What are Team USA athletes — Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls — up to when they're not competing? They're training. They're practicing. They're traveling to competitions and meets and games and tournaments. They're relaxing. They're getting engaged and married and having children. They're taking hard-earned vacations. Or retiring. Or coping with the raw emotions that come from losing and winning. And they're sharing. Through the reach of social media, we're able to follow along on their often extraordinary journeys. We'll catch you up each week on what's "Red, White & Trending."
Old Habits …
What’s that you see down at the pool, honey? Someone who looks pretty comfortable in a butterfly, you say?
Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, his wife and son Boomer made their way across the pond, to Paris, this past week to take in the sights and sounds of the City of Lights. Of course, there was a gorgeous nighttime shot of the iconic Eiffel Tower, to the tune of 280,000 likes, but there was also this …
— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) February 21, 2017
Game Day
Sneaking suspicion some of Team USA’s most recognizable Olympic gymnasts are going to be playing the feud sometime soon.
Congratulations, Sanya
Sometimes, photos really are worth as little as a thousand words. So often, though, they’re worth so much more. This past week, four-time Olympic gold medalist track star Sanya Richards-Ross had a little pink-or-blue party. And we should all be so lucky to have captured the emotions that go into such a celebration.
Congratulations, Abby
Congratulations are also in order for one of the greatest soccer players of all-time, Olympic champion Abby Wambach …
Happy Anniversary, King James
These days, removed by a few NBA titles, MVPs and Olympic medals, it’s hard to imagine a time when LeBron James was not one of the biggest athletes on the planet. Fifteen years ago, though, he was just a kid playing high school basketball in Ohio. Well, until this happened …
Happy Anniversary, Miracle On Ice
Speaking of sporting anniversaries, this week marks the anniversary of the Miracle on Ice. (It’s an easy date to remember every year because in addition to being 2/22, it’s also Olympian Pat LaFontaine’s birthday.) Team USA, to this day, remembers it fondly. It remains one of the most inspiring moments in sports history and has inspired millions of athletes, well beyond ice hockey, who are driven by playing and motivated to compete for the United States.
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) February 23, 2017
— Jim Craig (@JimCraigUSA) February 22, 2017
— HerbBrooksFoundation (@HerbBrooksFDN) February 22, 2017
— Jim Craig (@JimCraigUSA) February 22, 2017
— MIKE ERUZIONE (@MERUZIONE) February 22, 2017
Oh, yes, and happy birthday to Hall of Famer LaFontaine.
Suited To A Tea
What fuels one of the world’s most dangerous goal-scorers? Apparently, tea. And an obsession with having enough vessels and sweet accents for said tea.
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@ussoccer_wnt) February 22, 2017
— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) February 22, 2017
— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) February 23, 2017
From March 1-7, Olympian and World Cup champion Carli Lloyd will lead Team USA in the SheBelieves Cup, a four-team (USA, Germany, France, England) tournament of doubleheaders at three different venues over the course of the week.
Mop-Up Duty
Depending on your constitution, you may not want to follow every fine detail of this story, but the news is unfortunate. Two-time Olympic gymnast Sam Mikulak, in Las Vegas and at his first meet since Rio, suffered a significant injury during this tumbling pass …
— Sam Mikulak (@SamuelMikulak) February 21, 2017
In a post on Tuesday, Mikulak let his more than 87,000 Twitter followers know that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the injury required surgery. "Your Achilles looked like the end of a mop,” his father told him, and he signed off with #viewerdiscretionadvised. And it’s hard to argue with either, thanks to this grizzly and gory shot of his bloody and shredded Achilles.
Fish Out Of Water
Not all that far removed from worlds in Germany, Team USA’s bobsledders earned some R&R. And they took advantage of the sun and the sea and the sand by … fashioning a bobsled.
— Jamie Greubel Poser (@JamieGreubel) February 22, 2017
Entertaining Around The World
Prior to the beach holiday and jumping into a sand bobsled, two-time Olympian Elana Meyers Taylor, along with Kehri Jones, took gold in Königssee’s two-woman event for another world title. Her husband, fellow bobsledder Nic Taylor, who proposed at the 2013 worlds in St. Moritz, Switzerland, put in some hours holding court, too.
Magazine Dream
Being an Olympian has its advantages, one of which for two-time Olympic medalist swimmer Cody Miller is to open one of his two favorite magazines as a kid and flip to the page he’s on.
— Cody Miller (@swimiller) February 19, 2017
Fashion Week West’s HQ
In New York City, it’s buildings that famously dominate the the skyline. In Colorado Springs, it’s the sky, an often impossibly blue sky, that along with Pike’s Peak to the west, dominates the skyline. As dissimilar as the two are, figure skater Adam Rippon is making the most of his rehab stint at the U.S. Olympic Training Center during a time New York City has enjoyed its Fashion Week with a take of his own …
#37Minutes
Busy parents of young ones know there generally aren’t enough hours in a day to squeeze in a worthwhile workout. Unless, of course, you’re working out as hard as Olympic gymnast Alicia (Sacramone) Quinn does when she can cobble together enough time to make the rest of us feel bad for how we spend a spare 37 minutes.
For reference, here’s the party responsible for stealing Quinn’s downtime, if not her heart.
— Alicia Quinn (@ASAQ_3) February 19, 2017
Life Of Pets
It’s no secret that Becca Meyers loves her service dog, which is made abundantly clear in following the three-time Paralympic gold medalist swimmer. And on what better occasion to celebrate their friendship than on #nationalloveyourpetday?
— Rebecca Meyers (@becca_meyers) February 20, 2017
#GoMiners
It’s not every day that an A&M alum, such as Martin Piller, is caught wearing a UTEP shirt. So imagine the delight of wife and Rio Olympian Gerina Piller (also the UTEP Female Athlete of the Year in 2003) when he showed up wearing the gear of his wife’s alma mater. The exact same gear, as luck would have it.
Cross-Training
Olympic gold medalist Kaitlyn Farrington is mostly known for her work in the halfpipe and on a snowboard, but she has a spirit of adventure that takes her out of the pipe and into the woods much more often these days. A week ago, she nearly wrapped her snowmobile around a tree. This week, though, she seems to have it all figured out.
