Welcome to the USOC Interns Blog!

Take Advantage and Enjoy

2010-05-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Karl Riecken

Intern, USA Swimming National Team Performance Support

I know that back in November of last year, I had no idea I would be writing this the next May. I applied for this internship on a whim and never thought once about how this could possibly be such a life-altering experience. There is no way that I may express to you reading this entry just how much of a sea change I have seen in my life over the last five months. So seemingly inconsequential in terms of time, but lasting the influence will be.

I do write this blog entry on the last day of my internship, which gives me a perspective wrought with hindsight. With USA Swimming, the opportunities to gain experience and network were endless. Though most of my time was spent working on a variety of projects to assist National Team coaches and athletes, I had ample chances to meet those same people for whom I worked. I thereby became more than simply a temporary worker, but a conduit for reliable and pertinent sport performance information.

Even the uninteresting parts of my experience are not to be classified as such at all. My most boring days are filled with closely watching video taken from each recent Olympiad and major competition for USA Swimming athletes. I had constant access to what the best have done for decades. What made those athletes so great was displayed in front of me and I was able to rewind and watch again as much as I saw fit, able to parse through the details of hand entry, breathing angle, hip position, ankle flexion, etc. Having that legacy in that detail before me offered me something quite unique.

Perchance those who have gotten to know me through this internship will roll their eyes with jaded disinterest when I speak of the outdoors in the loving way in which I do. Born in Albuquerque, yet hailing from Florida, I never realized how much I missed the desert until I found myself out here again. I feel at home with the mountains surrounding me and the rocks and sand below my feet. Nearly every weekend was filled with hiking, climbing, mountain and road biking, swimming, trail running, and of course eating. If you ever need a recommendation on a place to please your pallet, I will be glad to give you direction. I am positive I would have made it out here to find this part of my life again, but I was unsure as to when. I have USA Swimming and the USOC to thank for that.

So there you have it: three-quarters advertisement for the USOC Internship Program, one-quarter advertisement for the outdoors.

A whirlwind learning experience

2010-05-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

As I am finishing up my second internship with the U.S. Olympic Committee, and reflecting on it all, I am amazed by how much I have had the opportunity to be involved in, the great people I have met, and the invaluable learning I have gained! Having recently graduated with a master’s degree in Sport Management, this internship is ideal for me for multiple reasons. As the intern for the Human Resources division, I have had the chance to work with several departments within the USOC and obtain a broad view of all that goes on at the organization. I have had the chance to help with recruiting new employees, learned interview techniques, assisted with a few programs put on by USA Paralympics, edited content of a couple of key manuals for USOC employees, and From a personal development perspective, it has been helpful to be exposed to many career areas and narrow down where my passions lie.

Colorado Springs has a lot to offer, from beautiful outdoor activity options to a city rich with sport and fitness, it is a great place to intern! Some of what I’ve been able to do recently, in no particular order, includes:

· Act as Volunteer coordinator for the Developing Amazing Leaders Conference, reaching an audience of people involved in Military and Paralympic Sport clubs across the United States. This experience was huge for on-the-job learning. I was given the task of recruiting, training, and managing a group of almost fifty volunteers during the conference. I needed to ensure they were at the right places, at the right times, and had the resources to fulfill their volunteer position(s). I enjoyed working with the volunteers, staff, and participants, and was exposed to an amazing amount of knowledge regarding adaptive sport programs.

· Climb the Manitou Springs Incline for about the 10th time. 1 mile straight up in 2,000 ft…we all talk about it because it’s quite a doozy! Athletes have been known to complete the challenge in times under twenty minutes, while I am just happy to make it in less than an hour each time!

· Volunteer for the inaugural Warrior Games, which offers sport competition for wounded servicemen and women. This is a truly amazing event! Check it out at http://usparalympics.org/usoc-paralympic-military-program/warrior-games-presented-by-deloitte.

· Snowshoe for the first time! It’s a great workout, and a wonderful way to traipse around in beautiful Colorado.

· Help with the planning and execution of the Paralympic Ambassador Program, working with a consulting company to train Paralympians on being effective at telling their stories in front of various audiences. We traveled to the beautiful training center in Chula Vista, California, and facilitated this event. We also had the opportunity to go out on the water with the US Men’s Rowing Team and strengthen our knowledge of ultimate teamwork! As a former rower at the University of California at Los Angeles, this was pretty cool!
· Get the ball rolling on production of a training manual for those at the USOC who supervise interns. I scheduled informal interviews/brainstorming discussions with several key USOC leaders to talk to them about what need a supervisor manual could fill. We discussed what information would be great to have readily available, and talked over what techniques they found effective in managing interns and providing a comprehensive development experience for them. It was eye-opening talking to team members from several departments, and picking their brains to see how the Human Resources department and Intern Program Manager can facilitate effective practices.

I thoroughly enjoyed my internships with the USOC, in the Human Resources and Development divisions, and have volumes to speak of the experience. It is truly a unique and privileged opportunity to be part of this Movement, and I am grateful to my supervisors, co-workers, fellow interns, and others I’ve encountered along the way for supporting me in learning on the go!

Britt Merchant

Human Resources Intern

Spring 2010

An Amazing Semester

2010-05-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

My name is Kaitlyn Comiskey, and I am the intern for the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. I work at our National Office, which is located near Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. This semester has been absolutely amazing, and I have gained more experience in the field of Sport Administration than I ever could have imagined.

When I first got here in early January, the office was in the process of preparing for both the NWBA All-Star Game, as well as our National Tournament. The All-Star Game was at the beginning of February, and was in conjunction with the NBA All-Star Game. My two supervisors, Cody (our other intern), and myself had the opportunity to fly down to Dallas to help put on the All-Star Game. This consisted of transporting our athletes to and from the airport, hotel, and gym, and making sure that the game and clinic ran smoothly. It was a three day trip, and was literally nonstop. We had the opportunity to work with some awesome NBA employees, as well as meet Mark Cuban. The NWBA All-Star Game went very smoothly, and even with the foot of snow that Dallas received that same night, all of our players managed to make their flights out of Dallas that following day.

This past April, we held our 62nd Annual NWBA Championships. It is a National Tournament with 89 teams competing in it. The tournament was held in Denver, and four different playing sites were utilized. It was so awesome to be able to see everything that goes on behind the scenes of putting such a large tournament together. Before coming out here, I was a volleyball player for Bradley University, and competed in many tournaments. I had no idea how much hard work goes into putting on a tournament. From getting host hotels, transportation, gym time, scheduling the brackets, and getting all 89 teams registered, it is such a huge comittment. The tournament was five days long, and it was nonstop work. In the end, it was so rewarding to see the tournament go smoothly, and to see both kids and adults alike with smiles on their faces at the end of the day.

Outside of my internship, I have definitely taken advantage of this beautiful state. I went skiing multiple times this winter, and have done tons of hiking. I've also been to a few Denver Nuggets, Colorado Rockies, and Colorado Avalanche Games. All have a been a blast! Every weekend there's been something new and exciting to do; there is literally never a dull moment. Not only am I pumped that I got to live in such a beautiful city, but it is rewarding to know that this internship has helped me to grow so much as a person. I had the opportunity to work with some amazing people these past few months, who have taught me so much, and given me confidence that I have what it takes to eventually have a full-time career in the Sports Administration field.

2 weeks to go :(

2010-05-04T08:54:00.001-07:00

Andrea Hull
Project Management Intern

Hey All!

This has been an absolutely amazing internship, and I'm definitely bummed it's wrapping up.

<--80's Kickball with the interns (I'm on the L, Megan Coffey on the R)

I serve as the intern to the director of the training site, and I've gotten to work on a couple of cool projects that I'll highlight below.

1)Insurance Cataloging - Back in December there was a pipeline break and one of the resident dorms flooded. I spent from January to early April collecting and inventorying damged items, replacing items (shopping woohoo!), and making sure the athletes were being honest when replacing their items.

2)Sports Management Seminar - ~20 graduate students are coming in 1 1/2 weeks for a 5 day seminar. I've been in charge of getting speakers, deciding the schedule, booking meeting and gym space, and figuring out out of class activites to do. We'll be using sport as an avenue to teach business principles so we'll be playing wheel chair basketball, water polo, doing yoga, and running the incline; we'll also be holding a mock press conference to learn strategies for talking to the media.

3) Athlete Events - With one of the dorm supervisors, I'm in charge of planning weekly athlete events for the resident athletes to participate in. Our big one is coming up on Thursday. We're holding an 80's prom for athletes and camps on site. A couple athletes on site have missed HS Prom because they chose to train here and we wanted to throw a fun event for them.

Out of work I've had a lot of fun learning how to ski (CO mountains are way better than Wisconsin hills), going on a brewery tour in Fort Collins (check out the New Belgium tour...if you're at least 21) going to sports games (nuggets and sky sox), and exploring Denver and Colorado Springs. There's always something going on, so take every opportunity that comes your way, whether it's volunteering, going on trips with fellow interns, or going out on your own to places that have been recommeneded.

Star-struck Maybe?

2010-04-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

My name is Marion Steinberg and I am the Coaching Education intern in Colorado Springs. I absolutely love my job here, and the springs is a fantastic place to live. My favorite part of the day is getting ready in the morning and walking outside to see the sun shining on snow-capped mountains & Pikes Peak!

The Coaching Education department is responsible for providing coaches, athletes, and high performance directors with reliable information on training, coaching, ethics, etc. We work with the other Sport Performance Departments (physiology, technology, nutrition, psychology) to put valuable resources up on teamusa.org, and we also manage another website- usacoaching.org. Additionally, our department hosts a variety of conferences throughout the year.

My favorite part of my internship so far has been working to put together the 2010 Training Design Symposium, which was held at the OTC last weekend. It was extremely exciting to meet so many accomplished coaches and executives! I even got to meet author Dan Coyle, who wrote Hardball: A Season in the Projects (Keanu Reaves movie!), Lance Armstrong's War, and The Talent Code.

Other notable coaches in attendance were Guy Baker- who is pretty much the greatest Water Polo coach of the era, Hugh McCutcheon- who coached the U.S. Men's Volleyball team to a Gold medal in Beijing, and Carol Callan- who was Director of the U.S. Women's Basketball Team that has achieved Gold medals in the past four Olympics!

I also got a chance to go out to dinner downtown with Mike Chu, Mike Anthony, and Nicholas Gill- who are all high performance coaches and managers for the New Zealand All Blacks! We got to share stories about life in Australia & New Zealand (I studied abroad there)- and I learned so much about sport just talking with them for a couple hours.

