leeny
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Jun 27, 2014 1:55:53 GMT
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Post by leeny on Jul 24, 2024 23:26:19 GMT
My sister's and I had swimming lessons with an Olympic Swimmer in the 1960's. I remember his first name was Jimmy and last name began with an M, but I can't find him.
Years ago, our neighbor's kids competed in Kayaking for their ancestral country. It was fun to watch someone we "knew."
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pantsonfire
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Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
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Jun 19, 2022 16:48:04 GMT
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Post by pantsonfire on Jul 24, 2024 23:28:16 GMT
My nextdoor neighbor won bronze in the Olympics. Indoor track cycling.
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Gem Girl
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Jun 29, 2014 19:29:52 GMT
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Post by Gem Girl on Jul 24, 2024 23:35:34 GMT
I'm friends with a woman who was on Bermuda's sailing team.
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caangel
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Jun 26, 2014 16:42:12 GMT
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Post by caangel on Jul 24, 2024 23:44:44 GMT
My kids swim coach a few years ago is a gold (?) medalist in swim. She is probably in her 30s and went to their HS.
I believe one of the other local club teams is run by 1 or 2 Olympians, not sure if they medaled. They are 2 guys in their 60s. My son's club swim team sent a few people to Olympic trials, I think 1 or 2 of them made it.
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Post by realm on Jul 24, 2024 23:45:28 GMT
A couple of kids I grew up with won a silver in synchronized swimming and my swimteam coach in university went to the olympics.
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Post by Lexica on Jul 24, 2024 23:55:14 GMT
My niece dated the brother of a gold medal winner. I didn’t actually meet her at all. We were all at my parent’s house and she came to pick up her brother. I saw her for about 2 seconds in the doorway. Does that count as a close encounter?
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Jul 25, 2024 0:00:13 GMT
I was on the committee that planned the celebration in Westfield NJ for Bob Clotworthy who won the gold for 3 meter springboard diving in Melbourne Australia in 1956.
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Post by jemali on Jul 25, 2024 0:03:43 GMT
The goalie of the women’s soccer team grew up in my neighborhood. She didn’t live there by the time we moved in, but her mom did.
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Tearisci
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Nov 6, 2018 16:34:30 GMT
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Post by Tearisci on Jul 25, 2024 0:10:26 GMT
My dad had a cousin in the Olympics in figure skating in 1952 and he won the bronze medal. He was beat out by Dick Button who would go on to become a sports broadcaster.
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Post by shanniebananie on Jul 25, 2024 0:10:58 GMT
My husband went to school with Kristi Yamaguchi and her father was his dentist.
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quiltz
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Post by quiltz on Jul 25, 2024 0:22:25 GMT
Yes, extended family. 1984 Olympics and Worlds.
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compeateropeator
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Post by compeateropeator on Jul 25, 2024 0:27:43 GMT
Yes. I went to school with (and had his mother as a teacher) of someone who was in 2 winter Olympics in the downhill event.
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Post by mama2three on Jul 25, 2024 0:34:22 GMT
Yes, my childhood swim coach was a medalist in the 1972 Olympics. A teammate on my college swim team swam in the Olympics for his home country in the 1980s.
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Post by ntsf on Jul 25, 2024 0:38:27 GMT
my best friend's sister was on the olympic rowing team in 1980. did not go to russia. I've skied with several olympic skiers.. and have met and talked to muffy davis, a paraolympian in skiing.. went to a fund raiser she held in sun valley.
my parents knew several skiing olympians too.. gretchen fraser, jeannette burr, jimmy huega, and so on.
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Post by Zee on Jul 25, 2024 0:43:24 GMT
Yes, I worked with a doctor who had been on the Olympic rowing team. He was an odd bird.
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Post by katlady on Jul 25, 2024 0:46:01 GMT
We have a family friend that went to 2 Olympics. A very nice and humble guy, and is still involved in his sport.
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Post by ralams3 on Jul 25, 2024 1:00:00 GMT
Yes.
As a kid, my cross country ski instructors were Olympians.
In my swimming days, I trained with 5 Olympians and our coach was an Olympic coach. Another member of the swim club was in the triathlon years later.
In university, I knew someone who was an Olympic paddler.
It is interesting that many Peas have a swimming connection!
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Jul 25, 2024 1:03:31 GMT
Well duh... Just realized I worked with a guy who competed in Judo, missed 1980 Russia and the became a coach.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jul 25, 2024 1:16:31 GMT
When DD was in grade school she had the chance to meet Tara Lipinski immediately after she won Worlds and prior to the Olympics. She was with a group of local skaters who met Tara at the airport when she returned home. Tara was signing autographs and the next day there was a photo of Tara signing DD's flag on the front page of the sports section! Her classmates alerted her to it because I never read the sports page! I had the flag and the newspaper clipping framed.
