*** The latest news from the USOC - October 13 ***
(Courtesy of United States Olympic Committee)
Salt Lake City, UT (My Sportsbook) - The following is a recap of events from the United States Olympic Committee.
Archery: (Oct. 6) USA Archery hired six-time Olympic coach Kisik Lee (San Diego, Calif.) as its new national head coach. For more information, log on to www.usarchery.org.
Baseball: (Oct. 5) USA Baseball, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, announced that the United States will host the 2005 CONCEBE Baseball Regional Olympic Qualifying Tournament Nov. 15-19 in Phoenix, Ariz. For more information, log on to www.usabaseball.com.
Bowling: (Oct. 5) The United States Bowling Congress high school program selected the members for the High School Bowling National Advisory Council. For more information, log on to www.bowl.com.
Boxing: (Oct. 9) For championship-round results from the 2005 National PAL Championships, log on to www.usaboxing.org.
Equestrian: (Oct. 9) Riding through the chill, the rain and the mud of New Jersey's wettest weekend in months, Julie Welles (West Simsbury, Conn.) was awarded the Championship title at the 2005 USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East. For more information, log on to www.usef.org.
Fencing: (Oct. 6) The U.S. Fencing Association announced the selection of its team that will represent the U.S. at the 2005 Senior World Championships Oct. 8-15 in Leipzig, Germany. (Oct. 9) It was a tough day for U.S. fencers at the 2005 World Championships. The U.S. team faced very large fields of competitors deep in experience. (Oct. 11) Men's saber and women's epee individual events concluded at the World Championships in Leipzig with one American reaching the top 32 -- Ivan Lee (Brooklyn, N.Y.). For more information, log on to www.usfencing.org.
Field Hockey: (Oct. 6) USA Field Hockey selected its 12-member women's team for the Indoor Pan American Cup Dec. 8-11 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. For more information, log on to www.usfieldhockey.com.
Figure Skating: (Oct. 6) U.S. Figure Skating and MediaZone.com, a leading global online broadcasting provider of licensed video and audio content, announced their partnership to launch The Figure Skating Channel. (Oct. 6) Five-time World and nine-time U.S. champion Michelle Kwan (Los Angeles, Calif.) withdrew from the 2005 Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic and the 2005 Smart Ones Skate America Oct. 20-23 in Atlantic City, N.J. due to a strained ligament in her right hip. (Oct. 7) U.S. Figure Skating announced the selection of Saint Paul, Minn. as the host city for the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January 2008. (Oct. 8) The 2005-2006 season started with a bang in St. Paul, Minn. as Sasha Cohen (Corona Del Mar, Calif.) and Takeshi Honda of Japan secured the titles at the 2005 Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic along with the $50,000 first-place prizes. Kimmie Meissner (Bel Air, Md.) and Michael Weiss (McLean, Va.) finished second at the event at the Xcel Energy Center. (Oct. 11) The U.S. team looks to continue its recent success as the 2005 International Skating Union (ISU) Junior Grand Prix (JGP) Series heads to Gdansk, Poland Oct. 13-16 for the seventh of eight events. Twelve athletes who hail from California, Illinois, Indiana, New Hampshire, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas will represent the United States in four disciplines: ladies, men's, pairs, and ice dancing. For more information, log on to www.usfigureskating.org.
Gymnastics: (Oct. 6) Todd Thornton (Pearland, Texas) heads the roster of participants for the 2005 World Gymnastics Championships Men's Team Selection Competition Oct. 14 and 16 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Oct. 8) Veteran Chellsie Memmel (West Allis, Wis.) led her U.S. team to victory at the Pan American Gymnastics Championships with a team score of 110.959. Brazil took second with a 108.691 followed by Canada in third with 102.179. Memmel won the all-around title with a score of 37.431 followed by Brazil's Daniele Hypolito with a 37.039 and Brazil's Lais Souza with a 36.439. Jonathan Horton (Houston, Texas/University of Oklahoma) led the American men's team to victory at the Championships with a team score of 159.825. Puerto Rico took second with a 159.560 followed by Canada in third with 158.675. (Oct. 9) The U.S. women captured seven more medals during event finals at the Pan American Gymnastics Championships, with Alicia Sacramone (Winchester, Mass.) and Chellsie Memmel leading the way with two golds each. Sacramone earned the gold medal on vault with a score of 9.512 and the gold medal on floor exercise with a score of 9.438. Memmel, who earlier won the all-around title, added two more gold medals on bars and beam. She scored 9.713 on uneven bars and 9.50 on balance beam. Other U.S. medalists include Jana Bieger (Coconut Creek, Fla.), who earned the silver medal on vault with a 9.400 and the bronze medal on floor with a 9.100 and Bianca Flohr (Creston, Ohio), who earned a silver medal on beam with a score of 9.30. The U.S. men collected two more medals during event finals at the Championships. Guillermo Alvarez (Denver Colo./Team Chevron) won the silver medal on floor with a score of 9.113 and Joseph Hagerty (Albuquerque, N.M./Team Chevron) added a bronze medal on high bar also with a score of 9.113. For more information, log on to www.usa-gymnastics.org.