I felt like I was in the hollywood of sports for three days, it was an awesome experience!

Outside of work I have had the opportunity to really explore Colorado Springs and the outdoors.

Some of the things I've done include...

Learning Judo & Fencing with the other interns:

(me and my roommate Kaitlyn)

Going skiing at Monarch mountain:

(Taylor and Me at the very very very top of Monarch- 11,000+ ft!)

Going to a Colorado Avalanche game:

Climbing up the Incline!!
(basically a giant makeshift staircase going up a mountain)

Overall my time here has been absolutely fantastic. I feel so lucky to have gotten the opportunity to gain relevant work skills, build my network, and explore Colorado.

2010-04-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. My name is Alex Setoodeh and I am a media relations at the OTC in Colorado Springs. I am originally from Bethesda, MD which is a suburb of Washington, DC and I am currently finishing up grad school at Georgetown University. I did my undergrad at Northeastern University in Boston.

I am loving Colorado and can't believe my internship is over half way done. It has been pretty crazy here since I arrived in January. During the games I was in the office 7 days a week and every other day I was there until about midnight working on the Daily Wrapup. Now that the games are over and we have finally moved into the new headquarters, things have calmed down a bit. My basic duties are composing and formatting the Olympic Sports Scene every week, responding to fan mail, scheduling and escorting around on site media, writing athlete bios, working with my boss on Team for Tomorrow projects and appearances, and I recently wrote my first feature article for the new online version of Olympic Beat magazine. Overall, I have gotten a lot of great experience so far.

Outside of work, I have met a lot of amazing people. The intern class this semester is an awesome group and I have made some great friends. The intern group has done a lot of fun things out here, and we are definitely taking advantage of our surroundings. We have the Intern Olympic Games every week, where we learn and compete in a different sport. Currently my team is in first place, and hopefully we will stay there! Now that baseball season is going on I have been to two Sky Sox *(the Rockies triple-a team) games and I know the entire intern group is attending one in May, a few of us also went to an Avalanche game a few weeks ago. I have also gone snowboarding a bunch of times while here. I bought a season pass before I came out and I just learned that A-basin will be open till mid June so there is still plenty of time left to go! I have two friends coming into town this weekend, and next weekend I am off to Vegas so it should be a pretty crazy few weeks.

I will be enjoying my time with the other interns for the next five weeks before they all leave, my internship lasts a month longer than theirs which is sad because I don't want to see anyone go. This experience has been incredible and I have learned so much that will help me in the future.

Welcoming the World to Colorado Springs!

2010-04-16T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody!

My name is Lauren Magliola and I work at U.S. Figure Skating as the Event Intern for the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2010, which took place right here in Colorado Springs last week!

Synchronized skating is the youngest of the five disciplines in figure skating (ladies, mens, pairs, dance, and synchro) and the World Championships is highest level competition in the sport. As a former synchronized skater for Miami University (the one in Ohio, not Florida - Go 'Hawks!), it has been incredible to be involved in the planning side of this event, which I never got to see as a competitor.

Team USA Competing at Worlds in Colorado!

I've been in Colorado Springs preparing for the Championships since September. Some of my jobs have included communicating with competing teams and federations, taking ticket orders and answering questions from spectators, helping organize hotel rooms and meals for competitors and officials, and helping plan off-ice events like the Opening Draw Ceremony and the totally awesome Competitors' Party (which included DDR and Rock Band played on GIANT screens). Teams from 18 different countries began arriving over a week ahead of the competition (to get used to the altitude) which led to a whole extra set of logistics to deal with while helping groups of 20+ maneuver around an unfamiliar city in a foreign country.

Once the competition began, I was on call pretty much 24 hours a day to help teams with any difficulties or questions they might have, all with the goal of making their stay in Colorado Springs as easy as possible so that skaters could focus on their performance. I got to meet coaches and team managers who I had been communicating with over e-mail for months from places like Sweden, Finland, South Africa, Croatia, Australia, Germany, and Hungary. I was able to sit and watch the entire competition, which included some of the highest level skating I have ever seen at a World Championships, and had the honor of being the person in charge of getting the correct flags ready for awards (including the stars and stripes!) as soon as the final scores were posted.

Although my last few weeks have been pretty much consumed by work, I've had countless amazing experiences in Colorado since September. I've learned to fence and play team handball as a part of the Intern Olympics, seen Jason Mraz live at the incredible Red Rocks Amphitheater, seen Darius Rucker at the not quite as incredible (but still fun!) Colorado State Fair, and of course gotten out and hiked some of the great trails found all around Colorado Springs. On the weekend, you'll most likely find me running around Garden of the Gods or Red Rock Open Space, and I have managed to get myself up the Incline once (I swear I'll get up there again soon!). My next goal is to make it to the top of Pikes Peak, but I don't really have to worry about following through with that promise until the snow melts, of course.

As I look back on the last year, I can't believe how many great people I've met and how much I've learned while in Colorado Springs! It's definitely been a once in a life time adventure, and I know I'll be using the knowledge and experience I've gained here long after my internship has ended.

2010-04-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

Tyler Warren
Colorado Springs: Strength and Conditioning

Let me start off by saying that Colorado as a whole is a beautiful state. If you are an outdoors type person, you will love it here. With that aside, my internship has been an amazing experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. The first day I got here I got unpacked and then set out to see the weight room where I would be spending the majority of my time.

While working here I have learned a lot of different things, including lifting technique, program design, coaching cues, and more. The Colorado Springs location is great in the sense that there are three coordinators here to help educate the interns. So far, I have been able to get the perspective of three different coaches with three different backgrounds. When starting out in this field, it is important to get a variety of information to understand different viewpoints. Not only is it nice to get quality information from several different sources, but I have also increased my network of professional contacts. All too often you hear it’s not what you know but who you know; this is something that does hold some truth and can be your friend or foe (so start networking if you haven’t already). I don’t want to get too detailed with this, but from a work standpoint, this is a great opportunity to gain experience in the field of Strength and Conditioning.

Luckily, I was paired up with a roommate who is practically like my little brother. I was worried that I would butt heads with whomever I would have to room with, but it turned out to be the exact opposite. For the most part, I get along really well with all of the interns and have enjoyed hiking as well as many other local outings with the group. One of the best experiences was snowboarding for the first time and shredding the nar nar. I’m pretty much awesome at snowboarding now.

What I have written here is only the tip of the iceberg. There are so many experiences that, if I were to elaborate on each, I could type for days. I tried to keep this blog short and sweet. If you have any questions or just want more information on what I have touched on, please feel free to contact me via email at tww0711@yahoo.com. I would be more than happy to exchange emails or chat on the phone about the experience as a whole.

2010-04-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, my name is Jenna Fredericks and I am the intern for sports medicine in Lake Placid. I am a New Yorker, born and raised, so I didn’t have much getting used to in Lake Placid as far as the weather and small town atmosphere. The Lake Placid OTC is like a small family in it of itself because we all work in one building. Everyone sees each other basically everyday and everyone knows who you are and what your name is. It’s definitely nice to be known as Jenna, instead of “what’s her name, the intern in sports med.” Everyone is very nice and helpful, and it certainly makes the days go by much smoother.

My basic duties on a day-to-day basis consist of entering any new medical information and HIPAA’s into the database, keeping the schedules of our athletic trainers, greeting and assisting any athletes or personnel that come into sports med and maintaining and running the Recovery Center. Every week seems to be different, depending on the activities that are going on in Lake Placid.

Thus far in 2010, we have hosted a World Cup (skiing), US Championships (skiing) and America’s Cup (bobsled/skeleton). We also host many camps and smaller based competitions in between. Needless to say, these events keep sports med on their toes because there is always someone who doesn’t make it down the hill or track smoothly. I have seen enough bruises and sprains to last me awhile. But that’s the nature of an elite athlete; no pain, no gain.

It was great working for the USOC during the Olympics in February, because no other work place actually encourages you to watch TV and the Olympics during work. A few of the Olympians returned to Lake Placid after the games and we were fortunate enough to see Justin Olsen’s (4-man bobsled) Gold Medal and Elana Meyer’s (Women’s bobsled) Bronze Medal. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience to actually see and hold an Olympic Medal.
As my time here comes to an end, I can truly walk away knowing that I did my best and tried my hardest to make sports med run smoothly. I have enjoyed my experience and the opportunity to meet so many great people. This experience has without a doubt given me tools and knowledge that will help me in my future endeavors, and I feel very lucky to have been given this opportunity.

2010-04-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Shannon Whiteway and today is my 24th Birthday! I am an intern for the Paralympics Military Program and love it! I am originally from Colorado Springs and just recently moved back from CA because my husband got out of the USMC. Within my internship I have had the opportunity to meet many great and inspiring people, all of which have added to my experience here.

* My husband Thomas and I, homecoming day 2008.

So far I have worked with Team Semper Fi on booking flights and the logistics of their events once a month. I have even been to each event that has been held across the country, which is such an awesome thing to watch these injured Marines overcome their injuries and participate in sport!

* TSF at the Air Force Academy, Jan 2010

In March I also headed to Vancouver for the Parlympic Games, which to say the least was memorable! I was actually a blind guide for the Executive Director of the Blind Veterans Association, Tom Miller. It was something I never had done before but by the end of the trip I felt like a pro. It also taught me not to take anything for granted because just being able to see is such a gift! While I was there we stayed in Vancouver and Whistler where we got to watch USA participate in Sledge Hockey, Biathlon, & Alpine Skiing.

* Tom Miller, Karen Guenther and I at the Olympic Flames in Vancouver.

My biggest task right now is working on the inaugural Warrior Games. I am responsible for the volunteer side of things for the games. I have been in contact with those who have offered to volunteer throughout the community, military bases and even other states! I am very excited for the turn out and I know that this will be a successful event for years to come because of the hard work that everyone is putting into it!

Overall this has been such an amazing time in my life and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone!

The life of a paralympics intern, Spring 2010

2010-03-24T12:20:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone, my name is Alexandra Smalls, but just call me Alex. I have been an intern at the United States Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, CO for two and a half months now. I work with the Paralympics department, particularly the Military division.

So far, I have worked hard managing the master spreadsheet of flight information for those traveling to the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games in Vancouver, BC Canada. In addition, I was able to go to Team Processing in Denver to hand out all of the Ralf Lauren and Nike apparel to the athletes and staff. That was really cool because I spent six weeks looking at everyone's name on the spreadsheet that it was nice to finally put a face with the name. The US did well at the Games, bringing home around 13 medals, including the sled hockey team who won gold!

