Category Archives: Olympic Stories
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
I arrived in Venice at 11 a.m. after flights from the Springs to Atlanta, then Amsterdam, than Venice, which took 20+ hours. When I emerged with my bags, there was no one waiting for me. No one wearing a credential and a walkie-talkie, no one holding a sign. There was no one there. So I decided to take action, like Teddy Roosevelt. I told a lady at a counter that I needed to get to Verona. She said simple. You take a bus to the train station, train to Verona. No problem. Continue reading →
Iranians in America
Afterwards, I ask the Iranian PR person from Washington D.C., what do your guys think of the Pledge and the prayer. I was wondering if they thought we were some kind of nationalistic, jingoistic, religious fanatics. And the PR guy said, not at all, coming from Iran, they all assumed that all Americans were godless heathens. I thought, well not all of us. Continue reading →
Google Maps Lady
On my trip to California, I start using Google Maps, which features a very helpful woman who speaks to you and tells you where to go. But she is a bit of a battery hog.
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Michael Phelps: Shaving your back and behind your knees
An interview conducted at the 2002 Summer Nationals in Fort Lauderdale. The concept came from Kathleen Flynn. How does Michael Phelps shave his back and does he have any other shaving tips for America? Continue reading →
Michael Phelps’ First Gold Medal
Here are a few emails from me in Athens back to the family in Colorado. I told them what it was like to see Michael Phelps’ first gold medal, going backstage as it were at the swimming venue to the interview room and the warm-down pool. I told the Olympic coaches about my daughter Carli anchoring a relay at the Air Force Academy; she was 10 at the time. Continue reading →
Breaking Boxing’s Code
This story was written at the 2003 Titan Games in San Jose. The Titan Games featured all the combat sports; we had wrestling going on the left mat, boxing in the center and judo on the right mat and fencing on a stage — all at the same time. It was an awesome event. I met Dan Gable there. I interviewed boxer Rock Allen and his dad, Naazin Richardson, who has trained Sugar Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins. Continue reading →
What it feels like to face a breakaway as a goalie
I loved putting this story together. I’m in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic for the 2003 Pan American Games, running all over the place from venue to venue. The athletes in this story are not household names, which is one of the reasons I like it so much. Peggy Storrar played on the U.S. Field Hockey national team for years, never competing in the Olympic Games. She played for the love of the game. When I coached Sam’s basketball team, we had a motto: “Get the ball!” Continue reading →