Modern Pentathlon: (Oct. 8) Sheila Taormina (Livonia, Mich.) and Eli Bremer (Colorado Springs, Colo.) won the senior women's and men's divisions, respectively, at the Pan American Championships for modern pentathlon in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Competing in modern pentathlon for the first time, three-time Olympian Taormina combined a strong swim of 2:07 and a run of 10:04 to win the title with 5,704 points, 204 points ahead of runner-up Pinette Monica of Canada. Bremer gained 1,284 points by winning the swim portion in a time of 2:06 to place first overall with a total of 5,564 points. He earned 1,024 points by shooting a 174, one of the best of his career. For more information, log on to www.usapentathlon.org.
Sailing: (Oct. 11) Starting Friday, Larchmont Yacht Club (LYC) and Long Island Sound will be challenging some of the nation's finest team racing sailors, and the weather gods, by hosting two of the United States' most prestigious team racing regattas in a simultaneous but separated format. The two events, US SAILING's U.S. Team Racing Championship and the Hinman Masters Championship, feature exciting competition Oct 14-16. In total, 25 teams comprised of 150 world class skippers and crews from across the country are arriving at LYC to compete. For more information, log on to www.ussailing.org.
Shooting: (Oct. 6) USA Shooting's Shotgun Fall Selection Match continues through Oct. 15 in Fort Carson, Colo. The competition will mark the first half of the team selection for the World Shooting Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. (Oct. 8) Retirement seems to suit Bret Erickson. After 20 years of shooting for the Army Marksmanship Unit, Erickson announced his retirement from the Army and now lives and trains in Texas, which, so far, seems to be proving a good move, especially for his shooting. Erickson walked away the winner of men's trap at the Fall Selection Match at the International Shooting Park on Fort Carson. He finished just one point above his former teammate, Sgt. Ryan Hadden (Columbus, Ga.), the defending National Champion in this event. On the women's side, Staff Sgt. Joetta Dement (Seale, Ala.), coming off a five-month maternity leave, surprised everyone by shooting 99 out of 100 on the first day of the event. (Oct. 11) Due to the gusty, blizzard-like conditions Monday, the double trap event was called, leaving the shooters to take care of 300 targets in one day. The only shooter it didn't seem to have an effect on was two-time Olympian Glenn Eller (Houston, Texas), who ran away with the men's double trap event at the International Shotgun Park on Fort Carson. For more information, log on to www.usashooting.com.
Skiing: (Oct. 5) U.S. aerialists are heading into the final days of the final splash pool camp at Utah Olympic Park as they prepare for the Olympic season. For more information, log on to www.usskiteam.com.
Soccer: (Oct. 8) Costa Rica joined the U.S. and Mexico from CONCACAF in booking a ticket to the 2006 FIFA World Cup with a 3-0 victory over the U.S. Men's National Team in front of a sold out crowd at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in San Jose, Costa Rica. Paulo Wanchope scored the game-winner in the 34th minute, and Carlos Hernandez came on as a second half sub to score twice as the U.S. was handed its first three-goal defeat in World Cup qualifying since a 5-1 loss to Mexico in November of 1980. The last three-goal defeat for the U.S. in any competition was a 4-1 loss to Denmark on January 22, 1997 in the Gold Cup. (Oct. 10) The U.S. Men's National Team closes out a successful 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign against Panama in Foxboro, Mass. Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. ET. Bruce Arena has named an 18-player roster for the match. For more information, log on to www.ussoccer.com.
Speedskating: (Oct. 9) Much to the delight of millions of speedskating fans, all the hackneyed wordplay using Apolo Ohno's last name (Oh Yes, Ohno!; Ohno, He Did it Again!) is once again making its round in headlines across the world after the U.S. Speedskating superstar clinched the World Cup 2 title in Seoul, Korea. In the men's 1000 meters, Ohno (Seattle, Wash.) took gold in a time of 1:27.45 ahead of China's Li Jiajun and Korea's Ahn Hyun Soo. For more information, log on to www.usspeedskating.org.
