

• Group Seminars - The USOC and Adecco have created five gro up seminars that can be delivered anywhere in t he country to groups of s ix athletes or more. The seminar topics include the following:

• Creating Your Game Plan (self assessment)

• Building Your Team (networkin g)

• Entering the Competition (resume construction)

• Grune On! Are You Ready? Uob interviewing)

• Cru1 You Be Your Own Boss? (becoming a n entrepreneur)

• Job Pl acement Assistance -A decco and its 900 U.S. locations , along with the network of the USOC, can s upplement athletes' personal efforts when it comes to their job search.

Recently, Adecco hired 2008 Olympia11 Cru·issa Gump (weightlifting) as the newly created ACP Athlete Liaison. Carissa benefitted from the Athlete Career Program when she was training and competing, and is now in a role to assist at hletes young and old, currently training and retired from sport in their careeroriented pursuits.

"There is no way to measure the incredible value the Athlete Career Pro gra m can offer you," said Gump. "H aving personally be en through the program myself! can tell you I am confident in my resume , interviewing, and network ing skills. Even if you are currently training and competing, it is never too soo n to start prepari ng for yo ur transition from sport. I look forward to the opportunity to place qualified athletes who are currently training and competing in the New Team USA Career Program and to also assist athletes at a ll stage s of their athletic careers with traditional job placement assistance ."

Three-time Ol y mpi an (1976 , 1980 , 19 84) and Olymp ic Bronze Medalist, Carol Brown, recently utilized the Athlete Career Program a11d had this to say about her experience: " I never imagi ned that these resourc es were available to long retired Olymp ians, nor that I would find them so helpful in a job seru·ch even with 25+ years of solid work experience. The personal career coach helped me refine my resume an d boosted my confidence. The teleconferences on interviewing skills and how to optimize networking using Linkedln were extremely valuable. The Adecco professionals were a valuable part ofrny su pport team!"

If you are intere sted in registering for the Athlete Career Pro gram or finding out more about how these services can help yo u, please contact Carissa Gump, ACP AthJete Liaison , at 719-866-4035 or Carissa.Gump@Addecona.com.

ATHLETE SPEAKER REFERRAL NETWORK

The USOC's Athlete Speaker Referral Network (ASRN) allows individuals from the general public to reque st the se rvice s of more than 350 U.S. Olympians, Paral y mpians, coaches, historians and hopeful s for speaking eng age ment s and appearances.

The ASRN can be accesse d by visiting th e USOC ' s official webs ite , www.teanrn sa.o rg a nd scro llin g down to the red button loc ated o n th e right ha nd s id e near the bottom of t he homepage . Once on theA SRN land in g pa ge , the requestor can se lect athl etes based on th e following menu items : loc ation; name; spo rt; topic s; whether the ath lete is

a n Ol ymp ian, Paralympian, coach , histori an or hopeful; or they have the option of viewing the entire database

If you have any que stion s rega rding the ASRN or would like to sig n up , please contact Chr istine Taylor in the U.S. Ol y mpi a ns & Para ly mpi ans office at 800-717-7555.

A lso, th e USOC is looking to in crease the public's utili zation of the ASRN. If yo u know of co mpani es or organizations lo oking for a speaker from t he Olympic family , please refer them to the ASRN.

1. Olympic great Harri son Dillard (athletics , 1948, '52) is honored at the Mansfield Mehock Relays

2. Newlyweds Kevin Nowack and Olympian Iris Zimmerman (fencing, 2000) help with the 2010 Olympic Day

3. Vancouver Olympian Katherine Reutter (speedskating, 2010) talks to guests of the LA84 Foundation

4. Professional athletes and Olympians were selected by the Sierra Club to survey the damage caused by the gulf oil disaster LtoR: Leil ani Munter, race car driver, Loree Smith (athlet ics, 2008) , Mike Alstott former Tampa Bay football, Stacey Cook, (skiing, 2006, ' 10), Krista Bradford, X board Skier, Ovie Mughelli, Atlanta Falcons football, Chanda Rubin (tennis, 1996, '04), Gary Morgan (athletics, 1988), Mike Richter, (ice hockey, 1988, '98, '02) New York Rangers, Andrew Ference Boston Bruins Hockey