Now that the games are over, I have shifted gears to focus more on the Warrior Games that will be hosted here at the OTC, Air Force Academy, and Memorial Park, May 10-15. This is really exciting because these are the inaugural Games and I have a hand in putting it together. The Warrior Games is where 200 total service men and women from each branch come together to compete in a seven multi-sport event. A lot of people are excited and want to get on board with this movement. I can't wait to see how everything will come together!

Time has flown so quickly so far and I have done lots of things I never thought to do or would have had the opportunity to do if I were still in Atlanta. In late January, I went to the Garden of the Gods. It was so beautiful there. You feel like you're as high as the mountains and on top of the world. I know my Dad would really enjoy that and plan to take him when he comes to visit in a week. In February, I went snowshoeing for the first time up in the mountains. Gorgeous site. I felt like I was in the middle of a Winter Wonderland. I don't think I've seen anything like it. That experience was really fun, tiring, but fun. A week later, I went to Seattle to visit my sorority sister and her family. I have never been to the west coast. CO was the furthest west I had been until this trip. I figured if I've come this far, I might as well keep going west. I had a really great time. They took me all around the city and up the Space Needle. Seattle is really a beautiful place despite all the rain.

We also started our own Intern Olympic Games. So far we've competed in water polo, a 5K run, handball, shooting, sitting volleyball, and an ESPN March Madness bracket. Next week we play wheelchair basketball. These events have been fun but also challenging. Last week I attended a Nuggets game for OTC Night. I had a really great time experiencing another CO attraction.

So far, being in Colorado Springs has been an adventure. I've done a lot of activities thus far and expect to do more before my departure. Working with Paralympics has shown me a lot about the behind the scenes operations of events and has been a great tool to prepare me for my future =)

Not every day...

2010-03-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is Casey Fisher and I am an intern with the Emerging Sport Program with the Paralympics. From the moment I walked onto the campus in Colorado Springs, things have been beyond unbelievable. I have met people, shared stories, and seen things that I never thought I would. This is truly a very unique experience and everything that I have been lucky enough to be apart of will stay with me forever.

As the Emerging Sport Intern my main responsibilities include managing the database of potential athletes that have been identified at various sport camps around the country, and continually staying in contact with them as they pursue the dream of making one our elite teams. Also, I have had the privilege of working a military sports camp with injured Semper Fi vets who have returned from defending our freedoms.

I was fortunate enough to work with them the entire weekend and was able to share stories, dreams of competing, and created some new friends along the way. It's not every day that you can work with people you consider your heros, and these military vets are my heros. I can't thank the USOC and the service members enough for allowing me to be apart of that unique experience!

I was also apart of the Team Processing weekend one week ago for all our Paralympians. Meeting these elite athletes was a life changing experience and I am looking forward to following them as they begin competition! All of us interns are in a great position as these Olympic and Paralympic games are taking place while we are here and we get to see how the process unfolds.

Outside of just being at the USOC, the best part of this internship is the opportunities I have to network with coworkers. There is an enormous wealth of knowledge and experience here that it is impossible to not walk away with hundreds of contacts for my future career. I am currently taking masters classes and I will complete them in July with a degree in Sports Management/Administration. I am pursuing a career in sports and entertainment promotions and/or sponsorships.

I know it sounds like a broken record, but being here is a dream come true and I am incredibly lucky to have this opportunity. All the interns are great and we all understand how unique it is just to walk down the Olympic Path! I am looking forward to what the remainder of the internship brings and continually networking with the great minds on campus!

Vancouver 2010 The Final Week

2010-02-26T23:34:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Brittney Moore and I am an intern with the International Games Division of the US Olympic Committee. For my internship, I have been fortunate enough to travel to and work in Vancouver, BC during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The past 4 1/2 weeks have been incredible up here in Vancouver, BC. Since arriving in Canada, I have been working in a variety of areas and meeting a lot of amazing people. I started out my Games experience working in Team Processing where athletes receive their Opening and Closing apparel, as wells as Village Wear and gifting items (hats, scarves, gloves, shoes, etc).
I then went to Whistler, BC for a week to work in the Performance Services Center and assist with operational support services. After the Opening Ceremony, I was transferred back to Vancouver and I have been working in USA House for the remainder of the Games.

Of course, the days can be long (10+ working hours) and "days off" don't really exist, but I have been able to do some great work, meet both current and past Olympians (Seth Wescott), as well as celebrities (Cuba Gooding Jr. and Steven Colbert) and truly have a once in a lifetime experience.
I have also been able to see a few events, including Speedskating, Women's Ice Hockey and Women's Bobsled. Being in Vancouver for the Olympics has been exciting and a worthwhile experience. I can only hope that this will not be my last Olympic Games experience!

^Seth Wescott (Snowboard Cross 2010 Gold Medalist)

^Charlie at the Women's Hockey Game USA vs Sweden
(IG-Transportation Intern)

Amazing Awaits is Here!

2010-02-26T09:28:00.001-08:00

Hi! My name is Rebecca Johnson and I am the New Media/Journalism intern with the USOC. This has been one of the most exciting and educational experiences of my life! The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games are coming to a close and life will be getting back to normal soon. During the Olympic Winter Games my department had rotating shifts throughout the day and evening in order to cover all of the events going on. We no longer worked our normal 8am-5pm shift, but rather from 8am-2pm, 2pm-8pm or 8pm-2am. Our team did an amazing job with Teamusa.org! There was so much going on, but we handled all of it, (even technical difficulties) and short staffed too! Before half of our department left for Vancouver, there were six of us to manage Teamusa.org, but during the Olympic Winter Games there were only 3 of us to manage it full time. So during our shifts we were individually and entirely responsible for all of the updates to the site-and believe me, people were watching! We ran everything (breaking news, top stories, team news, in the news, photos, photo galleries, blogs, videos, schedules, results, features, ads, polls and more)!

I have met so many amazing people since coming to work for the USOC! My supervisors are fantastic and I probably have the best coworker of all the interns! Yep, I'm pretty lucky to get to work with Emily Pan. :)

One of the most memorable moments here for me was when I was given the assignment of covering the USA Women's Hockey game against Finland at the World's Arena for Teamusa.org. I got to meet and interact with top reporters and photographers from all over the country. It was such an honor to have the opportunity to interview the players and head coach Mark Johnson. Before coaching the USA Women's Hockey Team, he was the star player for the USA Men's Hockey Team during the Lake Placid 1980 Olympic Winter Games and carried his team to victory over the Soviet Union. He was a key member of the "Miracle on Ice" Team, and I had the honor and privilege of meeting and interviewing him. I will never forget it!

The Intern Olympic Games are starting up tomorrow with Water Polo! We are a lot like the athletes in certain ways-we work hard, but play harder! It will be interesting to see how each of the teams develop their dynamic...

The USOC has a slogan, "Amazing Awaits." Well, 'Amazing' is here and happening now, each and every day. We live it and breathe it. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be surrounded by Olympic hopefuls, Olympians and Olympic medalists all day, every day! We live, eat and hang out together. How many people can say that they have ever done that?!

I'm excited for what the future has in store for all of us here after the Olympic Winter Games come to a close and as the Paralympic Winter Games just begin!

Amazing Awaits!

2010-02-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

My name is Ashley Gartland and I am an intern with USA Boxing. I can't even begin to summarize everything I have learned and experienced since I started. As soon as I arrived I hit the ground running with immediate responsibility, and after two weeks I was sent to Cincinnati, OH to run the 2010 USA Boxing U-19s National Champions as the USA Boxing Representative. I met so many people and built great relationships, not to mention I was able to learn first hand how to run a USA Boxing qualifier. I really enjoyed planning and executing the event with our major sponsor R & R Promotions out of Cincinnati, they were very helpful in the execution of the event. Below is a picture from ringside...

The only thing I regret is not being there for the last day to see the medal ceremony for the young athletes that qualified for the Youth World Chmapionships. Not to mention being able to see 2 time Olympian Rau’shee Warren fight in a showcased bout. But, as many people have told me, being able to go to Opening Ceremonies is an unbelievable opportunity that I should take. So I did, and I will say it was AMAZING!

Since then I have been working on sending the qualifying athletes to the Youth Worlds in Baku, Azerbaijan in April. While I am managing this process I have been working with our Equipment and Apperal Sponsor, Everlast, to come up with outfitting for Team USA when they compete againt Italy at the end of March and beginning of April. I am also in the process of putting a plan together for improving how we can hold our #1 and #2 athletes accountable so we can provide them better support as a NGB.

As you can tell I have been nothing short of busy since I set foot at the OTC, but I would not have it any other way. The intern class is awesome and I am so happy to be here with them. We have a great group of people, I only wish I could spend more time with them. Everyone likes to have a good time and try new things, such as learning Judo during orientation - which was awesome! I am so happy to have this opportunity to work with an NGB and the USOC. This past month has been unforgettable, I can only imagine how great these next few months and hopfully years will be!

Life as a Media Relations intern

2010-02-11T18:40:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, my name is Taylor Thomas and I’m one of the two new Media Relations interns for the Olympic Committee. In May 2009, I graduated with a Public Relations degree from Purdue University (Boiler Up!). I moved here from Muncie, Indiana…home of Garfield and David Letterman. I’ve been in Colorado Springs for a month now, and I absolutely love it. Coming from Indiana, I’m used to looking at miles and miles of cornfields. I still can’t believe that everyday when I look out my window, I get to see Pikes Peak. Since being here, I’ve met great friends from all around the country. We’ve gone to a USA Women’s Hockey vs Finland game at the World Arena, hiked Garden of the Gods, spent a weekend in Denver, volunteered for USA Wrestling, and are about to compete in our own Intern Olympics (GO TEAM 2)!

The first weekend we were here, most of the interns went a few miles away to Garden of the Gods. Garden of the Gods is a public park which has numerous trails for hiking, walking, mountain biking, rock climbers, and horseback riding. Interns, Courtney, Megan, and I hiked for about an hour, while taking gorgeous pictures of the red rock as well as Pikes Peak.

Last week, as an intern class, we went to see the USA Women’s Hockey team play in their final scrimmage against Finland. The US team won 5-1! This was my first professional hockey game and I absolutely loved it. Considering I can’t even skate backwards, these women were amazing.

I can’t believe I am working for the United States Olympic Committee. In a short amount of time, I have learned so much since being here. It’s extremely exciting to work for the USOC right now because of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. Since I work in media relations, we are very busy dealing with media requests, producing Athlete of the Month nominations, writing scripts for ‘Going for the Gold’ Vodcast videos, and handling fan mail.

