I don't, but DD goes to the same gym as Johnathan Horton and Chris Brooks (he's an alternative). Johnathan pops over to the cheer side from time to time and he did a judging gig for her practice last year before NCA. She said he is super nice and of course cute.
I graduated high school with a member of the Canadian soccer team. She was born and lived in WI her whole life (until college), but her father is Canadian.
I swam with two girls on the swim team. Haven't seen them in years though, but they were super sweet (younger than me, but I helped out with the younger kids a lot).
ETA: I'm also friends with a paraolympian on the triathlon team.
Post by basilosaurus on Aug 6, 2012 1:57:02 GMT -5
Does it count that I dated a gymnastic alternate? His team won their NCAA championships, but I don't think the US mens team was all that good in the mid 90s, so even if he was on the team, I don't think they were medal contenders. We're still in touch occasionally.
I also knew a Czech rower (my friend's coach). I have no idea if he was a contender, but usually the Czechs do well in that event, so I'll assume he did well.
I know this doesn't count, but a close friend was a contender in distance running for 2008 until an injury took her out. She's awesome, so I hoped she would have another chance in 2012, but work got in the way of her training.
Our very good family friends were on the Australian Olympic team. The mom won a medal for a running event (I'm not sure which event). The dad was also in the Olympics but I don't think he won anything.
My neighbours' son. We know him pretty well, our kids play together. He went for cross-country skiing in 1998. No medals.
DH knows several that were in the women water-polo team in Beijing, and the coach was one of his good friends (H used to play water-polo at the national level). He knows a couple of swimmers too. ETA: oops, it was athens, not beijing. They haven't qualified the last two events.
One of DH's coworkers played water polo for Russia in the Olympics, I think in Sydney. (Side note: this guy is bff with Alexander Ovechkin and his brother is an Olympic hockey player for Russia)
A girl I knew growing up is currently on the US Soccer team.
Yes, quite a few actually. But I work in college sports at a big school. I know some of the athletes better than others, The Olympians I know best are hockey players. Those that play women's hockey are all medal winners, some Canadian, some from the U.S. and two Finns. The goalie for the Finnish Olympic team currently plays for my school and is doing an internship in my office. She works 10 feet away from me.
I know it doesn't count, but I'm putting it out here anyway. A HS classmate is good friends with Michael Phelps and a few other US swimmers.
She is in London now actually, for work. She works for a major athletic wear company (everyone knows the brand name, but its not quite Nike). She keeps posting amazing photos of the Olympics on FB. I'm a little jealous.
This girl has quite the life though. Her college internship consisted of being the princesses at Disney World. She also travels a lot. Like I said, she leads quite the life.
OK, I'm stretching your "friends" definition; sorry. But I was acquainted with Apolo Ohno back in junior high. He went to a different school in my district, but we had friends in common and I also skated at the same rink as him (roller skating, not ice). He stayed close with a few of those friends even when he was no longer attending school in our district... and when he became really famous our senior year of high school (the 2002 Winter Olympics), those friends found his anti-drug commercials hilarious... since Apolo was a pretty big fan of pot.
(On that note, I don't see anything wrong with an athlete smoking pot as a leisure activity. Actually, I'm kind of impressed when a person can do that and still be a world-class athlete. I mean, that proves they have skills. )
No, I know people that went to the trials, but nobody that actually went to the olympics.
This. My godsister was World Champion in rowing in the late 90s but never did well in the Olympic trials, and my husband got to the qualifiers with his team this year.
Post by definitelyO on Aug 6, 2012 11:37:06 GMT -5
I have to answer No - but my friend works for the USOC and is spending the month in London and has met/knows several of the athletes that come from and train in our state.
Yes my high school class mate was in 2008 and 2012 olympics. We are not friends but I know him well as there were only 31 people in my high school class.
A friend of mine was in the 1996 Olympics for swimming. He didn't medal. But he has an awesome ring that he wears that has the olympic rings on it. It's very cool.
Post by Rachael070707 on Aug 6, 2012 13:25:18 GMT -5
I'm not following the rules of "knowing" the people but...
One is a former high school classmate. We hung out here and there but only when it was a bigger group of friends. He's competing in London and also competed and won Gold in Beijing. His event is actually coming up in a few minutes.
I also played against a few softball Olympians back in the day in college. Of course softball is no longer an Olympic game (I call bs, lol) but I digress.