5. Olympians gather to support BASOC & the Northern California Olympians Annual Meeting (back rowL to R): Jim Schmitz (we ightlifting coach , 1980 , '88, '92), Alison Bartosik (synchronized swimming, 2004), Catriona Fallon (rowing, 1992, '96) , Mary Anne O'Connor (basketbal l, 1976) , Jennifer Azzi (basketball , 1996) , Kathryn Steding (basketball, 1996), Claudia Schneider-Lockwood (rowing, 1976), Philip Durbrow (rowing, 1964), Mike Bruner (swimming, 1976, '80), Anne Warner Cribbs (swimming, 1960) (front row - L to R): Stephani Vic tor (Para lympic alpine skiing, 2000, '06, ' 10) , Marco Sullivan (skiing, 2002, '06 , '10) , Nate Holland (ski ing , 2006, ' 10), Steven Holcomb (bobsled, 2006, ' 10), Stacey Cook (skiing , 2006 , '10), Armenia Olympian Ani Serebrakian (skiing, 2010), Shannon Bahrke (skiing, 2002, '06, '10) and Kathy Weston (athletics, 1976)

6. Team Handball Olympian Carmen Forest (team handball, 1984) talks to students at Goddard Academy about dogged determination!

7. Can you name these Legends of Gold?

8 Fir st pitch is thrown out by Olympians & Paral ympians during 10th Annual Olympic Night with the SF Giants at AT&T Park

9. Olympians support "Dr. Sammy Lee Day" LtoR: Tom Gompf (d iving, 1964), John Naber (swimming, 1976) , Lou Zamperini (athletics , 1936), Greg Louganis (diving , 19i'6, ' 80 , '84 , '88) , Sammy Lee (diving , 1948, ' 52). Peter Vidmar (gymnastics, 1980 , '84), Patricia McCorrrick (diving, 1952 , ' 56)

10 Juno Cox (diving , 1948, '52 , '56 , ' 60) and husband Phil at Sammy Lee 's 90th birthday party

11. Olympians discuss their Vancouver Experience at an event hosted by the LA84 Foundation LtoR: Jordan Malone (speedskating , 2010), JR Celski (speedskating , 2010), Angela Ruggiero (ice hockey, 1998, '02 , '06, ' 10) and moderator Alan Abrahamson

12. Utah athletes sign Olympic flag after visiting veterans at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 1st, 2010 Lt oR: Fuzz Feddersen (skiing, 1988 , '92 , '94) , Liz Swaney (skeleton), Matt Clark, Joy Bryant (skeleton) , Debbie Stark-Clark (gymnastics, 1972), Brady Canfield (skeleton),Jeremy Holm (bobsled), Don Osmond , Jr. (bobsled), Bill Spencer (biathlon, 1964, '68)

13. Lou Zamperini (athlet ics , 1936) and USO PA Assistant, Christine Taylor during the "Reach the Peak " program

14 2010 Hall of Fame Inductee Joey Cheek (speedskating , 2002 , ' 06), 2009 Hall of Fame Indu ctee Tracy Mattes, 2010 recipient of the Idaho Humanitarian Award Dick Fo sbury (athletics, 1968), and Melanie Simboli (skiing, 1988) at the 2010 World Sport Humanitarian Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies held Jun e 12 at Boise State University's Stueckle Sky Center.

15. 2010 Oregon Sports Hall of Fame Hon ors Luge r Jack Elder Back row : Katy Steding (basketball , 1996) , Sean O' Neill (tab le tennis , 1988 , '92) , Chuck Richards (modern pentathlon , 1972) , Jack Elder (luge , 1972), John McArdle (athletics , 1980) Front row: David Wagner (Paralympic tennis) "If

