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Red, White & Trending: July 6-12

By Jamie MacDonald | July 13, 2018, 4:09 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."

 

Simply The Best

It takes one to know one. There aren’t many occasions where that phrase can be applied to the very best in the world — or even competing to be the best in the world for longer than anyone could have imagined. For four-time Olympic tennis champion and legend Serena Williams, herself the GOAT in so many ways, her measured assessment of what it means to be great, to continue to be great, to rise above every new challenge, inspires some of Team USA’s most successful athletes.

 

 

 

 

 

Heading into the home stretch of the fortnight, Williams had her eye on yet another Wimbledon final. And with a smile.

 

Can’t help but smile. See you Saturday, #Wimbledon! ☺️

A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) on


Kikkan, Animal

Five-time cross-country skiing Olympian and gold medalist Kikkan Randall has a new opponent after announcing this week that she would be undergoing treatment for cancer — and, yes, as she points out in the video below, she biked to her first seven-hour session.

 

The news stunned many, prompting an outpouring of support from across Team USA sports and disciplines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Other Ski Season

More than gifted on snow, Olympic skier Daron Rahlves, who competed in three Games as an alpine racer and in Vancouver in skicross, carves pretty well on the water, too.


On The Other Hand …

On the other hand, there’s Olympic downhiller Travis Ganong. Ganong, who underwent surgery on both his knees this past January, is back at it on Mt. Hood in Oregon.


Power Couple

Her Instagram bio page now reads “Kendall Coyne Schofield." The Olympic women’s ice hockey champion was married this past week to NFL player Michael Schofield, and the timelines on both sides of the aisle made for a perfectly contemporary way to keep up with the festivities.

 

 

 

 

💙7-7-18 💙 the best day of my entire life #SchosLuckyCoyne #TheSchofields

A post shared by Kendall Coyne Schofield (@kendallcoyne26) on

 

 

Best day ever!

A post shared by Michael Schofield III (@mischofi) on

 

 

I will always look up to you 💙

A post shared by Kendall Coyne Schofield (@kendallcoyne26) on


Honeymoon Vibes

Congratulations are also in order for two-time Paralympic champion Roderick Townsend (whose Twitter handle is @thejumpaddict, and, not surprisingly, he won gold as a long jumper and a high jumper) and new wife Tynita, a six-time All-American and elite high jumper.

 

 

Honeymoon tings... W/ @kiddynamic

A post shared by Roderick D. Townsend (@thejumpaddict) on


Happy Anniversary

While there may be no traditional gift associated with 19th anniversaries, in the case of the Women’s World Cup win that made Brandi Chastain a household name overnight, there is no substitute for something longer lasting: a legacy. And, of course, a lifetime of memories for the groundbreaking ‘99ers and those who won’t forget their impact.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


More Kicks

Ah, to be trolled by your wife. In this case, British-born soccer player Dom Dwyer, who made his Team USA debut with a goal this past year, took one on the chin after England lost in the World Cup semis — a bit of news he met with lament. His wife, Sydney Leroux Dwyer, the 2012 U.S. Olympian, however, reminded him there is already a World Cup champion in the house.

 


Turning The Page

Another week, another heartfelt retirement from the world of skiing. Last week, it was David Chodounsky. This week, it is three-time Olympic alpine skier Stacey Cook, who saw her best results as a downhiller, and, like Chodounsky, pulled up some fantastic throwback images. Keep an eye out in there for skiing legend Glen Plake, too.

 

With one sunset comes another sunrise. I’ve decided it is time to leave competitive skiing behind and look towards new goals and adventures. I have loved being an athlete and all that it brought including travel, friendship, inspiration, and opportunity. Sport has enhanced my life in so many ways. Now, although I still feel so much love and passion to skiing, I feel most inspired by the thought of realizing my potential in another avenue. I leave behind goals that I deeply wanted to accomplish, but also think back on my dreams as a young girl and how I’ve surpassed those beyond what I could have ever imagined. I know that my constant desire to achieve higher will be a strength moving forward and not a regret I leave behind. I have so many people I’m indebted to for helping me along the way. While too long to list here, I hope I have the opportunity to thank each of you in person in the future, near or far.

A post shared by staceycookusa (@staceycookusa) on

 


Grill Master

Olympic swimmer David Plummer may be too harsh a self-critic, but every grill master starts somewhere. For Plummer, it was at 7 a.m. with a six-pound brisket. And if you’re going to get Katie Ledecky, Connor Jaeger, Chase Kalisz and Maya DiRado caught up in following along, you must be doing something right.

 

 

 

 


Slam Dunk

One of the most impressive careers in any sport earned some appropriate recognition this past week when Maya Moore, the two-time Olympic champion, two-time NCAA champion and four-time WNBA champion, landed a well-deserved cover appearance.

 

 


San Francisco Treat

Who knew two-time Olympic beach volleyball medalist April Ross was so good with nunchucks? Former partner and fellow Olympic beach volleyball Olympic medalist Jennifer Kessy, of course.

In any event, heading into the weekend, all seemed to be going just fine.


European Vacation

Back in March, Olympic moguls skier Morgan Schild faced the dark days of another rehab, prompting an emotional post that read, in part, “Sadly, I re-tore my ACL. I can’t begin to describe what it feels like to go to my 1st Olympic Games and 2 weeks later learn I have to go through knee rehab again.” Now about 15 weeks post-op, Schild is enjoying a little R&R. Well, a brand of it, anyway, dating back to the beginning of her trip earlier this month.

 

 


Mad, Man

Olympic silver medalist luger Chris Mazdzer, thanks in large part to his adventurous aunt, was not kidding around this past week in Moab, Utah.

 

 

I know I’ve said this in a previous post but my Aunt Deborah is truly an inspiration. At the age of 58 when most people are looking to make their lives comfortable she picked up her FJ cruiser and without any off-road experience has found a way to get out of her comfort zone and built a new passion. Now in her early 60’s she off-roads harder than most guys half her age and the only reason is because she truly loves it. The crazy thing is that this all happened after an automobile accident crippled her severely and left her future uncertain. Thanks for showing Mara and I some fun trails around #Moab #Utah and spreading your amazing energy that makes anything seem possible. Oh yea, and for that tarp that kept us dry when that storm caught us off guard in the middle of the night 😂.

A post shared by Chris Mazdzer (@mazdzer) on

Or during his day job later in the week.


Generation Next

Uh-oh. The audible concern of a parent who has seen his or her child in action — constant action. And in the case of Olympic gymnast Jonathan Horton’s oldest, it’s just a backflip at about twice his own height into a foam pit.

Not to be outdone …


Nice Out

Not an ideal lie for Olympic curler Jamie Sinclair …

 

Play it as it lies... or hangs 😂🏌🏻‍♀️

A post shared by Jamie Sinclair (@jamiesinclair21) on


Whales, Baseball And Magazine Features

To say this week has been an adventure for Paralympic skier Danelle Umstead and her family would be an understatement …

 

 


Happy Returns

When you win five Olympic gymnastics medals at one venue, including a gold in the all-around, it sure makes sense for Nastia Liukin to come on back to the fondest of memories.

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Related Athletes

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Serena Williams

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Kikkan Randall

Cross-Country Skiing
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Travis Ganong

Alpine Skiing
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Kendall Coyne-Schofield

Ice Hockey
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Roderick Townsend

Track and Field
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Stacey Cook

Alpine Skiing
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David Plummer

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Maya Moore

Basketball