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Active.com 2008 Olympics

35 Posts tagged with the 2008_beijing_olympics tag
Active Sara

Tyson Gay wasn't sure if he would even be at the Olympics due to a left hamstring injury he suffered in early July at the U.S. trials, but the 2007 world champion is eagerly awaiting a 100-meter dash showdown this weekend with Jamaica's Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt.

 

Gay owns the fastest wind-aided time in history with a 9.68, but his competitors hold the two fastest legal times in the history of the 100-meter dash. Powell held the world record of 9.74 until this spring when Bolt, who beat Gay, broke the record with a 9.72.

 

So even if Gay is 100 percent recovered as he claimed this week, he has to race his absolute best to beat Jamaica's flying duo. If he's healthy as he says, it will be an exciting showdown to watch as these three race to grab the gold.

 

 

What are your thoughts? Will Gay be able to bring one home for team USA?

961 Views 1 Comments Permalink Tags: team-usa, world, usa, beijing, 2008_olympic_games, 2008_olympics, track-and-field, 2008_beijing_olympics, tyson-gay, jamaica, 100-meter-dash
mikeyactive

BEIJING (Aug. 12, 2008) -- The U.S. Men's Volleyball Team started out slow but picked up speed on Tuesday in its 24-26, 25-22, 25-15, 25-21 victory over Italy in an Olympic pool play match at the Capital Indoor Stadium.

In their second Olympic match without U.S. Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon who is still tending to his wife and mother-in-law at a Beijing hospital, the U.S. Men improve their record to 2-0 in Pool A. They will play Bulgaria (1-0 prior to its match against Japan on Tuesday) at 10 p.m. on Thursday at Capital Indoor Stadium.

Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawai'i) led Team USA with 23 points on a match-high 19 kills, three blocks and one assist. Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.) added 20 points on 18 kills, two blocks. Ryan Millar (Palmdale, Calif.) scored 12 points on seven kills, three blocks and two aces.

"Today's match had a lot to do with our serve and their serve receive," said U.S. Interim Head Coach Ron Larsen (Lafayette, Calif.). "It helped with our block."

Team USA finished with four aces and 15 blocks as opposed to Italy with three aces and nine blocks.

The U.S. Men completed 58 of 111 kill attempts for 36 percent efficiency. Italy completed 50 of 119 kill attempts for 24 percent.

"I think I was having difficulties in hitting," said Italy's Alessandro Fei, who finished with 11 points on nine kills and two aces. His teammate Hristo Zlatanov led Italy with 19 points on 16 kills and three blocks. "Of course the Americans played very well. So if you combine the two things together, this is the result."

Among other scorers, Riley Salmon (League City, Texas) scored 11 points on eight kills, two blocks and one ace. David Lee (Alpine, Calif.) totaled 10 points on five kills and a match-high five blocks. U.S. setter Lloy Ball (Fort Wayne, Ind.) had one point on one kill.

Ball was credited with 41 running sets for an average of 10.25 per set.

U.S. libero Rich Lambourne (Tustin, Calif.) was credited with 10 digs and three faults on 15 attempts. He was also credited with 25 "excellent" receptions on 33 attempts for a successful percentage of 76 percent.

Tom Hoff (Park Ridge, Ill.), Kevin Hansen (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Scott Touzinsky (St. Louis, Mo.) all played as substitutes.

In the first set, Italy held an 8-6 lead at the first technical timeout and led 16-14 at the second. With the United States trailing 16-18, a block from Millar and an ace by Salmon tied the score. Italy reached set point first at 24-23, but then committed an error to tie the score. A Zlatanov gave Italy a second set point at 25-24 and Alessandro's ace ended the set.

"I thought we started the match waiting to see Italy's strategy," Hoff said. "After the first and second sets, our block was very efficient." After that our offense got going and felt comfortable knowing the block was going well."

The United States led the second set 8-5 at the first technical timeout and 16-14 at the second. Italy came close to tying the score at 22-21, but Salmon's kill kept it out of reach. Lee won the set for Team USA with a kill.

The third set seemed like it would be close at first as the U.S. held a slim 7-6 lead. However, it reached the first technical timeout first on an Italian error, then scored four straight points behind the serving of Salmon to lead 12-6. Team USA extended the lead to 16-8 at the second technical timeout. Zlatanov scored one point on a kill, and Team USA scored the next three to make it 20-9. Italy never recovered.

