Koenigssee marks halfway point of bobsled and skeleton World Cup tour this week

Photo courtsey of 
U.S. Olympic Committee via Flickr

Texan Justin Olsen (shown right) to see action in Koenigssee on Saturday for USA Bobsled  

KOENIGSSEE, GERMANY (January 9, 2019) The bobsled and skeleton World Cup tour will mark the halfway point of the season with its fourth stop in Koenigssee, Germany from Jan. 11-13. Koenigssee is the first permanent artificially refrigerated sliding track in the world, and the course will celebrate 50 years as an artificial track this year.

The schedule is as follows, with times listed in local CET and EST in parentheses:

Friday, Jan. 11

10 a.m. (4 a.m.): Men's skeleton

1:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m.): Women's skeleton
 

Saturday, Jan. 12

1:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m.): Women's bobsled

4:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m.): Two-man bobsled
 

Sunday, Jan. 13

1:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m.): Four-man bobsled
 

The Olympic Channel and NBCSN will broadcast the Koenigssee event with some live and same day delay coverage. Please check your local listings for up-to-date times. NBCSports.com and OlympicChannel.com will also provide live streaming of the events.
 

Men's skeleton athletes Kyle Brown (Concord, N.H.), Greg West (Springfield, Mo.) and Austin Florian (Southington, Conn.) will kick off the fourth stop of the tour on Friday morning. Savannah Graybill (Denver, Pa.) and Kendall Wesenberg (Modesto, Calif.) will represent Team USA in the women's skeleton race, which will follow the men's competition on Friday.

In women's bobsled, Elana Meyers Taylor (Douglasville, Ga.) will once again race with Lake Kwaza (Sycamore, Ill.) in the BMW sled. The pairing has already claimed two medals in the two races they've teamed together in, earning bronze medals in Winterberg and Altenberg, Germany. Brittany Reinbolt (Searcy, Ark.) will race with Olympic silver medal push athlete Lauren Gibbs (Los Angeles, Calif.) in the KOA-branded BMW-made sled.

In men's bobsled, Codie Bascue (Whitehall, N.Y.) is scheduled to race with Hakeem Abdul-Saboor (Powhatan, Va.) on Saturday in the two-man race in the BMW sled. Bascue and Abdul-Saboor are expected to be joined by Jimmy Reed (Garmisch, Germany) and Josh Williamson (Lake Mary, Fla.) in Sunday's four-man competition.

Justin Olsen (San Antonio, Texas) is scheduled to race with Blaine McConnell (Tacoma, Wash.) in the Lake Placid 2021 World Championship wrapped BMW sled in Saturday's two-man race. Olsen's four-man team is expected to be McConnell, Adrian Adams (Reidsville, N.C.) and Kyle Wilcox (Tampa, Fla.). 

USA Gymnastics President and CEO Kerry Perry resigns

From USA Gymnastics Press Release

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA (September 4, 2018)  USA Gymnastics President and CEO Kerry Perry last evening informed the Board of Directors that she will resign effectively immediately.  The board has immediately begun to identify an interim CEO and is in the process of establishing a search committee to find a permanent replacement. 

“On behalf of the Board of USA Gymnastics, I want to thank Kerry for her leadership under very difficult circumstances,” said Karen Golz, chair of the USA Gymnastics Board.

“In the wake of horrific events that have impacted our athletes and the entire gymnastics community, USA Gymnastics has made progress in stabilizing itself and setting a new path to ensure that the safety and interests of our athletes remains at the heart of our mission,” said Golz.

“Over the past nine months, USA Gymnastics has been in the midst of a major transition as it implements recommendations made by Deborah Daniels in her report, following her independent review of the organization’s safe sport policies and procedures, as well as directives of the USOC,” continued Golz. “These changes have included amending the organization’s by-laws and the appointment of an entirely new board of directors, made up of eight independent members and seven from within the gymnastics community.  Most importantly, USA Gymnastics has been focused on athlete safety and well-being and ensuring that programs and protocols are in place to prevent all forms of abuse and to encourage athletes to speak up.  This process has been challenging, and painful, but is a necessary step in moving the community forward.”

The Board of Directors also established a management committee to provide organizational oversight to maintain continuity in the day-to-day operations until an interim CEO is named.  The management committee members include Karen Golz, chair; David Rudd, vice chair and secretary, and board member, Kathryn Carson.

The board is in the process of forming a search committee of board members, as well as athletes and others from the gymnastics and NGB community to search for a permanent president and CEO. Board member and Olympian Brent Lang, president and CEO of Vocera, will chair the committee.  The committee has been charged with finding a leader who can help the organization build on the progress to date and achieve the fundamental cultural changes necessary to move the sport forward. 

Oroweat® Contributes to Kids, Paralympians

By Lisa Ramsperger
U.S. Olympic Committee
USOC Press Release

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO (December 24, 2008) As part of its commitment to nutrition and a healthy active lifestyle, premium bread maker Oroweat is proud to present donations to the Jr. Olympic Skills program and U.S. Paralympics – both programs of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC). During a check presentation ceremony at the USOC headquarters in Colorado Springs, Oroweat presented representatives from both groups with a check for $95,000 each.

“As a long-time supplier to the U.S. Olympic Team, we are committed to the programs and education tools they offer their athletes of all ages and abilities,” said Reid Stinnett, Senior Vice President of Marketing. “We chose to support the Jr. Olympic Skills program and the U.S. Paralympic Team because they both encourage and teach good nutrition and good values to their athletes.”

