By Jamie MacDonald | June 30, 2017, 10:38 p.m. (ET)

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."

 

The Other Side Of Winning

In the broadcast frame at the finish line, we easily make note of who crosses the finish line first, second and third. But what about fourth? And fifth? They’re often the same elite athletes who have trained as hard and as tirelessly, who have given up as much and parted ways with a “normal” life in favor of pursuing the ultimate podium against the world’s best. In the case of Georganne Moline, the 2012 Olympian who ran a 53.92 to finish fifth in the 400-meter hurdles at the Olympic Games London 2012, she was running against a historically loaded USATF Outdoor Championships field with a trip back to London, this time for the 2017 IAAF World Championships, on the line with a top-three finish. Moline knocked nearly a second off her Olympic finish, which is a remarkable feat in and of itself, in a time that would have won her a medal in Rio. Unfortunately, against that deep field, she finished in fifth as one of six runners to go under 54 seconds.

Afterward, Moline found a way to look at the bright side.

Congratulations, of course, go to the defending Olympic champion, Dalilah Muhammad, who can add this to her growing list of world-class accomplishments.

 


Outdoors Extra

From beginning to end, the USATF Outdoor Championships provided ample opportunity for some of this country’s best track and field athletes to offer their thoughts soon after their own performances in steamy Sacramento, California. Win, lose or draw, their reactions made following social media so worthwhile throughout the event.

 

 

Turned my idols into my rivals. I'm blessed!! 2nd in the 100 at USAs. Made it to London. All Glory to God🙏🏾

A post shared by Christian Coleman (@_coleman2) on

 

 

 

 

 

basking in the glory of all her hard work! Frankie's ready for #London2017!

A post shared by trey hardee (@treyhardee) on

 


Whirlwind Week

Congratulations are in order for Olympic figure skating champion Michelle Kwan, who entered the week as a newly inducted member in the star-studded California Sports Hall of Fame, played in a pro-am golf event, then teed it up in heels and closed out the week with Olympic alpine skiing and ice hockey legends at a Women's Leadership Summit.

 

Honored to be inducted into the California Sports Hall of Fame ❤️

A post shared by Michelle Kwan (@michellewkwan) on

 

 

What fun it was to play in the Pro-Am @kpmgwomenspga #workinprogress

A post shared by Michelle Kwan (@michellewkwan) on

 

 

Finally on the green!!

A post shared by Michelle Kwan (@michellewkwan) on

 


Fore A Good Cause

Olympic champion sprinter Carmelita Jeter took to an entirely different kind of track this past week — that of one of the country’s most famous golf courses. Not surprisingly, Team Jet came away with some hardware. And a pretty good pic with Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.

 

Mariano Rivera #Yankees #marianorivera

A post shared by Carmelita Jeter (@jetg5) on

 


Name That Movie

US Speedskating enjoyed a road trip this past week — quite literally, as it took them to Sonoma, California, for a stock car race. They came away with an appreciation of the sport, along with an apparent interest in lines from a film comedy.

With a little bit of downtime this past week, Rio Olympic golfer Rickie Fowler dropped this gem …

 

I can get 70 miles to the gallon on this hog #ScooterLife

A post shared by R I C K I E (@rickiefowler) on


Two Ways Down

When it comes to chasing terminal velocity, there are two ways to get down a ski jump hill. There’s the right way, and there’s the way USA Bobsled and Skeleton teamers Kyle Brown, Savannah Graybill and Lolo Jones (you may want to turn the volume down for Jones’) chose in Lake Placid.

 

 

On the other hand, Olympic ski jumper Sarah Hendrickson might offer this as an alternative.

 

Happy Saturday --- Getting into summer jumps slowly ✈️

A post shared by Sarah Hendrickson (@schendrickson) on


Down The Middle

Used to keeping it between the lane lines, three-time Olympian Elizabeth Beisel pitched herself a strike this past week at an Indianapolis Indians game

 


On The Road

According to her Twitter bio, figure skater Sasha Cohen is, in addition to being an Olympic medalist, a “World Traveler • Adventure Seeker • Lover of Maps and Trees • Aspiring Philosopher • Amateur Chef.” This past week, she's had ample opportunity to indulge the world-traveling, adventure-seeking, map- and tree-loving sides while bouncing around stunning coastal Italy.

 

 

 

The beauty never ends in Italy 🇮🇹. #riomaggiore #cinqueterre #italia #summer #travels

A post shared by Sasha Cohen (@sashacohennyc) on

 

 

 

Birds eye view of #Portofino. 👏🏼🇮🇹👌🏻#Liguria #italia #summer #escapes #travel

A post shared by Sasha Cohen (@sashacohennyc) on

 

 

Time for refreshments 🥂#Portofino #Liguria #Italy #mediterraneansea #summer #travels

A post shared by Sasha Cohen (@sashacohennyc) on

 

 

#ladolcevita #sestrilevante #liguria #italy🇮🇹

A post shared by Sasha Cohen (@sashacohennyc) on


American Dream

This has been quite a year for Dom Dwyer, who has been married to Olympic soccer champion Sydney Leroux Dwyer since 2015. Well, the couple had a son, Cassius Cruz Dwyer, in September. This past March, the English-born MLS forward became a United States citizen. And. Now. This …

Leroux Dwyer, understandably, couldn’t have been more proud …

… but it didn’t stop her from reminding her husband where the bar is set.