Living on the Olympic Training Center is surreal. I would’ve never thought that growing up, I’d be working at the place where ‘amazing awaits’. I’m constantly surrounded by the best of the best athletes which represent our country in competition every four years.

I can’t wait for what the next four months here in Colorado Springs brings. I’m extremely lucky to have this opportunity. I love the group of interns here, and am having so much fun everyday.

Hello from sunny California!

2010-02-11T16:00:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

My name is Dana Leenheer and I am the Venue Operations Intern at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center in sunny California. I recently graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Sport Management, GO BLUE! I am originally from Grand Rapids, MI. I had never visited California before this internship. The weather here is amazing! It has been in the 60s to 70s and at least partly sunny almost everyday I have been here, except for a brief rain storm one weekend. I guess Ann Arbor, Michigan just received 10 inches of snow over the past couple of days, so I feel like I am in paradise here.

As I said earlier I am the Venue Operations Intern at the CVOTC. I have really enjoyed the experience so far. The internship has changed week to week so it definitely keeps me on my toes. My job entails working with venues, transportation, administration, events, and other areas as needed with my main focus being venues/events. The people I have met here are awesome and I am learning a lot about how the Olympic movement functions and how that relates to how a training center operates.

This past weekend we held the So Cal BMX Nationals here at the training center. This was my first experience working with this sport. I had actually never watched a BMX competition on TV or in person before so this was a chance for me to experience the sport and see what it is all about. I was amazed by the wide range of ages of the participants. There was a 5 year old and under category all the way up to 40 and over!

I love it here in California and would highly recommend this internship to anyone wanting to learn about this area of the sport industry. I feel very lucky and honored to be a part of this program, and I am excited to see what the next 4 months bring!

Dana Leenheer
Venue Operations Intern
Chula Vista OTC

I'm Just Livin' the Dream!

2010-02-05T15:51:00.000-08:00

Hey,

My name is Spencer Duke. I am an intern in Paralympics (THE best department in the complex) where I work with Community Programs. Though I anticipated having a great experience, I have been shocked with how much I like both the work and the people. It has been really busy, but that's great when you enjoy what you are doing. I'm from Edmond, Oklahoma where I attend the University of Central Oklahoma. Were it not for this great opportunity, I'd be finishing up my junior year as an Exercise and Fitness Management major. I am also a student athletic trainer in the Broncho Athletic Department. (Go Bronchos!)

As I said, I work with Community Programs in the Paralympics department and I consider it the best on complex. We have lots of great things happening. I am currently involved with the Paralympic Experience Vancouver which is an event where we take students and leaders with physical disabilities to the Paralympic Games in Vancouver. I’m also working on the Developing Amazing Leaders Conference which will be held here in Colorado Springs towards the end of my internship.

I can't believe I've written two paragraphs without mentioning how much I LOVE COLORADO. I've been able to experience many new things that simply are not possible in Oklahoma. During our first weekend here, a couple of my fellow interns and I headed out to visit the Garden of the Gods. I had never seen anything like it before and was amazed with the crazy rock formations that I saw. We spent a couple hours hiking the trails and climbing our way up the rocks which was pretty cool.

Shortly after I began the internship, I heard people talking about "The Incline." Being new to the area, I had no idea what they were talking about and soon learned that it was pretty much a big set of stairs on the side of a mountain. I was told it was something that I had to do so my roommate and I decided to give it a shot during our second weekend in Colorado. We thought we'd walk up the stairs to enjoy the view. I heard the warning but never really believed we had anything to worry about. We're both in decent shape, or so I thought we were.

We arrive at the base of the incline and decided we were going to take it slow. Still, we wanted to see what our time would be. We started a timer and began our trek up the incline without a care in the world. 3 minutes later we took our first break. I knew then that we were in way over our heads. My legs were burning, I was already breathing hard, and our adventure had just begun. People began to pass us and we would ask them how much longer it would take until we got to the top, and most of the times we were met with laughs and them saying “You’re saying that now? This is the easy stuff.” We were not pleased, but we pressed on.

As we got higher, it got colder. And people began to pass us at a much quicker rate. We had gone from going 3 minutes between breaks to taking a break every 20-30 seconds. When we stopped, it was no longer just getting a swig of water and catching our breath. Instead we were practically collapsing onto anything we felt safe enough to sit on. One minute breaks to catch up on our breathing became five minute survival periods. We began mapping out our breaks.

After over an hour of this, we finally reached the top. We were thrilled and both of us talked about how that was the hardest thing we had ever done. We took a couple of minutes to enjoy the amazing view. Words don't do justice, so I won't even try. Suffice it to say that we could see everything for many miles to the east and Pike's Peak to the west. We decided to take the long way down on the Barre Trail which was actually pretty cool. The trail was somewhat icy in spots but was a nice change of pace after we nearly killed ourselves on the way up.

So I survived the incline and have many more things planned. I want to ski/snowboard for the first time. My 21st birthday will be happening soon. My girlfriend, Stacey, will get to come out and visit. The 2nd Intern Olympics will be taking place (I guarantee a win for Team Number Four!). And all the while I get to work on behalf of some of the most inspiring athletes in the world.

This opportunity has already been a life changing blessing and I get to do it for four more months. Sweet!

Spencer Duke
Paralympic Community Programs
Colorado Springs OTC

Getting Ready for Vancouver!

2010-01-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

My name is James Snyder and I am the Strength and Conditioning Intern at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center. As you can imagine, with the Winter Olympics just a few weeks away things are heating up in frigid northern New York. Located about one hour from the Canadian border, Lake Placid is a quaint little ski town nestled in the midst of the beautiful Adirondack Mountains. Lake Placid hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games and a number of the venues used for the games are still in use today (including the Arena from the 1980 USA Hockey “Miracle” on Ice).

In my three weeks here I have been exposed to the daily training of a very unique group of athletes that I normally only see compete every 4 years during the Winter Olympics. The resident athletes here in LP compete in a variety of Winter Sports that all require distinctly different types of athleticism. The “sliding sports” consist of skeleton (head-first), luge (on your back), and bobsled (I’m sure you’ve seen Cool Runnings!). This cliffnotes description of each sport doesn’t tell the whole story obviously, but check out these competitions in Vancouver to see them in action! These athletes need the strength and power of a football player to accelerate the sleds across the ice at the start, but also require the fine motor control of a race car driver in order to steer the sled to the bottom without crashing! Definitely very exciting to watch…check out THIS youtube video taken in Lake Placid...The athletes here practice their “sliding” a few times a week and as an intern we’re allowed to go watch practices and participate as well. I’m really looking forward to taking a trip down the track in a bobsled sometime in the near future!

A number of skiers also call the LP OTC their home. This past weekend I had the chance to watch them compete in a World Cup event hosted in Lake Placid. The World Cup is the premier competition circuit for a number of the Winter Sports. I was most impressed by the Freestyle (Aerials) Competition. This event is held on a steep hillside and consists of a skier coming down the slope and jumping off a ramp into the air while flipping and spinning and finally landing on two feet (hopefully!). These daredevils were incredible to watch and I was particularly blown away by how hard the landing looked. Watching some of these athletes limping around the next day with ice on their knees confirmed my notion that this sport must hurt! A popular skiing destination in the Northeast, Whiteface Mountain is only a few minutes away from the LP OTC, and a few of my fellow interns have spent time during the weekend out on the slopes (just downhill skiing though, no flips for us!).

During my time working I have helped Jason Hartman (Strength and Conditioning Coordinator here in LP) with the design and implementation of resistance training programs for our resident athletes. This past week we also put together an article for NBC about developing training programs for young children. Having the chance to talk with Jason on a regular basis about training theory and learning a bit more about his philosophy as a strength coach has been without a doubt the most beneficial aspect of this internship so far. As an aspiring coach, learning things from a textbook means very little if you cannot apply it to real-world situations. Basing one’s practice on solid evidence is what separates true professionals from hacks (there are already PLENTY of them in the Fitness World…) I’m really looking forward to working with Jason throughout this internship and learning more about the role of strength training in developing Olympic athletes.

One of the unique and refreshing aspects of being up here in Lake Placid is the close-knit group of people I’ve been privileged to work with. All of the administrative folks, maintenance workers, housekeeping staff, and interns are on a first name basis with one another. This family-like feel has made adjusting to living in a new place quite easy. My co-workers are very approachable and quick to offer advice and suggestions about where to eat downtown or what sites we should try to see on weekends. I’ve really enjoyed my first few weeks in Lake Placid and am looking forward to the rest of the semester!

James Snyder
Strength and Conditioning Intern
Lake Placid OTC

Goodbye Colorado Springs OTC! :-(

2009-12-17T15:41:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

My name is Brenna Davis and I intern in the International Relations Department in Colorado Springs. It’s hard to believe, but this is the final week of my internship and I’ll be headed home to Philadelphia in a few days. As I sit here thinking about the past three and half months interning for the USOC, I still can’t believe that I was lucky enough to have had this opportunity and it has been one of the best experiences of my life. It’s a little challenging to summarize how amazing everything has been, but I will do my best!

My internship itself included working on events involving international athletes, coaches and National Olympic Committee members. I coordinated logistics for these events before they took place and assisted with their implementation as well. One of the biggest projects I worked on was a coaching enrichment program for coaches from 27 different countries around the world. It was great to learn about all the different cultures and show them around Colorado. We went to Pike’s Peak, Garden of the Gods and even a Denver Nuggets game. The USOC is such a unique place to work. Everyone is very knowledgeable and passionate about what they do and the hard work and dedication of the athletes is truly inspiring.

This whole experience wouldn’t be nearly as awesome as it was if it weren’t for all of the other interns. I can honestly say that I have made some really great friends and it is already proving to be difficult to say goodbye to everyone as they have begun trickling home in this last week. It was definitely a bit like reliving freshman year of college at times since we lived in a dorm, but living together really gave us a chance to get to know each other well. We did so many fun things together throughout the semester. Some of my all time favorite highlights would have to be hiking the Incline, the Intern Olympics and learning sports from Olympic athletes, celebrating Halloween, visiting Denver, Thanksgiving at Breckenridge, skiing at Keystone (first time skiing out west!) and going to various sporting events at the Air Force Academy. Colorado Springs has also been a great city to live in and it’s extremely different from what I’m used to. We all enjoyed spending time downtown and admiring the beautiful views of Pike’s Peak.