Team USA used three kills from Priddy along with kills from Millar, Stanley and Lee to take an 8-5 lead at the first technical timeout of the fourth set and led 16-12 at the second. The United States reached match point first at 24-19, but a Ball serving error brought Italy to 20 and Alberto Cisolla's kill made it 24-21 before Stanley ended the match with a kill.

377 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: volleyball, 2008_olympic_games, 2008_beijing_olympics
Active Sara

Talk About Heart...

Posted by Active Sara Aug 11, 2008

The U.S. women’s gymnastics team showed up to the National Indoor Stadium Sunday night ready to shine with a sure plan to qualify for the team final.  Well, they qualified, but not with the same plan they had when they entered the stadium.

 

As team USA walked out onto the floor their was distress showing on their faces, but no one watching knew why.  Next, Samantha Peszek, who was supposed to compete in all four events, never took off her warm-up suit.  What was going on?

 

The announcers searched for answers, panning from coach, to Peszek, to her mother and back. As we later found out fifteen minutes into the competition, Peszek had sprained her ankle during warm up on the floor and did not seem to be competing at all.

 

The team was clearly stressed by the sudden change in plan, which was first obvious on their faces, but later even more evident when the first two U.S. gymnasts to compete, Bridget Sloan and Alicia Sacramone, stepped out of bounds during their floor routines.

 

Sacramone’s performance on the floor, which is usually her specialty, cost her a chance at competing in the individual finals.  The U.S. team seemed to  be crumbling right before our eyes.

 

Peszek did compete in the uneven bars and cleanly landed her dismount despite the painful ankle sprain she endured just a couple hours before. However, Peszek’s teammates, Chellsie Memmel and Nastia Liukin were not as lucky.  Both had uncharacteristic falls in the event.

 

With Peszek out of three of the four events, the team was without a throwaway score on floor, vault and beam, which meant there was no room for mistakes if they wanted to go on to the team finals.

 

By the final rotation, the balance beam, team USA got it together and it might have been thanks to the pep talk Sacramone gave before her teammates took to the  beam.  They all nailed their routines. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the end, team USA was in second place, despite an uncharacteristic performance by the defending champions. The girls huddled with their arms around each other and gave words of encouragement to one another and showing the fans watching on tv that team USA would be back, as the team to beat, in the finals. Watch out China!

585 Views 1 Comments Permalink Tags: team, olympics, gymnastics, team-usa, olympic, 2008_olympic_games, olympic_games, 2008_beijing_olympics
Active Sara

The Men’s team final will take place tonight, the third day of Artistic Gymnastics competition, as eight teams will compete for the gold. In qualifications, China finished with 373.600 points, followed by Japan at 369.500 and Russia with 365.425, just .225 ahead of the Americans.

 

The favorite to win tonight is China, who dominated the qualification stage, but defending champion, Japan, will not go down without a fight.  Japan delivered a decent performance at the qualification stage, and has the potential to get much  better scores tonight.

 

Russia’s performance tonight may depend on whether or  not Konstantin Pluzhnikov is able to participate. Pluzhnikov fell off the rings at the end of the session, landing on the back of his neck. He walked off the podum, then lay down on the sidelines as trainers diagnosed his injury. Pluzhnikov did walk off on his own at the end of the  competition, but his status is still up in the air.

 

Although the Hamm brothers will not be competing in the Olympics this year, don’t count the U.S. out just yet. Sasha Artemev, who joined the squad Thursday night, and Raj Bhavsar are the Hamm brothers replacements, and both performed well the other night.

 

The 2004 Athens runner-up, who finished sixth in the qualifications, lacks experience, but not heart. The United States, led by fist-pumping Jonathan Horton, who went wild the other night during competition upon seeing a U.S. flag, knows they have a lot to prove and will do whatever it takes to not let everyone back home down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does the U.S. have enough heart to medal? Will anyone be able to overpower China? Who do you think will take home the gold tonight?

416 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: gymnastics, 2008_olympic_games, 2008_olympics, gold_medal, 2008_beijing_olympics
mikeyactive

BEIJING (Aug. 11, 2008) – The United States Olympic  Committee is extremely pleased to announce that the condition of Mrs. Barbara  Bachman has been upgraded from critical to serious but stable.