The Jr. Olympic Skills Competition focuses on four sports – basketball, soccer, tennis and track & field. Boys and girls ages 8-13 compete in qualifying events which culminates with the National Finals. In July, the 2009 Jr. Olympic Skills National Finals will be held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. This free program was established to provide youth across the United States with a multi-sport competition designed to encourage participation in Olympic sport, emphasize fair and friendly play and promote an active lifestyle.Since its formation in 2001, U.S. Paralympics has been inspiring Americans to achieve their dreams. Through education, sports programs and partnerships with community organizations, medical facilities and government agencies, U.S. Paralympics is making a difference in the lives of thousands of physically disabled people every day.

“We wouldn’t be able to offer the services and programs to athletes and our constituents without the support of our partners, such as Oroweat,” said USOC Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr. “Our partnership with Oroweat has continued to thrive on the many mutual values we share. And, we thank Oroweat, not only for supplying us with premium bread products which help fuel our athletes for success, but for also making this financial commitment that will greatly aid both the Jr. Olympic Skills Competition and U.S. Paralympics.”

About Oroweat
Oroweat products are produced by Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU). BBU operates 13 bakeries and distributes leading brands such as Oroweat®, Mrs. Baird’s® ,Tia Rosa®, Francisco, Bimbo® and Marinela®. BBU operates approximately 3,000 sales routes, is headquartered in Fort Worth and is the U.S. Division of Mexico’s Grupo Bimbo, one of the world’s largest baking companies with over 97,000 associates and operations in 18 countries throughout the Americas, Asia and Europe. Its stock has been trading on the Mexican Stock Exchange since 1980 under the ticker BIMBO.

Chin, Others Named to First Adaptive Boat to 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team

By Olivia Dodson
Copyright 2008 TexSport Publications

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (June 12, 2008) Simnoa Chin of Houston was named by USRowing as a member of the legs-trunk-arms four with coxswain crew that will represent the United States at the 2008 Paralympic Games, pending United States Olympic Committee approval.

Joining Chin on the eilte squad will be Jamie Dean (Pickerington, Ohio), Jesse Karmazin (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), Tracy Tackett (Phoenixville, Pa.) and Emma Preuschl (Indianapolis, Ind.). Dean, Karmazin and Tackett raced in the event at the 2007 FISA World Rowing Championships, finishing fifth, while Chin and Preuschl are first time adaptive national team members.

The rest of the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team for Rowing will be selected at the 2008 USRowing National Championships June 27-29 in West Windsor, N.J. The winners of the men’s adaptive single sculls, women’s adaptive single sculls and trunk-arms double sculls events at that regatta will earn spots on the team. This year marks the first time that rowing will be part of the Paralympic Games.

USOC CHAIRMAN PETER UEBERROTH SIGNS OFFICIAL INVITATION TO SEND U.S. TEAM TO 2008 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES

(HOUSTON, TEXAS, October 19, 2007) The 2007 U.S. Olympic Assembly concludes Sunday in Houston, Texas, after five days of meetings and panels involving more than 300 members of the U.S. Olympic Family. At Saturday’s luncheon, Former President George H. W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush were welcomed as special guests, and U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Chairman of the Board Peter Ueberroth named President Bush the Honorary Chef de Mission of the 2008 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams for the 2008 Games in Beijing, China. This is the first time the USOC has bestowed the title of Honorary Chef de Mission upon an individual.

President Bush and Ueberroth then participated in a signing ceremony, during which the USOC officially accepted the invitation for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams to compete in the 2008 Games.

Friday was highlighted by the USOC Board of Directors meeting. Primary topics for the USOC Board were:
• The 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, and the USOC’s preparations from logistical and competitive standpoints
• USOC international relations efforts, including the Chicago 2016 bid and the AIBA World Boxing Championships
• The ongoing analysis of the USOC Olympic Training Center needs, NGB headquarter needs and USOC headquarter needs
• The fight against doping in sport

Saturday’s keynote address: “Amazing Awaits: Shaping the Future of America’s Olympic Movement,” was delivered by USOC Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr, USOC Chief Operating Officer Norman Bellingham and Chicago 2016 Chief Executive Officer Pat Ryan. Other panel discussions included: “The Strength of the Olympic Brand: What Makes Us Different, Makes Us Strong” and “The Fight Against Doping in Sport: The New Frontier.”

The Athletes Advisory Council and the U.S. Olympians Association took strong roles in USOC community outreach while in Houston, visiting four local schools as part of the USOC Champions in Life program and McDonald’s Passport to Play program. In addition, Olympians, Paralympians and elite athletes visited a Ronald McDonald House in Houston, honoring everyday heroes – the seriously ill children receiving treatment at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Other guest speakers at Saturday’s luncheon were Olympic wrestler Brad Vering, World track cycling champion Sarah Hammer and Paralympic track & field hopeful Scott Winkler. The three athletes shared their inspirational stories with the full assembly during a question and answer session, and visited with President and Mrs. Bush at the head table.

President Bush has long been a supporter of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams. He spoke to America’s athletes in Athens during the 2004 Olympic Games as the head of the official White House Delegation. He welcomed the 1992 Olympic and Paralympic Teams to the White House during his presidency. He has strong ties to China, the host of the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Early in his public service career, President Bush served as chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in the People’s Republic of China from 1974-1976.

This third annual U.S. Olympic Assembly brought together the various members of the USOC and organizations associated with the U.S. Olympic Movement in an effort to foster communication, collaboration and the development of new initiatives to support America’s athletes.