I can’t imagine this internship being any better than it was and I am so grateful for every minute of it. Thank you to everyone who made this experience so great, I will miss you all! To future interns, I hope you guys have as much fun as I did and enjoy everything the USOC and Colorado have to offer!

Brenna

Near the end...

2009-12-07T14:26:00.000-08:00

My name is Jake Billadeau, Strength and Conditioning intern at the Colorado Springs OTC. I have made my way here from a place far far away which is known as Fort Collins, Colorado. This internship is the final component to my undergraduate degree at Colorado State University (We’re the Rams, not the Buffs). Although it would have been nice to venture away from Colorado for a semester, I honestly could not imagine a better place to finish my education. I say this not only because of the ridiculous amount that I have learned from the OTC strength staff, but the people that I have met, and the things that I have done.

The Strength and Conditioning department’s mission is to support United States Olympic and Paralympic athletes in achieving sustained competitive excellence and preserve the Olympic ideals, and thereby inspire all Americans. Therefore, my duty is to create an environment that provides an athlete with the opportunity to achieve optimal physical athleticism. My responsibilities here are to help the athletes and to assist the support staff. Each day has been an opportunity to assist with program design and implementation, lifting technique, spotting, etc. I was told that the knowledge and ability that I will walk away with after this experience will be based on what I put into it. That being said, I made sure to do all that I could that will further prepare me for career with athletes.

I have met some amazing people during my time in Colorado Springs as well. My co-workers are incredibly knowledgeable, passionate about their work, and fun to be around. The athletes that I work with are some of the hardest working, self-motivated individuals that I have ever had the privilege of working with. The other USOC interns are the people that I spend majority of my free time with. Living amongst all the USOC interns has been comparable to my freshman year of college, except more enjoyable. It’s hard to think that we have done all that we have while working full time. So far we have hiked Pike’s Peak, traveled to Denver and Breckenridge, regularly embrace downtown Colorado Springs with our presence, and I have recently returned from a nice, relaxing, and quiet trip to Las Vegas (To name a few anyway). Being around one another for as long as we have has created friendships that I am sure will continue to last after we finish here at the USOC.

I could not imagine a better place to finish my college career, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to do what I am doing with the people that I am with…except Andy. DE DERP DER DERBS!

Jake

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-01T14:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from Colorado Springs! My name is Megan Coffey and I am an intern in the broadcast department. I must say that I am one of the lucky ones because I love my department, the people I work with, and the work that I do. This is my 4th (yes count it, 4th internship!) and one of my favorites because I have been able to learn and participate in so much already. Our department every week edits together the Amazing Moments and Going for the Gold that are featured on our website, TeamUSA.org. We also work directly with other departments and NGB's on any videos that they may need for upcoming events and conferences to help build the Olympic Spirit. We are also in charge of any and all Olympic footage and the rights that go with using the footage. Our department is always busy, whether it is putting together videos for the web or making dub reels for another company on footage that they requested. It really is a fun job because there is so much opportunity to be creative and with the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver there is so much to do!

We are just about to wrap up our last few weeks as fall interns at the USOC and it is getting real sad. We have spent the last 3 months eating together, working together, living together, and basically exploring Colorado together. Thanksgiving just passed and about 19 of us interns who did not go home for the holidays all pitched in and rented a cabin in Breckenridge for 4 days. It was one amazing trip! We made sure to cook a legit (well, as legit as you can get) thanksgiving dinner for us to enjoy that included a turkey, 2 full chickens, homemade stuffing, hasbrown casserole, corn, green bean casserole, chicken and dumplings, bread, pumpkin pie... you name it, we almost had it! It took us all night Wednesday night and literally all day to cook and prepare all the food - especially since none of us had ever cooked at a high altitude (we were 10,000 ft high!) and everything takes longer to cook.But I must make a mad props to my roomate Emily who not only planned the entire trip but the food menu as well. She ran that kitchen like a true chef and everything went so smoothly, we had all the food ready by 5:30.

It was a wonderful thanksgiving meal shared by all fellow interns. And we are proud to say we are the first class to ever go on a thanksgiving trip together!

Since it is getting into the BRRRRRRRRR cold and snowy-like season, most of the interns have been planning as many ski and snowboarding trips as they can. Being from Chicago and the "flatlands" as they call it, I don't get a beautiful scenic view like the mountains everyday. And boy is it beautiful! I still wake up in awe when i look out my window and see the snow-capped Pikes Peak straight ahead. I can at least say I am trying as much as I can out here since I normally did not do many outdoor activities back at home. Everyone here has been great as well in doing the activities together and making fun group outings out of it.

Coming out here has been one of the best experiences and I hope the next intern classes to come can experience everything that we have been able to.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Megan

Lovely Lake Placid

2009-11-20T13:09:00.000-08:00

I can’t comprehend why anyone would want to live up here; I’m from south Florida and I don’t care what anyone says, it’s colder than the dickens. Anyhow, this internship has been an experience like no other, there is no doubt about that. Besides the temperatures I’ve never experienced before, it has been eye-opening watching the different and unique types of athletes at the Lake Placid OTC. When I first got here, I had no clue what biathlon, luge, or skeleton was, but over time I’ve began to respect the athletes within each sport as well as the technical skills and ability each athletes must posses to compete in their respective sport. It’s getting annoying having to explain to all of my friends what each sport is; I’ve dumbed down luge to sliding on your back, skeleton to sliding on your stomach face-first, and biathlon to hunting on skis.

In the weight room, it has been a test of wits and patience when the international athletes are around and a test of knowledge when the US athletes are around asking for help and advice. It has been both affirming and expanding of my expertise within the field to know such athletes trust what I know and have to tell them to help them to excel. And when there are no athletes around, I usually take the time to pick Jason’s brain about college, training, life, etc, or do my own research on things I’ve discussed with him previously. Between training the athletes, researching, talking with Jason, and cleaning there isn’t a whole lot of down time. No quarrels here.
It made my transition here much more tolerable when I knew that I would have a solid friendship with the other interns. We’ve had our fair share of fun within the legal limits of our internship (as far as I can remember) which has been just as rewarding as what I do while I’m on the clock. Between the festivals, bars, and sport events, there is usually something to be experienced and enjoyed in Lake Placid…some being more foreign and bizarre then others but that’s a horse of a different color.
I plan to make the most of my last month here while I continue to pray for the snow to hold off.
-Zac Nicholas

Hello everybody, I’m Dustin du Bois the operations intern in Lake Placid. I graduated from Lynchburg College in Virginia, and I am finishing up my last semester of Graduate School at Virginia Commonwealth University in Sports Administration and Management. In case you do not know much about Lake Placid, it is in upstate New York, 2 hours from both Albany and Montreal. Pretty much you could say we are in middle of nowhere out here. The closest airports are both 2 hours away, one being in Albany and the other in Burlington, Vermont. Many tourists come through Lake Placid to see the 1980 ice arena where the “miracle on ice” took place, and to see the many other Olympic sites. From the bobsled and luge tracks, to the ski ramps and jumps, there are many attractions that make this such an interesting town. It tends to snow a lot here as well, usually starting in December. Now a days the temperature is around 20 degrees in the morning but warms up to around 45-50 during the day. Enjoy the beach Chula Vista.

I have had a great time and wonderful experience living and working at the training center in Lake Placid. With the Vancouver Olympics less than 100 days away, many athletes are preparing for their World Cup seasons and Olympic trials. Every week we get different sports and new athletes, so there is never much down town. Last week figure skaters from all around the world came to compete is Skate America for 4 days. The day they left, over 100 bobsled and skeleton athletes checked in. Therefore, as you can tell we have been staying extremely busy. It has been fun to meet athletes from so many countries and learn about their sport and culture.

As the operations intern, I am mainly responsible for scheduling transportation and rooms for the athletes coming and leaving. Seeing that the closest airport is 2 hours away, it is not good when an athlete is left at either the training center or airport. Therefore, transportation is one of the most important jobs of the operations team here. I also make sure everything is working in our two Athlete Service Center’s, assist the Res. Life Coordinator in planning theme nights and activities, and making sure the roster and records are ready when the teams arrive.

I have really enjoyed my time spent here in Lake Placid, and is a place I would like to return to at some point. Everybody in the city and training center are friendly and great to be around. It has been interesting reading everybody’s blogs and sounds like everybody has had an equally enjoying experience. Best of luck to everybody.

Straight Outta Placid

2009-11-19T20:23:00.000-08:00

Hey guys and girls. My name is Bob Landsparger, and I am the intern for the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (USBSF) in Lake Placid, N.Y. Before you even say anything, yes I applied for the bobsled and skeleton federation only because my name was in it. In case you forgot, I was part of that motley crew that caused a ruckus during the intern assimilation because we couldn’t hear the speaker. I graduated from Grove City College, a tiny school between Pittsburgh and Erie, in May with a B.S. in Marketing Management and a minor in Communication Studies. I’m planning on using my education and my experience with the USBSF to help me land a career in either the sports or entertainment industry.

When it comes to this blog, I was in a pickle because I also write a blog for the USBSF, so I didn’t know if I should write a new entry or use my latest USBSF post . . . I chose the second option. If you like this entry, and you want to read more, then visit bobsled.teamusa.org/. You could also read blogs from some of our athletes while you are there. Now who doesn’t like shameless advertising plugs?

U.S. bobsled and skeleton team trials took place here in Lake Placid during my little break from the blog. Instead of writing a little snippet in the summary post, I wanted to make one entry about team trials. Since we already have the press releases about the race results on the website, this post will be about the quirkier stories.

Bobsled and skeleton athletes usually have several training days to get acquainted to the track before completions over the next two or three days, so I attended one of the training sessions the week prior to the races with Josh Smith, the Medical Coordinator for the USBSF. I was excited because it was my first time seeing the athletes slide this season. I also had the opportunity to watch the practice runs on the track catwalk, instead of watching the sliders behind a wooden fence a couple feet away from the track. I was literally a couple inches away from the track. We were between turns 18 and 19, which is one of the most difficult sections of the track. It sounds like a recipe for disaster to have me, a very clumsy person, standing right by a very difficult section while bobsleds are flying down around 70 to 80 miles per hour.

On the first day of team trials, I arrived at the start house, where a three-foot tall snowman greeted me from the observation deck. As I made my way in, one of the first people I saw was 2009 World Champion Justin Olsen. I didn’t want to distract him before he started sliding, but he noticed me and said, “You can’t do it. You just can’t do it.” That statement confused me for the longest time until we had a heart-to-heart conversation during the intermission from the bobsled races. Now when I say heart-to-heart conversation, I do not mean we talked about politics, sports, life in general, etc. We discussed how I’m not able to go from a cold place to a hot place because my glasses will fog. You learn something new every day here in Lake Placid.