    OPEN LETTER FROM HUGH & ELISABETH McCUTCHEON

  During this tremendously difficult time, we have been blessed to be  surrounded by a tremendous support system of caring individuals and  organizations. We are extremely grateful for the outpouring of assistance and  generosity that we have received and hope to convey our appreciation to  everyone who has supported us and kept us in their thoughts and prayers.

  The long list of people who have offered their assistance, kind words and  prayers to us has been incredible. This letter cannot do justice in  acknowledging the love and support we’ve felt. However, to begin with, we’d  like to express our deep gratitude to the following:

  First, we’d like to thank our family and friends, who have been ceaseless in  sending their prayers and love to our families. 

We’d like to thank the talented and caring staff and physicians at the local  hospital that is working around the clock to attend to the recovery of our Mom. 

We’d also like to express our gratitude to the officials from the Chinese  Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mayor of Beijing, and their staff members who  have been with us here at the hospital.

  We’d like to thank President Bush and Ambassador Randt for their kind words  and strength. We also thank the U.S. Embassy and its staff for everything  they’ve done.

  We’d like to thank the USA Volleyball family for their never-ending support.  It is a close-knit family that is close to our hearts and close to the hearts  of our parents, Todd and Barbara.

We’d like to thank the United States Olympic Committee for their immediate  assistance and willingness to attend to all of our needs, and for being with us  here at the hospital throughout.  

We’d like to thank the generous sponsors who have made their resources  available to us without question, specifically Johnson & Johnson.  

We’d like to thank the FIVB for its flexibility and support of our coaches  and athletes.  

We’d like to thank the International Olympic Committee and the Beijing  Organizing Committee for their support throughout this tragedy.  

And finally, we’d like to thank everyone who has kept our families in their  thoughts and prayers throughout our difficult time.

We send a special thank you  to the people of Beijing, the people of New Zealand, and of course, the people of America. We  have been lifted up by the outpouring of support and love we’ve received from  around the world.  

Hugh and Elisabeth McCutcheon

361 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: volleyball, 2008_olympic_games, 2008_beijing_olympics
Bruce Hildenbrand

I am a cyclist first and a swimmer about eigth or ninth and was anxiously awaiting both the men's and women's Olympic Road Races.  The course looked brutal. The competition looked packed.  Unfortunately, the USA came up goose eggs in both events and it just looked to me that there was very little teamwork or strategy in place.  To be fair, I was not on site and the conditions in both races was extreme, though for different reasons, so I am defintiely in airmchair quaterback territory big time. Hey, but rather than bag on the cyclists when I am sure they were probably doing all they could, let's talk about the men's 4x100 freestyle relay in swimming.

 

I have to be honest when I tell you that when I heard that the French were the favorite to win the event I had to do a double take.  This is the same country which hasn't won their local bike race, the Tour de France, for 23 years which could easily be 46 years before Le Marsielles sounds on the Champs Elysees. So how can the French be fast in the pool?  And and even better question, how can they be faster than the Americans? Hey, we invented swimming We have Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps.  We own the water whether it resides in Europe, Australia, Asia, North and South America or Antarctica.

 

You have to have an Olympic moment for each Games. In 1996, it was Carl Lewis winning the long jump for the fourth time.  In 2000 and 2004 it was my gold medal winning run in the marath, hey, who's typing on my keyboard....

 

OK. You know what I mean.  You don't need Jimmy Roberts telling you what's so symbolic about anything.  It is that moment when you understand what competition and sport are all about.  Oops, now I am beginning to sound like Mr. Roberts. Somebody shoot me!

 

What I am trying to say before one of my other personalities takes over is that watching Jason Lezak chase down Team Croissant was, for now, my Olympic moment.  Not only did Lezak swim the fastest relay split, they didn't have a watch on me in 2004 or it would have been, hey, give me back my keyboard..... but, Phelps and his teammates also rose to the occaison. That is what relays are all about and why they are so exciting to watch.

 

As I said before, the 4x100 is my Olympic moment so far.  I am hoping that Christine Thorburn and Kristin Armstrong going 1-2 in the women's TT and Dave Zabriskie and Levi Leipheimer going 1-2 in the men's time trial will be my newest favorite Olympic moment, but, man the US team in the pool really pulled one out and they did by elevating their game, swimming like a team and relying on good old competitiveness to bring home the gold.

 

Yeah, yeah, yeah,

 

Bruce ( well that's the name on the body I am currently inhabiting).