-John Quincy Adams

Arizona Olympians &Paralympians

President: Mike Troy (sw imming, 1960) (408) 227-1247

Colorado Olympians &Paralympians

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

Florida Olymp ians

President: Jim Millns (figure skating, 1976) (727) 741-2662

Hawaii Olympians

President : Michael Rothwell (sailing, 1976) (808) 737 -8789

Idaho Olympians & Paralympians

President : Dick Fosbury {athletics, 1968) (208) 720-2352

Ind iana Olympians

President : Ollan Cassell (ath letics, 1964) (317) 466-0444

Michigan Olympians & Parolympians

President : Jud i Brown Clarke {athletics, 1984) {517) 881-6710

Midwest Olympians & Parolympians

Presid ent : Diane Simpson Bundy (rhythmic gymnastics , 1988) (847) 452-7843

Missouri/Illinois Olympians & Parolymp ians

President : John Carenza (soccer, 1972) (314) 846-4124

Notional Capitol Area Olympians

President : Arlene Limos (toekwondo , 1988) (540) 720-1988

New England Area Olymp ians

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

Northern California Olympians

President: Greg Massialos (fencing, 1980, '84, '88) (415) 441-0521

Oregon Olympians

President : Lisa Kosglow (skiing, 1998, '02) (541) 400-9061

Southern California Olympians

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

Southwest Olympians

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

Tri-States Olympians

President: Otis Davis (athletics, 1960) (201) 392-8448

Uta h Olympians

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

Wash ington State Olymp ians

President : John Still ings (row ing, 1984) (206) 440-0708

Western PA-OH-WVA Olympians

Presiden t: Jeff McLaughlin {rowing, 1988, '92) (412) 253-0857

No chapter in your area? Interested in starting a chapter? Contact the U.S Olympians Association office for details at (800) 717-7555

FEVER ON ICE STUDENTS RECEIVE A SPECIAL OLYMPIC HAT FOR THEIR EFFORTS FROM U S ICE DANCING OLYMPIANS , MELISSA GREGORY & DENIS PETUKHOV. THE PROGRAM COMB INES ICE SKATING INSTRUCTION AND ACADEMICS WHI LE FOSTERING CULTURAL DIVERSITY, RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING SKILLS AND TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT.

U.S. OLYMPIANS AND PARALYMPIANS UNITE

Co ngratul ati ons as the U S Olympian s Ass ociation Board of Directors ov erw helmingly approve d an amendm ent Fr iday, Sept. 24, to includ e Paralympian s as part of its organ izati onal memb ership an d stru cture. The new ly named U S. Olympian s and Paral ympian s enabl es U S Ol ymp ians an d U.S Para lympi ans to work side by sid e on initi atives that im pact th e larger Movement an d educ ate athl etes . The change al so call s fo r the in cl usion of a Paral ymp ian v ic e presi dent in additi on to th e c urrent six v ice pre sidents.

UNITED STATES OLYMPIC COMMITTEE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

USO( CHAIRMAN

Larry Prob st

Bob Bowl sby

Ursula Burns

Anita DeFrontz {rowing, 1976, '80)

Jim Easton

John Hendricks

Jair Lynch {gymnastics, 1992, ' 96)

Mary McCagg (rowing , 1992, '96)

Mike Plant (speed skat ing , 1980)

USOC CH IEF

EXECUT IVE OFFICER

Scott A Blackmun

" There are two even ts, th e Ol ympi c an d Para lympic Game s, but we are all one Team USA. " sai d Willi e Banks (athl etic s, 198 0, 198 4, 198 8) , pres id e nt of th e USOPA. "We are all athl etes , and we are pro ud the organi zati on will in cl ud e both Ol ympi ans and Para lymp ians. "

Appl ause to the Midwest Chapter of U S. O lymp ians and Pa raly mp ians, whi ch paved the way as th e fi rs t chapter in th e co un try to change By -l aw s to inc lud e Olym pians an d Paralympi ans in th e same chapter

U.S. OLYMPIANS OFFICERS 2009-2012

PRESIDENT

Willie Banks (athletics , 1980, ' 84, '88)

VICE PRESIDENTS

Caryn Davi es (rowing , 2004 , '08)

Dick Fosbury (athletics, 1968)

Gory W . Holl Sr. (swimming , 1968 , '72 , '76)

Micki King (diving , 1968 , '72)

Carol Lewis (athletics , 1980 , ' 84 , '88)

Dwight Stones (athl etics , 1972, '76 , '84)

HONORARY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dorothy Franey Langkop (speedskating , 1932)

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

John Naber (swimming, 1976)

PAST PRESIDENT

Bill Toomey (athletics , 1968}

"Thi s ann oun cement is forma l recognition that athl etes wh o we ar th e red, white an d blu e are fo rever part of som eth ing larger th an th emse lve s and th eir ac hi eve ments on the fi eld of p lay," Mid west Chapte r Secretary Linda Mastan drea said " It is an ac kno w ledgem ent th at the Para ly mpic athl etes are an integral patt of the Olympic Movemen t in our co un try, an d th at our Mov ement is th at much stron ge r as a resu lt."

EDITORIAL STAFF

SENIOR EDITOR

Cynthia E. Stinger (team handball , 1984, '88 , '92)

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Chri stine Taylor

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Denise O'Shea -O ' Shea De sign

Photos by : Getty Images & Other Sources

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