Taekwondo: (Oct. 5) Four out of six fighters on the USA Junior National Team reached the medal stand at the 2005 Junior Pan American Taekwondo Championships in Oranjestad, Aruba. Middleweights Shantara Johnson (Miami, Fla.) and Thomas Stockton (Albuquerque, N.M.) each captured gold medals, and bantamweights Bernard Posey (Greensboro, N.C.) and Nicole Suter (Edmond, Okla.) each won bronze. (Oct. 6) U.S. athletes went 7-for-7 and claimed three gold, two silver and two bronze medals on the second day of competition at the Junior Pan American Championships. Dennis Rudasill (Fayetteville, Ark.), Charlotte Craig (Riverside, Calif.) and Jon Perieda (Oklahoma City, Okla.) each secured the gold in their respective categories. (Oct. 7) The U.S. Junior National Team claimed five medals during the final day of competition at the 3rd Junior Pan American Taekwondo Championships. The five medals pushed the U.S. total to 16 medals (out of 19 athletes) -- including seven gold, three silver and six bronze -- and propelled the Americans into the overall team title. The U.S. also captured the men's overall title and placed second in the women's standings. For more information, log on to www.usa-taekwondo.us
Track and Field: (Oct. 8) Ray Sharp (New York, N.Y.) and Jolene Moore (Northbrook, Ill.) were the overall men's and women's champions, respectively, at the 2005 USA 5 km Race Walk Championships in Kingsport, Tenn. (Oct. 9) Olympic marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) won the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, beating defending champion Constantina Tomescu- Dita of Romania by five seconds. Kastor missed her own American record by just nine seconds running 2:21:25, while Dita's 2:21:30 was a personal best by over one minute. (Oct.9) The team from the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project took first place at the USATF National Club Co-Ed 10 km Team Challenge, hosted by Disney's Race for the Taste 10K in Orlando, Fla. (Oct. 9) An overnight downpour had eased to a light, chilly rain by the time 3,082 runners took to the starting line of the fifth annual B.A.A. Half Marathon. Celedonio Rodriguez (Santa Rosa, Cailf.), a three-time Division II national champion out of Adams State College, shocked a world-class field when he ran away from them early and fearlessly to win in a personal best 1 hour, 4 minutes and 9 seconds. Rodriguez was born in Mexico, but grew up in the United States before attending Adams State in Alamosa, Colo., where he still lives and trains. This was his first victory as a professional -- and his first as an American citizen, which he became just two weeks ago. On the women's side, Nataliya Berkut of Ukraine finally pulled away from American Jen Rhines (Ardmore, Pa.) just past the 10-mile mark for victory in 1:12:21. (Oct. 10) USA Outdoor Track & Field 10,000 meter champion Katie McGregor (Saint Louis Park, Minn.) added the road running USA Women's 10 km Championship to her resume with a time of 32:25.4. The championship was hosted by the Tufts Health Plan 10 km in Boston, Mass. The USA Women's 10 km Championships concludes the 2005 USA Running Circuit (USARC) for women. Nicole Aish (Gunnison, Colo.), who won last week's USA Marathon Championship, is the champion in the women's standings with 43 points. McGregor overtakes Colleen DeReuck (Boulder, Colo.) to finish second with 37 points, with DeReuck finishing third with 34. For more information, log on www.usatf.org.
Volleyball: (Oct. 10) The tournament fields for the fourth edition of the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup to be held in Japan next month are set. The USA Men's and Women's National Volleyball Teams will both compete in the prestigious event. The six women's teams include: 2004 Olympic gold medalist China (Asian champion), Poland (European champion), United States (NORCECA champion), Brazil (South American champion), Japan (host) and Korea (wild card). The six men's teams will be Egypt (African champion), 2004 Olympic silver medalist Italy (European champion), USA (NORCECA champion), 2004 Olympic gold medalist Brazil (South American champion), Japan (host) and China (wild card). The women's tournament will be held in Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium) and Nagoya (Nagoya Rainbow Hall) Nov. 15-20. The men's tournament will follow in Nagano (Nagano Arena) and Tokyo Nov. 22-27. For more information, log on to www.usavolleyball.org.
Water Polo: (Oct. 7) After a 9-9 tie with Greece, Team USA defeated Mexico, 12-6, in the second game of the 2005 Junior World Championships in Los Alamitos, Calif. U.S. goalkeeper Chay Lapin (Seal Beach, Calif.) had 11 saves and JW Krumpholz (Tustin, Calif.) led the team with four goals. (Oct. 11) Forty of the top female water polo players in the world will come together to showcase their talent at the Speedo Top 40 Tournament and Festival Nov. 4-6 at the National Training Center in Los Alamitos, Calif. For more information, log on to www.usawaterpolo.com.
Water Skiing: (Oct. 9) Twenty of the world's top water ski racing athletes won titles at the inaugural U.S. Open Championships of Water Ski Racing on Mission Bay in San Diego, Calif. The National Water Ski Racing Association, a sport discipline of USA Water Ski since 1991, sanctioned the three-day competition. For more information, log on to www.usawaterski.org.