The next day started off normal as usual: helped out the staff, interacted with the athletes, acted like the paparazzi by taking a billion photos of the athletes and the scenery; you know normal stuff. Somewhere in the break between the skeleton heats, I noticed that I scuffed up one of my shoes. I said to myself, “Man, it’s my second day wearing these shoes, and one has already taken a beating. Wait a tick. I’m wearing two different shoes.” The shoes I wore were similar in color with one slightly darker and taller than the other one. I know my parents will be shaking their heads in disgust when they read this, so are you proud of me mom and dad?

My first instinct told me to have solid support system, so I told Adelle about my dilemma. Instead of consoling me, she wanted me to take a picture of my fashion faux pas, so I did. This is what I get for letting my roommate sleep in peace while I get ready for work in complete darkness. I had to come up with a story to hide this mistake, and I created two stories: My right leg is longer than my left leg, and I love to step in puddles with my left foot. The only highlight from this fiasco was when I tricked Noelle. After her second run, Noelle walked up to me and asked me if I’m having a better chance staying warm today than yesterday. I told her I had a bigger problem to deal with and showed her the shoes. What is her immediate response from seeing the shoes you may ask? “Awww. One’s drenched.” Noelle, thank you for making my day a tad bit better. At least someone bought my puddle story.

That’s all that went down during the first portion of the team trials. There was exciting competition and had some laughs along the way. After watching my first competition, I can’t wait for the World Cup this weekend. If you live near Lake Placid, come up and cheer on the team. If you can’t attend the races, go to Universal Sports and watch the competition online. I can promise you one thing: I promise I will not wear mismatching shoes during the races.

Is This Real Life?

2009-11-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

Hi! Allow me to introduce myself:

That’s right. I split my time between writing press releases and organizing monster truck rallies for USA Swimming.

I graduated from UC Berkeley last year with a BA in Mass Communications and a minor in Portuguese. I’m currently a graduate student in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership at the University of Washington. I am the lone Colorado Springs intern from California (!) – hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area to be exact.

As the Communications Intern for USA Swimming, I have been able to write press releases, create media guides, and various other responsibilities that interest the sports information nerd that I am. The most exciting experiences of my internship have resulted from my work with the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative, which seeks to teach water safety skills to children. I had the opportunity to work at a Make a Splash event in Denver featuring Olympic gold medalist, Cullen Jones. I also interviewed Cullen about his work with Make a Splash and his experiences since the 2008 Olympics for a feature in USA Swimming’s Splash magazine.

The opportunity to move out here and participate in the USOC Internship Program was one that I could not pass up. This year has been full of adventures, and I am excited to be living in Colorado and experiencing everything this internship and the area have to offer. I feel like I try or see something new every week.

One of the most exciting activities for this class of USOC interns has been the Intern Olympics. I can now say that I’ve tried judo, wheelchair basketball, team handball, and fencing. No calls from any national teams yet. I think I’ll hold on to my day job.

I am incredibly grateful to have been given the opportunity to live with all these great interns, interact with elite athletes on a daily basis, and immerse myself in the Olympic movement. I hope you are enjoying the Intern Blog!

It's always sunny in California

2009-10-28T11:17:00.001-07:00

Hey there! I’m Santiago Pérez, Strength & Conditioning Intern at the Chula Vista OTC. I have to say first that it has been great being able to have other interns share their experiences through the blog and reading how each one is doing during this great opportunity we all have had the honor of being a part of.

I am sure that everyone at least has an idea of where Chula Vista is, but for those who don’t it is located just south of San Diego, basically in the same metropolitan area. The Olympic Training Center is set on the very eastern edge of the city, which makes for a fantastic location in terms of scenery and away from any city noise, covering a large piece of land (over 150 acres if I recall correctly). There are several sports training here, whether they are resident, non-resident, or short-term training camps, which are Track & Field, BMX, Kayak/Canoe, Rowing, Field Hockey, Archery, Soccer, all the way to even Bobsled and Ski.

As for me, I’m originally from Paraguay. I came to the United States 5 years ago on a Track & Field college scholarship which took me to Idaho, Kansas, and many states in between. I’m currently finishing my Masters degree at Midwestern State University, which is located in Wichita Falls, Texas. Having the opportunity to work as a Strength & Conditioning Intern at the OTC is by far the best experience I’ve had in terms of my career formation. I have the pleasure of working every day with elite athletes from several different sports on all facets of their physical training, and let me tell you it does not get any better than this. I am undoubtedly living the dream. I have always been a huge fan of the Olympics and its ideals, so having the honor of being an Intern here is something that will stay with me forever.

In addition, living in the Center has been one of the most interesting parts of the Internship. Being able to spend time interacting with the athletes in the OTC has been a great opportunity to meet great people and make new friends, as well as getting to know the ins and outs of the lives of professional athletes, their struggles, sacrifices, hardships, and the success, passion for what they do, and gratifying moments that make all the latter tough moments worthwhile.
Having lived most of my life here in the US in the Midwest, coming to California was an exciting experience. I never knew it would have been this great. Everything from the people to the weather makes this an amazing place to be in. And for all those of you who thought you knew what great weather was, if you haven’t been in southern California you don’t know what perfect climate is. San Diego is an exciting city with a lot to offer which I try to take advantage of during my free time, primarily on the weekends. Having the beach near DEFINITELY does not hurt either. It is late October and this weekend I enjoyed a beautiful warm day at the beach with some friends getting hit by waves and playing beach soccer (sorry CS and LP, snow is pretty and all but can’t beat the beach!).

I am grateful I have the chance of sharing my experiences of the Internship Program in this blog. This is truly a unique and fantastic experience that only a select few have the chance to partake in, and I am honored to be one of them. I wish all the interns on all OTCs the best during the remaining of their internships. I hope you are learning from this great experience and enjoying every moment of it.

Best of luck and take care!

Santiago Pérez

I don't know how to put this but this internship is kind of a big deal...

2009-10-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hi all this is Tom Therkildsen and I am from Rochester, NY, which is upstate between Buffalo and Syracuse. I just recently graduated in May of 2009 from the University of Massachusetts with a B.S. in Sport Management and a minor in economics. I am currently an intern with US Paralympics, specifically with the military programs. My experiences both in and out of the workplace have been both rewarding and enjoyable.

My internship experience within the workplace has mainly revolved around the military sport camps that US Paralympics runs, which are are co-sponsored by the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs. These camps are multi-day events and took place in San Antonio, TX at Fort Sam Houston army base and in San Diego at the Naval Air Station North Island. These camps are designed to engage physically disabled veterans and military servicemen in sports and physical activities to help in the rehabilitation process and get them back on their feet. Many veterans struggle with their disability and sport is an avenue for them to reconnect and realize that there is life after injury. Additionally, certain individuals with the potential for higher competition are identified for possible training for the Paralympic Games. My responsibilities for these camps were assisting in registrations, confirmations, travel and accommodations and the role of one of four team leaders during the actual camp. As a group leader I was responsible for ¼ of the camp members and was able to participate with them in many of the sports such as wheelchair basketball, sit volleyball, hand cycling, archery, equestrian, strength and conditioning, and track and field. Many of my group members shared their stories with me and mentioned that this was one the best weeks they’ve had in years. It was great to travel to these camps and it was very inspiring to see the veterans participate in these camps.

Away from the workplace has been great as well. Being surrounded by mountains, the scenery here is incredible and I have been able to experience Colorado through hiking the incline (where yes I was beaten by Liz), the cog rail up Pike’s Peak, the Garden of the Gods, the Royal Gorge, Jack Quinn’s weekly runs, a Colorado Rockies game, a frigid Air Force football game, and many other activities and nights out with the intern class. My fellow interns are a good group and we have had a good time throughout our internships to date. Together we have been participating in the Intern Olympics which was previously mentioned and we are also spending Thanksgiving break together in Breckenridge. I’m sure there are more great experiences to come in the second half of our internship (right chillens?). Be sure to read subsequent posts about the other intern’s experiences inside and outside the USOC.

Tom Therkildsen

Greetings From Sunny Southern California!

2009-10-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

HOWDY!

Blake Davis here. I'll be the first to say I'm the proudest member of the fighting Texas Aggie class of '10! (Beat you to it Meredith :-P) I'm a senior Kinesiology major at Texas A&M in College Station, Tx. I'm doing my internship in the sports medicine department at the training center in Chula Vista, which for those of you who don't know, is about 20 minutes away from downtown San Diego, and only 5 minutes away from the border of Mexico! So we see border patrol in and around the complex all the time which is always fun. In the sports medicine clinic, I have a wide variety of tasks I get to do, from assisting the athletic trainers in various forms of treatment to maintenance of the athletes medical records and scheduling athletes for massage therapy.

There is definitely something special about being a part of the USOC family. I've met so many amazing people so far and hopefully there will be many more to come. The athletes and their devotion to their sports just amazes me and it's been a real priviledge helping them in the sports medicine clinic. There's no way I could sum up all of the experiences I've had the priviledge of having here at the OTC in this blog, but I'll try and give you guys some of the highlights.

*Getting to be an EMT and participate on the sidelines of the BMX world competition that the training center held. It was incredible, there were athletes from over 20 countries, and to be there and watch the USA men and women who we work on so frequently in sports med, compete was a really cool thing to see.

*Taking a lot of the staff out to a local dance hall because everyone kept asking me, 'now how exactly does the Texas two-step dance go' and getting to teach everyone how to do it!

*Surfing lessons! People here really love to go surfing, there are many athletes and staff that regularly make trips out to the beaches to hit up some 'good surf'. And yes, these crazy californians really do surf year-round!

*When concert's don't fully sell-out the olympic training center gets the tickets for really cheap! So far, I've been able to see Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley and Def Leppard for about $6.00 a ticket, so thats been really fun, because it almost seems like every other weekend another famous performer is in town.

*Getting to meet and interact with all the athletes and famous coaches I've always dreamed about meeting. I still can't get over it, because watching the beijing olympic games I recognize so many athletes that we work with on a regular basis. We have people from Kayaking, Track and Field, Cycling, Field Hockey, Rugby, Soccer, along with so many others!

I can't believe I've done so much in the short month and a half that I've been here. I'm looking forward to what life has in store for me as I finish up the rest of the semester here at Olympic Training Center in the Intern program. I look forward to writing more in this as the semester continues along!