440 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: bruce_hildenbrand, michael_phelps, 2008_beijing_olympics
Jesse@Active

USOC's Unmasking

Posted by Jesse@Active Aug 6, 2008

The media pounced on the story that several American cyclists arrived at the airport in Beijing wearing masks that covered their noses and mouths, and, consequently, the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) pounced just as quickly to un-embarrass itself.

 

The NY Times article linked to above reads:

 

But U.S.O.C. officials were apparently unhappy with their choice, scolding the cyclists for walking off the plane wearing the masks because it might embarrass the host country, Mike Friedman and Bobby Lea said. The cyclists said they did not remember the name of the official who spoke with them.

 

Except that the USOC gave them the masks. And told the athletes to wear them if they felt they needed to.

 

Earlier in the article, Times reporter Juliet Macur writes:

 

The United States Olympic Committee had issued the specially designed masks to protect athletes from the potentially harmful air here. The U.S.O.C.’s lead exercise physiologist, Randy Wilber, had advised the athletes to wear the masks on the plane and as soon as they stepped foot here.

 

Apparently, the USOC's exercise physiology department isn't communicating effectively with it's p.r. department.

 

The cyclists did apologize, but it remains to be seen how this will affect the rest of Team USA over the course of the games.

 

Has the USOC warned other athletes that if they need to wear the masks, they should do so in private? Will other athletes be overly cautious in putting them on so as not to embarrass the Chinese organizing committee?

 

For the athletes who train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, the environment is decidedly different than those who train along the highways of Los Angeles, let alone Beijing. Is it worth not competing at full lung capacity in a race you've spent your entire life training for so as not to embarrass your hosts?

321 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: olympics, usoc, 2008_beijing_olympics, 2008-olympics, mike-friedman, bobby-lea, air-pollution
Bruce Hildenbrand

Pollution, heat, humidity and a difficult course all conspire to make both the men's and women's Olympic road races potential death marches of the highest order. Add to that the fact that every country is sending their best athletes to Beijing(well, duh, it is the Olympics!) and 'epic' is the only word that comes to mind to describe the events which will unfold this weekend.

 

On paper, the Olympic Road Race course looks pretty darn tough. The men will climb over 11,000 feet and the women will climb over 4000 feet meaning that it is highly unlikely that a sprinter will be wearing the gold medal in either event. And the teams seem to agree with only a few of the them bringing anyone with fast twitch muscle fibers.

 

Actually, the course is split up into two distinct parts. The first section, which both the men and women will ride, is about 55 miles of mostly flat riding, designed by the Chinese to showcase some of their national treasures such as the Great Wall. The second part of the course is a 15-mile loop which contains about 1500' of climbing most if it coming in a 6-mile, 1250-foot climb. Following the ascent is quick down and up and then a long, gradual 8-mile descent back to the finish line. The men will complete seven laps for a total of 150 miles; the women will do two laps on the circuit for a total of 75 miles.

 

The US Men's team is headed by now 5-time Olympian George Hincapie who is joined by Levi Leipheimer, Christian Vande Velde, Dave Zabriskie and Jason McCartney. George, Levi and Christian will be the designated leaders with Zabriskie and McCartney riding in a supporting role. The US Women's team includes two-time Olympians Kristin Armstrong and Dr. Christine Thorburn who will be joined by first-timer Amber Neben.

 

Both squads are definitely medal-capable especially if they ride as a team. It is difficult to put personal ambitions aside especially since the difficulty of the course will clearly make this a race of attrition. But, teamwork will be key especially if the heat and humidity are oppressive and the designated leaders need a lot of water to stay fresh.

 

In the men's race, Spain looks to be the biggest threat. They are sending a hugely-talented squad which includes Alejandro Valverde who just won the Classic San Sebastian, Tour winner Carlos Sastre, Giro winner Alberto Contador, Tour green jersey winner Oscar Friere and Sammy Sanchez. Italy always seems to ride well in big races and they can't be counted out especially with defending Olympic Champion Paolo Bettini and one-day specialist extraordinaire Davide Rebellin. The tiny country of Luxembourg looks very good with the Schleck brothers and Kim Kirchen all who rode well in the mountains of the recent Tour.

 

In the women's race, Germany is always powerful with defending Olympic Champion Judith Arndt and Ina Teutenberg. Holland with Marianne Vos brings a strong team as well as the Swiss and Great Britian.

