The Dating Game 

Part of my job with the US Olympic Committee is to come up with creative ways to keep our resident athletes entertained.  Believe it or not, it isn't the easiest thing to do.  At times I feel like a campy YMCA counselor teaching arts and crafts, other times I feel like Maximus from the movie Gladiator shouting out in frustration, "Are you not entertained!" 

But sometimes I and the rest of the staff get it right.  And last week was one of them. 

Every year, our dining services staff comes up with an awesome menu to celebrate Valentine's Day - crab legs, sushi, seasoned tenderloin, chocolate fountain with strawberries.  I'm wiping drool from my mouth even as I think back on it. 

This year, our Athlete Services staff decided to host a dating game activity in conjunction with the dinner.  And it turned into a great success. 

The concept of the game was similar to most dating game shows, corny intro music (thank you i-tunes), a witty game show host (thanks to pairs figure skater John Coughlin who declined to wear eye liner for the show - he only breaks out the good stuff for competition), and a gaggle of contestants who, in the words of an Eddie Murphy SNL character are, "Wukin pa nub in ah da wong pwaces, wuckin pa nub!"

And much like any train wreck of a late night dating show you get sucked into watching at 11 PM, it was sophomorically fantastic.  With 20-plus contestants and a packed audience (over 50 people staying to watch the show, unprecedented in Athlete Service activity history), I definitely think we'll keep the game show format in play for the future. 

With six rounds of contestants vying for V.I.P. dates with athletes and interns, the comedy was high and John did a great job of keeping it PG-13.  Any fan of the Twilight series would have been thoroughly entertained, leaving giggling at the tween-friendly sexual innuendo most commonly found in junior high (which happens to be the maturity level of the majority of our 20-something year old residents).     

1 Year from Vancouver 

In celebration of the anniversary (is that the proper terminology?) of being one year away from the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Athlete Services hosted a Wii Fit inspired winter sports tournament.  USOC Staff members came down to our AT&T Athlete Services Center and "competed" in two Wii Fit games - Snow Slalom and Ski Jump. 

Competing with each 3-person staff team was a resident athlete, which was a plus as staff got the opportunity to meet and interact with athletes, which surprisingly doesn't happen as often as one would think at the Olympic Training Center.

And it was a great time.  You got the chance to see how competitive staff members can be - whether they were former athletes and Olympians or lacked any bit of what Apollo Creed refers to as the "eye of the tiger" (man I love Rocky III). 

And the game also was a chance to give every staff and athlete a reprieve from the grind of office work to have some fun and gently provide a subtle reminder of what they are working for: the spirit of the Olympic Games. 

Plus I think so many people had so much fun, it probably boosted sales for Wii consoles this past week.  Hey, we're not only here to help athletes, but we do our patriotic duty to help the economy as well.  That's just how we roll.

Dave Schultz Memorial Tourney

The CS-OTC hosted the 11th annual Dave Schultz wrestling memorial tournament two weekends ago.  Normally, the tournament is highly competitive bringing in scores of athletes from all over the world and is touted as the largest international wrestling tournament in the western hemisphere. 

Although the matches remained fierce, the depth of field was noticeably shallower compared to recent years.  According to statistics from our operations staff, numbers were significantly down from last year as the CS-OTC hosted nearly 30% less participants (340 vs. 480) from approximately 10 fewer countries (15 vs. 25). 

The week leading up to the Schultz tournament is usually one of the busiest times of the year at the OTC, but with such a large drop in numbers from previous years, the training center was noticeably quieter and less chaotic.

I can only speculate as to the dramatic fall in numbers.  You normally see a fall off in participation the year following an Olympic Games, but not to that degree.  My feeling is that the off year, coupled with the troubled economy led to a decrease in numbers.  Hopefully, this isn't an ominous foreshadowing for other sports. 

Shout Outs

I have to give a shout out to resident epee fencers Seth Kelsey and Cody Mattern.  On January 30th, Seth finished third at the Trophee Carroccio Grand Prix event in Legnano, Italy.  His podium finish elevates his world ranking to #2.  A few days later, Seth and Cody teamed with Tommie Hurmie to win a surprising bronze medal in the team event at Trofeo Carlo Carnevali.  Great finish guys.

Also a shout out to resident rifle shooters Jaimie Beyerle and Matt Rawlings who each won the 10m Air Rifle event at the Rocky Mountain Rifle Championships held this past weekend at the CS-OTC. 

Congrats to Amy Sowash who finished with silver in the 10m Air Rifle event and Matt Wallace for finishing second in the men's Three Position match. 

Good Luck 

Best of luck to honorary resident Ian Lyons.  Ian is a 13 year old boy who has been fighting a rare form of cancer called Aveolar Rhabdomyosarcom for the past few years.  Over the past year, he has formed a dynamic bond with dozens of residents and athletes who have come through the training center. 

Despite his doctors thinking his cancer had gone into remission, Ian's health has recently taken a turn for the worse as the cancer has come back and spread into his spine and brain.  The outlook for this brave young man is certainly not good; but he has proven to be a fighter and truly lives every day to its fullest.  Through his constant vigilance against his cancer, he has served as an inspiration to the scores of athletes he has met. 

Good luck to Ian and his family as he continues his fight. (Click on the link for more information on Ian Lyons).