Thanks and Gig 'Em, (Aggie thing)

Blake Davis

Greetings from the West

2009-10-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

Andy Carl here, USA Badminton Intern, darn glad to meet you. It’s pretty tough following up all of these great blog posts, and in the fear of being redundant, I’ll try not to overlap any of the happenings that have already been touched upon.

Needless to say, the USOC internship program, thus far, has been an enriching and fulfilling experience. With apologies for sounding cliché, the past month and a half living away from Philadelphia (my adopted hometown) and Reading (my real one) has been both refreshing and enlightening.

The first item that comes to mind when I think of the internship process is the living situation. I feel as though the nostalgic atmosphere that embodies the living quarters and cafeteria take us students back to the days of being bright-eyed freshman. The interactions and closeness that surrounds the entire internship class are valued and comforting.

As for the auxiliary events that bookend our 8am-5pm workdays, I couldn’t have asked for better opportunities. One that really stands out is the National League Divisional Series between the Colorado Rockies (booooo, that’s what we do in Philly) and the 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies. I attended Game 3 at a frigid Coors Field with Emily Cox, another intern, as well as Game 4 with interns Adam Andrasko and Meg Coffey. Both games, the Phillies came out of the heart-wrenching scuffle on top, catapulting them to the National League Championship Series against the L.A. Dodgers.

As my fellow interns can attest, I get a bit heated and emotional during games. With the Phillies now advancing to the World Series, they will probably see less and less of me on most week nights as the games are played. However, I have a very supportive class of interns that make the agonizing grind of playoff baseball bearable.

We have a good amount of fun events on the horizon, including the continuation and culmination of the Intern Olympic Games. The games have been a great experience thus far, allowing interns to get involved with sports and Olympians that they probably wouldn’t have the opportunity to otherwise.

I look forward to reading the other intern’s posts, including the recap of great events such as our Thanksgiving cabin trip and other social activities.

Carl. Out.

True Life: I Have the Best Job in the World!

2009-10-12T09:40:00.000-07:00

Howdy!

I am Meredith Collier, the Media Relations and Communication Intern at U.S. Figure Skating. If you couldn't tell from my greeting I'm from Texas - Comfort, Texas (near San Antonio) to be exact. I'm a senior communication major and Spanish minor at Texas A&M University. Whoop!

First of all, I'd like to say check out Brandon Bodie's video blog. It's phenomenal! The Air Force vs. TCU game was the second coldest football game I've been to (Army/Navy 2007 was colder, but less wet and windy so it was actually much more pleasant)...I'm surprised we made it to half time! Go Falcons! Nevertheless, we had fun being together and watching all of the TCU fumbles--we Texans aren't used to playing football in freezing temperatures!

I have had some of the greatest experiences of my life since coming to "the Springs". (That's what the cool people in Colorado call it.) Each day here is a blessing and I thank God for every moment of my internship.

Each morning I ride to work with fellow U.S. Figure Skating intern and my favorite Minnesotan, Liz. We jam out to everything from Juanes and Mana to Colby Caillat or Lady Gaga. We take turns driving and get to work on the most beautiful end of town, just at the base of the Rockies and right next to the historic Broadmoor Hotel. Of course, during short breaks at work, we, along with Synchronized Skating intern Lauren Magliola, make each other cubicle art of our favorite skaters including our hero Johnny Weir (pictured right). I get to do some really cool stuff at work, including most of the Synchronized Skating Media Guide! My boss, Scottie is one of the funniest people I know, and I enjoy the office antics that go on between her and the rest of the Marketing and Communication Department.

Some really cool stuff I've been able to do in my first month here:

Hike the Incline: one vertical mile of sheer terror and lung malfunction. I did this by myself one Sunday afternoon. Four other interns and I attempted this one day after work, but only made it about 50 meters due to one of Colorado's famously sudden thunder/lightning/flood storms. We were seriously dodging lightning bolts. In the words of Manitou Springs native Ian Jaray, "If you see lightning, GET OFF THE MOUNTAIN!" We didn't take those words to heart until after we heard a third crash of thunder at the same time as we saw the lightning.

Learn judo. The U.S. Judo Team was extremely gracious in teaching us some throws and holds during Intern Assimilation Day. That is probably the best way to relieve any kind of stress. It was amazing to throw and get thrown by a World gold medalist!

Play wheelchair basketball. Three-time Paralympic medalist Josh George showed our intern class how to play the game and refereed an entire tournament. It was so much fun to play, even though I couldn't get the ball to reach the basket for the life of me and somehow got catapulted out of my chair onto my knees and face.

Experience cold weather. Believe it or not, it only snows about once every three years in San Antonio, and it never sticks for a full 24 hours. This semester, it has already snowed, and currently everything is frozen! For some reason I thought it was still OK to wear shorts and a polar fleece all day Saturday during freezing temperatures. I had to explain to the other interns that I've spent many a Christmas in shorts and a t-shirt.

Go to two Air Force football games. I've adopted the Falcons as my team for the semester, despite being the sister of a Naval Academy grad. The first game we went to was a hot 85 degrees (still very mild to me). The second was 22 degrees and included a freezing mist. Both times we got t-shirts from the USAFA, thanks to intern Adam and his Air Force Academy contact, Brandon. I believe we're going to a USAFA Hockey game soon, too!

I'm still amazed that I get to be here every time I pass an Olympic/Paralympic hopeful on campus or have a fun day (which is every day) with my fellow interns. I will cherish the late-night intern gatherings in the lounge, the frequent Selena dance parties with my wonderful roommate Jayla, the daily gourmet meals in the Athlete Center, the long walks through Memorial Park, the weekly boxing lessons with fellow intern Sara, and the nights dancing at Cowboys downtown forever.

There is truly no better way to describe than the phrase we frequently see at the USOTC: "Amazing awaits." That was the first thing I saw upon arriving last month and amazing is what I've experienced ever since.

Go USA!

-Meredith

Baby, It's COLD Outside! (Air Force vs. TCU Football Game)

2009-10-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

A group of warriors/interns made the very cold trip to the Air Force v. TCU game, and the video above chronicles the saga. Enjoy!

-Brandon Bodie, Fall 2009 Intern and LOVIN' it!

Living in the Moment

2009-10-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Vanessa Virbitsky. I was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pa. and received a BA in Journalism (Advertising/Public Relations) and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh where I was on the gymnastics and track-and-field teams. Now, I am working on my MA in Public Relations-Sport Communication at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. where I worked as the graduate assistant gymnastics coach and will return as a graduate assistant in the Sports Information Department.

Currently, I’m three months into a six month internship in the Media & Public Relations Department at the U.S. Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs, Colo., and I LOVE MY JOB.

Why do I love my job?

My walk to the office includes an unobstructed view of Pikes Peak (14,100’)
I eat three meals a day in a dining hall whose mission is to provide the highest quality foods for the highest quality performance
There is daily mingling with elite-caliber athletes in the dining hall, on the Olympic Path, in the weight room and in the dorms

My colleagues and mentors are passionate, energetic and bright individuals who have dedicated their lives to communicating the goals, dreams and ambitions of America’s athletes

I am, and always have been, passionate about the vision and ideals of the Olympic Movement

Basically, it’s hard not to smile at the end of a work day, and mainly because I go to sleep knowing I get to do the same thing again tomorrow!

Although it’s difficult to choose the single greatest moment of my internship, one of the best opportunities I’ve had so far was attending the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit, Sept. 9-12 in Chicago, Ill. Outside of the Olympic Games, this is the biggest event put on by our department.

The purpose of the Media Summit is to aggregate media, athletes, coaches and USOC spokespeople in the same building, at the same time. This provides a convenient format for all involved and, most importantly, allows Olympic hopefuls to receive media coverage without interrupting their training at the most pivotal point in their careers – right before the Olympic Winter Games. The athletes participate in several media formats, including: press conferences, round tables, photo and broadcast sessions, a special session with Olympic broadcasting sponsor NBC and also lifestyle sessions per request by individual media outlets.

My main Media Summit responsibility was to serve as the Athlete Coordinator and point-of-contact for the special lifestyle sessions with an emphasis on Men’s Journal, Sports Illustrated and USA Today. Other sessions included interviews and photo shoots with the American Heart Association, American Profile, ESPN.com, Last Call with Carson Daly, Nike, Rocketboom, US Weekly, the Weather Channel and Wired Magazine. One of the best photo sessions was with ice dancers and Olympic silver medalists Ben Agosto and Tanith Belbin.

There are no words for the pride I have in knowing I had a part in helping these Olympic hopefuls tell their stories to the American public. Also, you can bet that I am going to be one of the first in line to buy the Olympic editions of SI and Men’s Journal this February!

As for Colorado, it's breathtaking to see the majesty of snow dusted mountains at the end of the summer or mile high peaks rising from the clouds. And it doesn't end there; when I pulled into the city limits for the first time, there was the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen – a full arch that stretched so big I couldn't fit the whole thing into my camera. It was one of those moments that burns into your memory, freezes you in time and instinctively makes your lips curve upward.

Since receiving my acceptance to this internship program, I’ve had innumerable “freeze moments,” both personally and professionally, and I am grateful for the opportunities this internship has presented and will, undoubtedly, continue to present. For instance, about one month ago, my intern colleague, Nick Olivier, and I were offered the experience of a lifetime. We were invited by our department to serve as Press Officers at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver! Besides THANK YOU, I again have no words – just endless smiles – to describe this opportunity.

It is an honor to work for the U.S. Olympic Committee and, for me, a dream come true.

GO TEAM USA!

Living the Dream

2009-10-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

My name is Paul Fitzgerald and I'm an intern with the High Performance department in US Fencing. I've been at the Olympic Training Center for a month now. It's hard not to get caught up in the Olympic movement. You walk around the OTC and you see plastered everywhere inspirational quotes and statues of former Olympians. You run into former, current and future Olympians going through their everyday routines. It's easy to feel inspired to be the best at what you do when there are so many reminders of those people that are giving their all to be the best at what they do. However, as an intern, it can be hard to balance the demands of work, the challenges of being away from home, and the opportunity to learn from those in this environment. That is why we have started an Intern Olympics. Our purpose is to better experience the OTC environment through the very sports that our country's athletes compete in. Our Intern Experience has become a true Olympic Experience. Our first event was wheelchair basketball. Our very forgiving instructor was Josh George. He taught us the rules and techniques to be successful during a game. We ran through drills and played 5 on 5. His experience with the sport helped us get used to a game that we would never otherwise have played. We all had a great time and some of us were even a little black and blue from competing so hard. The point was, we all got to experience a new sport and better know a Paralympic athlete. It doesn't get any better than that!