 

The men's race is Saturday, August 9th the women's race is the next day on the 10th. Look for both competitions to be action-packed once the races hit the finishing circuits. The pollution coupled with the heat and humidity will make it prohibitive to attack before that.

 

Bruce

633 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: bruce_hildenbrand, 2008_beijing_olympics
Hat_Trick_Harris

 

With the Olympic games rapidly approaching, one question has been looming in my mind...what caliber of players will be representing their respective countries in Beijing?  Between World Cup qualifying matches, Champions League matches, the start of league play and other important matches around the world , the Olympics have to be a secondary concern for most clubs/countries.  With that being said, I decided to do a little research....

 

 

 

The Olympic tournament is by definition an under-23 event, but each team can field three over-age players, who the clubs are not required to release.  In a recent statement, FIFA reminded clubs worldwide "that the release of players under the age of 23 for the Men's Olympic Soccer Tournament is mandatory for all clubs.  For Beijing 2008 the same principle shall apply".  Clubs are not required to release their over-aged players, however Sepp Blatter (FIFA President and IOC member) has repeatedly urged them to do so out of respect "for the Olympic spirit".

 

 

 

So, what does this mean?  Well, in spite of President Blatter's strong words of encouragement, I think we will be seeing a whole new host of young, green talent...and a handful of semi-retired veterans.  As much as I would love to see such world renown stars as Ronaldinho,  Landan Donovan and Robinho returning to the international stage, I sincerely doubt the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and the US Men's National Team (1st Team) will give a second thought about releasing their star players...but only time will tell.  

 

 

 

 

Worker's Stadium-Beijing 

 

 

424 Views 1 Comments Permalink Tags: olympics, soccer, olympic, beijing, 2008_olympic_games, 2008_olympics, olympic_games, 2008_beijing_olympics
mikeyactive

 

Two days after becoming the first U.S.  team to win the 2008 FIVB World League title, members of the U.S. Men’s  National Volleyball Team were enjoying an Olympic Games sendoff party at the  ESPN Zone restaurant in Anaheim,   Calif.

 

 

As has become the pattern during the summer of 2008, there wasn’t much time  to reflect on their accomplishment before looking forward to the next  challenge.

 

 

But U.S. Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon (Christchurch, New Zealand), who watched  his team go from a three-set defeat at the hands of Serbia to a four-set  victory over the same team to win the title, wasn’t ready to set aside his  team’s World League trophy just yet.

 

 

341 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: volleyball, 2008_olympic_games, 2008_beijing_olympics
mikeyactive

 

IRVINE, Calif. - The KFC Bound 4 Beijing Tour came to an end tonight  in Irvine, Calif., in front of 2,447 fans chanting USA as the USA  Softball Women’s National team beat Team Intensity. It was a perfect  way to close out the Tour after spending the past months in unfamiliar  territory as the majority of the team returned to their home state and  played in a stadium full of friends and family.

 

 

Throughout the 60 games, beginning in Tucson, Ariz., and wrapping up  in Irvine, the team has played in front of over 200,00 people in 45  cities . In front of amazing crowds and supportive fans, the team  kicked off competition Feb. 19 and experienced a diverse amount of USA  hospitality. Now with travel to China about a week out, the team looks  back on the past six months with fond memories but are now ready to go  over to China and defend their three-gold Medals.

 

 

“Tonight is bittersweet for us. These past few months have been  exhausting but also so amazing to see so much passion for the sport.  Although it’s sad to see it end, we are so ready to go over and bring  home our fourth gold medal,” said Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.).  “The best way I can describe it is we are going to bottle up all the  places we’ve been, the fans we’ve seen and take them over to China. We  are going to represent them and know they are at home supporting us.”

 

 

The team jumped on the board with two runs in the bottom of the  second with Irvine native Natasha Watley making her hometown proud  leading off with a single to left field. Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.)  reached on an error by the third baseman to put two runners on. A  strikeout by Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.) and a sac hit by  Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.) looked to end the inning but a  two-RBI single by Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.) gave  the team a 2-0 lead.

 

 

After allowing a single in the first starter Jennie Finch(La  Mirada, Calif.) issued a walk to catcher Jen Schroeder in the second.  Katie Gollhardt would reach when she was hit by a pitch which brought  Head Coach Mike Candrea (Tucson, Ariz.) out of the dugout on grounds  that Gollhardt leaned in. The ruling stayed leaving two runners on.  Amanda Kamekona cleared the bases with a single down the middle. Lovie  Jung (Fountain Valley, Calif.) made the throw to Flowers but it was not  enough, pulling Flowers a little off base and allowing two runs to  score and tie up the game.