 

The coolest thing I've ever done is chase our dreams together. A couple years ago we said that we wanted to do exactly what we are doing right now. There has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears shared between the two of us. Some really hard times. Some slumps, goalless droughts where we ask eachother if we are ever going to score another goal again. In between those moments we've had more laughs than our stomachs can handle, more love than we think our hearts could hold, goals always seemed to follow the slumps and in the midst of all that we brought our beautiful baby boy into the world. Two kids from two different countries from two completely different walks of life that found their way to America and to each other because of our love for the beautiful game. I can't write a better story but I know this is just the beginning. Welcome to the club. You have some catching up to do though. 🇺🇸 #USMNT

A post shared by Sydney Leroux Dwyer (@sydneyleroux) on

Still, Leroux Dwyer had some advice for her husband …

At least one fan also wanted some evidence.


Book Club

It’s official. As of this week, two-time Olympian and six-time gymnastics medalist Aly Raisman is joining the ranks of Team USA authors — and an impressive group at that, including Sanya Richards-Ross, Missy Franklin, Laurie Hernandez, Julie Foudy, all of whom have announced a book in the past year.

Now at work with a release date in time for the holidays, Raisman reached out to her fans to ask what they might like to see in the book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


It’s Harry’s World …

… and Rio swimming medalist Cody Miller is just living in it. On the anniversary of the publishing of the first "Harry Potter," the book that launched the reading careers of millions of kids, many a fan marked the occasion. Miller, the floor is yours.

Miller, of course, isn’t alone in his appreciate for the now-classic hit.

 

 

 


Honoring Babe

Before cross-training was a thing, there was Babe Didrikson Zaharias, the Texas-born super-athlete who won medals at the 1932 Los Angeles Games in the 80-meter hurdles, javelin and high jump, then went on to win 10 major championships in women’s golf between 1940 and 1954. On the anniversary of her 1911 birthday this past week, the USGA posted a video tribute to her third and final U.S. Open win. Now, if you’ve seen Rio Olympian Lexi Thompson drive the ball, you know she can rip it (even in slow-motion, as we saw this week), but you can see in the video below that Didrikson Zaharias didn’t get cheated, either. What a swing …


Time Machine

Two of the fastest men in the world, Olympic sprinters Tyson Gay and Wallace Spearmon, were once two of the fastest young Arkansas Razorbacks. Credit goes to Spearmon for hopping in the way-back machine for this flashback …

Credit also goes to Trey Hardee, the non-sprinter, for being so quick with the first zinger of a reply …

Olympic champion Natasha Hastings thought the pic was pretty cool, too.


This Is What Maryland Does

What do you get a guy who has achieved so much at such a young age? Well, if that guy hails from Maryland and he’s more than 2,200 miles from home in Arizona, how about sending him some crabs? Michael Phelps, joined by his family, had a spread fit for an Olympic legend with his June 30 birthday on the horizon.

 

Dinner time !!! @mamaphelpsh20 sent us some amazing crabs for my bday!! @jimmysseafood #earlybday #teachhingboom #bmore

A post shared by Michael Phelps (@m_phelps00) on


Field Of Dreams

Merely playing a soccer game simply wasn’t enough. For a collection of soccer players that included 2012 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team alternate Lori Lindsey and U.S. Women’s National Team Fitness and Sport Science Coach Dawn Scott, the sky was the limit for their initiative. So they took their game to Africa’s highest peak, the iconic Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, playing a game within a few hundred feet of the 19,336-foot summit.

 

 

 

 

 

Afterward, Team USA came out in full support …

 

 

 

 

 


Wedding Bells

Chimes were ringing from the South Pacific to the East Coast of North America this past week, as Olympic diver Abby Johnston, who married Duke football coach Sam McGrath, alpine skier Julia Mancuso, who has now married Dylan Fish twice since December, the first time at Squaw Valley, California, and figure skater Tara Lipinski, with TV producer Todd Kapostasy, tied the knot.

From the coast of eastern Connecticut …

From Fiji …

 

BULA! And the best shot! @gopro ❤️❤️❤️

A post shared by Julia Mancuso (@juliamancuso) on

And from Kiawah Island in South Carolina …


Wedding Before And After

Prior to the Kiawah Island nuptials, Lipinski’s partner in crime, fellow Olympic figure skater and broadcaster Johnny Weir, took a turn or two with the bride-to-be on wedding eve …

 

Twirling my way through rehearsal day! @johnnygweir #TNTmeant2be

A post shared by Tara Lipinski (@taralipinski) on

Lipinski’s mom may have stolen the pre-game show, however, with this special gift …

After the big day, the happy couple hit the road for paradise in the Maldives.

 


Going Strong

Athlete power couple, two-time Olympic bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor and fellow USABS athlete Nic Taylor are still going strong (get it, they’re push athletes), and her post this past week might make for good reading for new couples.


Canine Corner

We aren’t quite yet to the dog days of summer, unless you’re Jones, Olympic rower Meghan O’Leary or field hockey player Ali Campbell.

 

Sometimes workouts are ruff

A post shared by Lolo Jones (@lolojones) on

 

 

Sleepy Sundays.

A post shared by Meghan O'Leary (@meghanoleary1) on

 

 

Happy Sunday! #sundays #bodee #englishspringerspaniel #love #happy #bestgirl

A post shared by alibmac30 (@alibmac30) on

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