Living and working at the OTC has helped me learn a lot about the athletes and those behind the scenes that support their Olympic dream. Away from the glory of the games are everyday people who are sacrificing school, work, money, relationships, time, unhealthy food, the luxury of being lazy and an otherwise normal life for that ultimate sporting achievement. The athletes are all at the OTC because they are the best at what they do. I'm here to say that so are the employees that make those Olympic dreams possible. There are those in the cafeteria that work tirelessly to feed hoards of hungry athletes. The good news about the dining hall is that all the food is good for you. I don't care how good it tastes, it's still good for you. There are those that clean the facilities that we all use to live and train on a daily basis. This is a mission for which there can never be enough credit given. There are people who administer all the programs and sports governing bodies that make the training of the athletes and the functioning of the entire Olympic Training Center possible. Even though all the aforementioned people aren't who you think of when you take a tour of the OTC, they certainly play a huge part in our athlete's achieving medals. I have found it to be true that you don't have to be an athlete to be elite. Everyone here works hard and performs at the highest level no matter what their job is. I know it doesn't take an inside perspective to know that it takes years of dedication away from the spotlight for those precious few moments in it. But I hope that this inside perspective does give you some insight into those behind the scenes as well. So when you hear the stories from the Beijing Summer Olympics and the upcoming stories about the Vancouver Winter Olympics, I hope you remember that becoming the person in that story also takes hundreds of people at the US Olympic Committee, National Governing Bodies, Olympic training center and yes Interns to help make it all come true.

Keep a lookout for more thoughts and stories from my fellow interns throughout the Fall.

Paul Fitzgerald

Only a few more hours til Chicago 2016

2009-10-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching Project Runway with my roommate Ingrid (she’s awesome) and thought it would be a great time to let you know about my experiences as an intern so far. First of all, my name is Liz Podominick and I am the intern for the U.S. Teams Coordinator of U.S. Figure Skating. I was born and raised in Minnesota and went to the University of Minnesota where I participated on the track and basketball team (a little different than figure skating). It still feels surreal that I am here when I get to look out at the mountains and experience the sunny Colorado weather while being a part of the Olympic Movement.

My day starts out with an amazing breakfast compliments of the OTC dining room (where I eat with Olympians) and gets even better as I carpool with fellow intern Meredith to work (Figure Skating is off campus). During the ride, I learn a little Spanish from Meredith, admire the view of Pikes Peak, and analyze outfits of the local high school students walking to class (not sure about the neon). The day goes by in a flurry as I try to keep up with the constant demand of the internship. When I need a break, I make a sign for Meredith or Lauren (intern for synchronized skating) of our favorite skaters (Johnny Weir inspires me). My boss Julie, besides being from Minnesota as well and automatically making her amazing, has been a great mentor. It boggles my mind how she can do it all. Each day is different and I love how it keeps me on my toes! I feel a big sense of accomplishment when I organize the millions (maybe an exaggeration) of forms we receive daily, email or call the athletes, and send out the team leader box with the event information. Sometimes it is the small victories that make my day, like when I was able to spell Armin Mahbanoozadeh’s name correctly without having to check the master list or having a nice chat with Angelita as I steal some of her candy. I am learning so much about the behind-the-scenes of Figure Skating and have only just scratched the surface.

While I love my home state of Minnesota, Colorado is competing for second place. Besides hanging out with the amazing intern class, Colorado Springs is a perfect place for an outdoor lover like me. Climbing the incline (where I beat Tom and Adam) and Pikes Peak (7 hours later), going to a Denver Broncos and Air Force football game, playing wheelchair basketball for the Intern Olympics (go Team 1), hiking around Red Rock and Garden of the Gods, playing the childhood game of kickball in the park, and running Jack Quinn’s run on Tuesdays are just a few activities I have already checked off my to-do list. That is just in the first month! I cannot wait to see what we plan next and I keep adding to my bucket list. The most recent addition is watching the Vikings beat the Packers on Monday!

As September Sneaks Away

2009-10-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm Adam Andrasko and I am the Athlete Services and Programs intern. I would like to take this opportunity to provide you with a glimpse into my first month at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center. Reach up, grab your seat belt, buckle up tight, and enjoy the ride.
I sit at my desk typing an e-mail and periodically catching a glimpse of the latest edition of SportsCenter on my 46 inch television. At that moment I ask myself, “Could this job get much better?” At that moment Lopez Lomong walks in and we begin talking about his favorite NFL team, the Buffalo Bills. Who would have thought that? The U.S. Olympic flag bearer and my 6 foot 2 inch 300 pound father, who’s nickname is Moose, like the same NFL team. As Chris Berman says, “Nobody circles the wagon like the Buffalo Bills!”

I have been fortunate enough to be at the CSOTC Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center for nearly a month now and anytime I’m asked by my friends and family back home ask what it’s like I have a hard time explaining it. I tend to start by explaining the ASC (Always Sarcastically Cheerful) staff. Sherry Von Riesen, campus mom to all athletes at the CSOTC, provides enthusiasm and laughs to get everyone through their day. It can be unbearable working this close to “Momma Sherry”, but it is obvious how much less fun this place would be without her vintage looks and boisterous personality.

I follow that with my constant interaction with the athletes. I typically bring up Anton Guttfredson’s quirky thoughts on American society, as he studies criminal justice. Anton grew up in the Ukraine and moved to America at the age of thirteen. A close third is everything that Dining Services does for me and, more importantly, for the athletes. It is a first-class dining hall and when Flower finally gets my name right they will be approaching perfection. I often mention the facilities, but it is really the people who have set the OTC apart from other positions I have had.
I believe that now is a good time to introduce the true intern experience at the OTC. Working all day and gaining experience is great, but the town of Colorado Springs and the Rocky Mountains are the real thrill. The intern class has recently climbed the Mount Manitou incline, I toured the Garden of the Gods, I went fly fishing in Eleven Mile Canyon and we “Reached the Peak” Pike’s Peak that is. That list does not include the vast recreational events we have participated in and the laundry list of future plans.

When I took this position I knew it would be a great experience with the opportunity to make some great connections. What I was not prepared for was the high energy and entertainment that the OTC and Colorado Springs has provided. In an attempt to compare it with something I would say it is roughly as fun as a day at an amusement park with Will Farrell and John C. Riley. “You’ve got to shake it before you bake it. Shake-and-Bake.”

THAT JUST HAPPENED!

Thank You

Adam Andrasko

Flying High in Colorado Springs

2009-09-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Nick Olivier. I’m an intern in the U.S. Olympic Committee Media Relations Department. I eat, sleep and work here at the Olympic Training Center in beautiful Colorado Springs.

The state of Colorado is one big playground. While I’m here, I intend to work hard and immerse myself in the internship. But that doesn’t mean I don’t plan on doing some sightseeing while I’m in the Rockies. So far, I’ve seen some live sporting events with my fellow interns, whether it’s the Colorado Rockies or their Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs, the Sky Sox. I’ve already bought tickets for a Denver Broncos game in November but this weekend, me and 23 of my closest friends in the intern program are going to an Air Force football game. We will all caravan to the Academy at 10am Saturday morning to root on the Air Force Falcons as they play the mighty Aztecs of San Diego State University. The game doesn’t start until noon but we plan on getting their when the gates open, two hours prior to kickoff.

You see, all of us interns come from different colleges boasting football programs of all sizes. We all have a favorite team. Personally, I am a graduate of the University of Texas, home of the #2 ranked Longhorns. I am really looking forward to seeing an Air Force game for many reasons. I’m always interested in how other schools and cities celebrate the great institution that is college football. Also, I miss tailgating and watching live football.

Adam, the athlete services intern, called ahead to Air Force Athletics to let them know that the USOC was bringing a big group to the game. As thanks for our support, the Academy will be providing us with free t-shirts and give us some sort of a shout out on the scoreboard. Not bad for $10. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday.

Follow myself, and my fellow interns, here for an inside look at our unique experiences with the United States Olympic Committee this fall.

-Nick

The Opportunity of a Lifetime

2009-09-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the USOC intern blog where I, as well as all of the interns working here this fall, intend to post regular updates about our experiences as interns for the U.S. Olympic Committee, and it's National Governing Bodies, at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO.

My name is Taylor Carlson. I'm from Phoenix, AZ and was selected as an intern for the USOC's New Media Division working for the teamusa.org website. I’m still fairly shocked that I was chosen for this internship in the first place based on my sheer lack of athleticism. However, I am here and over-enthused about the whole deal and intend to fully immerse myself in the culture that is the Olympic Games.

First of all, Colorado Springs is stunning. It is so similar to Flagstaff, where I went to university, that it makes me feel slightly less homesick, allowing me, infrequently, to believe I’m still just two measly hours from home. Homesickness aside, the Olympic Training Center is smack dab in the middle of a quaint residential neighborhood with gorgeous homes and lush trees and grass. We’re just a few blocks from downtown Colorado Springs and ten minutes from Pike’s Peak, Garden of the God’s and Historic Manitou Springs. The Training Center itself is fascinating. There are many resident athletes that eat, sleep, live and, of course, train here as well as numerous members of staff. There is Olympic history memorabilia everywhere ranging from flags representing every participating country in the world, signs detailing all of the Olympic events and statues representing Olympians past and the hopefuls of the present and future.

The atmosphere is static as the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games gets closer and closer. Few winter athletes actually train here regularly but the buzz still envelops this small community. It was intimidating, at first, walking around knowing that you are bypassing Olympic hopefuls or Olympians on the way to the dorms, sitting next to them in the dining hall and exercising near them in the gym. All I can think is: what an incredible opportunity. Here I am, a lowly intern, living next to a potential Olympian. Then I re-focus slightly and realize that they look just like me, except in rather better shape, and the only real difference is that they just happen to be exceptionally good at what they do. I see familiar faces and hear familiar names but I have to constantly re-focus if I intend to reach out to these incredible athletes, get to know them and hear their stories in order for me to be extremely good at what I do, too. It is, essentially, my job here to detail the life of these athletes. To take them off the front of the Wheaties box and put them on your living room couch so you can understand them better as human beings which can make their abilities and Olympic dreams all that much more incredible and relatable to the average Joe.

In the short time I’ve been here (approximately 1 1/2 weeks) I’ve been constantly inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic ideals, the goals and achievements of these Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls and standards of excellence in which they so whole-heartedly believe.

Follow myself, and my fellow interns, here for an inside look at our unique experiences with the United States Olympic Committee this fall. ;-)

Taylor