 

 

Kretschman, who during the Tour has been nicknamed “Clutchman”,  proved it was a warranted title with a shot to right field to take the  lead back to a USA advantage 3-2.

 

 

The United States put the game away in the fourth going on a two-out  rally to put three more runs on the board. Lowe got it started with a  double to centerfield, scoring off a Mendoza triple. Mendoza closes the  Tour with a team-high 107 RBI and was second on the team with five  triples. The tour leader in homeruns closed out her last at bat of the  tour in typical fashion as[ Crystl Bustos|http://www.active.com/video/play.htm?assetid=9853ee11-f53e-4a92-86d1-b2203a599e97] (Canyon Country, Calif.)  rocked her 28th homerun of the season for two RBI.

 

 

Finch closed out the Tour with a win and nine strikeouts, giving up two earned runs. She finished with a team high 19-1 record.

 

 

Mendoza was the team leader with 107 RBI hitting .495  (102-for-206).She lead the team in doubles and hits while starting in  59 of 60 games. Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas) had a team-high 247  strikeouts while allowing 37 hits. Finch worked a team-high 118.2  innings with 11 complete games.

 

 

“The dress rehearsal is done and now we’re even more focused on the  Olympics,” said Head Coach Mike Candrea. “We had a great tour this year  with some of the best stops till ‘96. The local hosts held some great  events and the communities really supported softball and that’s great  to see. Now we are on to why we are here, to bring home a gold medal.”

 

 

383 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: softball, 2008_olympic_games, 2008_beijing_olympics
mikeyactive

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team  won its first FIVB World League title on Sunday by taking as 3-1 (26-24, 23-25,  25-23, 25-22) victory over Serbia in the gold medal match before a crowd of  5,700 at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro.

 

The U.S. Men, ranked third in the world, finish World League with a record  of 12-4. Serbia, tied for  eighth in the world with Puerto Rico, finishes  second at 10-6. Russia  defeated host Brazil,  the five-time defending World League champion, 3-1 (25-23, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19)  to take the bronze medal.

 

Team USA  won $1 million for the overall tournament victory. Its previous best World  League finishes were bronze medals in 1992 and 2007. All four teams in the  medal matches will play next at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The men’s tournament begin on Aug.  10.

 

U.S. setter Lloy Ball (Fort Wayne, Ind.)  was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and also Best Setter. Rich  Lambourne (Tustin, Calif.) won the award for Best Libero for  the second year in a row.

 

Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.) led the U.S. Men on Sunday with 21  points on 18 kills and three blocks. Clay Stanley (Honolulu, Hawai’i)  added 16 points on 12 kills – including the final three points of the match –  three blocks and one ace. Riley Salmon (League    City, Texas) scored  13 points on 12 kills and one ace.

 

Among other U.S. scorers,  Ryan Millar (Palmdale, Calif.) scored 10 points on seven kills, two  blocks and one ace. David Lee (Alpine, Calif.)  added nine points on seven kills and two blocks. Gabe Gardner (San Clemente, Calif.)  scored four points on four kills and Ball had three points on two kills and one  ace.

325 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: volleyball, 2008_olympic_games, 2008_beijing_olympics
mikeyactive

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. --- The LIVE television schedule for the 2008 Olympic Softball competition was recently announced by NBC. The USA Softball Women’s National team will begin competition on August 12 on CNBC at midnight/ET as the 32-game slate spans from August 12-21 at the Fengtai Softball Field in Beijing, China.



The three-time defending Olympic Gold Medal winning team will look to defend its title by playing seven round robin games before looking to advance to the playoffs on August 20 and the grand final on August 21. Six of the seven round robin games for the U.S. will be brought to the U.S. LIVE from CNBC. On August 17, they will play the Netherlands at 7:30 p.m. local time and that will be LIVE on MSNBC. See below for complete schedule.