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Post by bc2ca on Jul 25, 2024 1:49:33 GMT
My closest Olympic connection is a high school friend who won a rowing gold medal in 1984 at the Los Angeles Olympics. The Olympic team trained in our hometown and many were students at the local university so I knew a few.
More distant, the son of a sister's friend won a couple swimming medals in Beijing and London.
Another sister billeted a member of the snowboarding team off and on for a few years when he trained in their town (their neighbor was a coach/trainer for the team IIRC). He won bronze at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 games.
I've never met the last two, but did watch them compete.
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Post by workingclassdog on Jul 25, 2024 1:56:45 GMT
My husband and I were at Bed Bath and Beyond and ran into Missy Franklin (swimmer)… we didn’t bother her as she was shopping with her friends. It was cool though. It was right at the time she was competing.
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Sarah*H
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Jun 25, 2014 20:07:06 GMT
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Post by Sarah*H on Jul 25, 2024 2:12:57 GMT
Yes. Spencer Lee who will wrestle for Team USA this year and my son were on the same HS wrestling team although Spencer graduated a couple years ahead of my son. They were friends and bonded over a mutual love of Pokemon. College athletes in his division get to pick the music they walk out to and Spencer has always used the Pokemon theme song. When Spencer was at the 2016 Olympics as the training partner for the athlete in his weight class, he played Pokemon with my son & their other friends to keep from being bored during all of the down time. They lost touch over the last couple years although I'm sure there will be group text razzing coming at some point.
ETA: And I always forget this one. Gabby Douglas did an event to have the Guinness Record for the most simultaneous cartwheels in Pittsburgh. My daughter participated in that and she also participated in some ridiculous event on the mats when that team did their tour after winning the gold medal at whatever Olympics was held that year.
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Deleted
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Sept 8, 2024 0:59:48 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2024 2:15:08 GMT
I had quite a few in my class on Olympic infrastructure and social policy. Some of them are there now. They all seemed like considerate down to earth people.
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Post by freecharlie on Jul 25, 2024 2:44:53 GMT
My best friend's brother competed in speed skating.
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Post by smasonnc on Jul 25, 2024 2:59:31 GMT
I was a track official at University of Florida before the 1976 Olympics. Our Florida Relays meet was a warmup so there were many Olympians at the meet. Our school team and track club had a lot of athletes from all over the world who were on the teams from their countries. One of the first people I met was Frank Shorter, 1972 marathon champion. Dwight Stones in the high jump, Marty Liquori in the 1500, Dave Roberts in the pole vault and many others trained there. Dave Roberts won bronze at the 1976 Olympics and I was officiating at the pole vault pit when he broke the world record at the Florida Relays. I didn't know them well. It was just a job but I spent a lot of time working at meets and practices.
We had a banquet after the Relays and Willie Davenport was the guest speaker. He had competed in the 110 m hurdles winning a gold medal in 1968 and a bronze in 1976. He decided that he wanted to go out with a group of us girls afterward rather than show up at a party hosted by the coaches so we ended up crashing the party because he was expected there. Very awkward.
Seeing these people perform up close, they're another species who are more graceful and perfect than the rest of us. It was magnificent.
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anaterra
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Jun 29, 2014 3:04:02 GMT
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Post by anaterra on Jul 25, 2024 3:08:47 GMT
Bryce Hoppel is a runner competing in Paris this summer... he graduated with my niece..
I dont knew him and she only knew him in passing... they went to a big west texas high school...
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Post by AussieMeg on Jul 25, 2024 3:10:43 GMT
Yes. My ex (DD's dad) grew up with and was best mates with a four-time Australian Olympian basketballer. My ex was in his wedding party when he got married, and we stayed with them several times when he was playing interstate. He also had (short) stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs.
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Post by manomo on Jul 25, 2024 3:13:29 GMT
World and Olympic champion decathlete, Dan O’Brien, attended college and trained in our area. I met him when he gave an inspirational presentation at my daughter’s middle school.
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Post by Lurkingpea on Jul 25, 2024 4:42:22 GMT
One of my former students is competing. I was their Kindergarten teacher. Pretty fun to see.
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Post by wholarmor on Jul 25, 2024 6:51:01 GMT
World and Olympic champion decathlete, Dan O’Brien, attended college and trained in our area. I met him when he gave an inspirational presentation at my daughter’s middle school. U of I? I remember them making a big deal about him(named the track after him when I was going there), but he wasn't there when I was. I DID meet the Jamaican bobsled team when they trained at U of I.
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