 

    • PLEASE KNOW ALL TIMES AND NETWORKS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. ** Log onto http://www.nbcolympics.com/ for the most  up-to-date T.V. schedule. </p>



*USA Television Schedule for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

NOTE: Beijing, China is 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. *

  Tuesday, August 12

USA vs. Venezuela - Noon Local - (Midnight EST) – CNBC & CNBC HD

  Wednesday, August 13

USA vs. Australia – Noon Local - (Midnight EST) - CNBC & CNBC HD

  Thursday, August 14

USA vs. Canada – Noon Local - (Midnight EST) - CNBC & CNBC HD

  Friday, August 15

USA vs. Japan – Noon Local - (Midnight EST) - CNBC & CNBC HD

  Saturday, August 16

USA vs. Chinese Taipei – Noon Local - (Midnight EST) - CNBC & CNBC HD

  Sunday, August 17

USA vs. Netherlands – 7:30 p.m. Local - (7:30 a.m. EST) - MSNBC

  Monday, August 18

USA vs. China - Noon Local - (Midnight EST) - CNBC & CNBC HD

*Tuesday, August 19 – *OFF DAY

  Wednesday, August 20 - Playoffs

GM1: Seed 1 vs. Seed 2 – 9:30 a.m. Local - (9:30 p.m. EST) - CNBC & CNBC HD

GM2: Seed 3 vs. Seed 4 – Noon Local - (Midnight EST) - CNBC & CNBC HD

GM3: Loser of GM1 vs. Winner of GM2 – 5 p.m. Local (5 a.m. EST) - MSNBC & MSNBC HD

  *Thursday, August 21 – *Grand Final Game – 6:30 p.m. - (6:30 a.m. EST)  – USA &amp; USA HD

768 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: softball, 2008_olympic_games, 2008_beijing_olympics
mikeyactive

 

July 21, 2008 was a memorable day for three members of the USA Softball  Women’s National team as they were invited to a day at the White House with  President George Bush, the First Lady and members of the White House staff.  Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.),  Andrea Duran (Selma, Calif.)  and Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.)  were invited to an official send off from the President and First Lady to the  United States Olympic Committee and the U.S.  athletes who will be representing the Red, White and Blue in Beijing, China.

 

 

“It was such an incredible experience,” said Finch. “I was honored to be at  the White House with all the other athletes and we were welcomed with open  arms. The President was so nice and to think that I had the chance to eat  dinner sitting right next to him was just crazy. He said was looking forward to  coming to one of our games in China.”

 

 

“It was great to be there and feel so comfortable,” said Duran. “It was an  honor to be one of the few Olympians to be selected to go to this event. It was  a pinch-yourself experience to look down and see the White Housechina and  Jennie sitting next to the president eating dinner. I was moved by the history  of the White House and realizing all the people that have walked the halls I  was standing in.”

 

 

The day started with a 10 a.m. greeting by the  President in the Rose Garden. Members of the Olympic team were greeted with a  couple remarks by the President before USA Softball’s Finch presented him with  an authentic softball jersey with ‘Bush 08’ embroidered on the back.

 

 

305 Views 1 Comments Permalink Tags: softball, 2008_olympic_games, team_usa, 2008_beijing_olympics
mike_cramton

World No. 6 and top ranked U.S. player Andy Roddick recently declined the invitation to join the U.S. Olympic Team in Beijing. The Austin native prefers to focus on the hard-court tournaments leading up to the U.S. Open in August.


!http://active.com/Assets/tennis/Roddick_olympics.jpg|style=padding:10px;|align=left|src=http://active.com/Assets/tennis/Roddick_olympics.jpg!“Let me first say that it was probably one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make in my career. You normally don’t have to choose between two huge events,” Roddick said.


“My decision had nothing to do with lack of respect for the Olympics or anything like that. I completely am the biggest fan of it, and I’ll be a huge fan watching it from home. It had to do more with, at the end of my career, I want to have been making runs in Slams.”


This leaves the U.S. Men's team to include James Blake, Sam Querrey, Robby Ginepri and Bob and Mike Bryan playing doubles.


It's an interesting gamble for Roddick, having recently lost in the second round at Wimbledon and struggling with a lingering shoulder injury. Nine of the world's top ten in tennis will represent in Beijing, including Roddick's top rivals for the Open crown: Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.


Roddick's strategy seems solid: skipping the wear-and-tear of the Olympics with hopes that the travel and competition will leave his competitors with little fight.


Is Roddick being selfish in skipping the Olympics or is he just being strategic?


Photo: Getty Images/Kevin J. Cox

 

706 Views 5 Comments Permalink Tags: tennis, 2008_beijing_olympics, andy_roddick
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