POSTED: Thursday June 18th 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Sports Corp Spotlight

A column by from Mike Moran with his own opinions and musings devoted to all things in Sports in our town and around the area, and the “buzz” for everything from the Olympic athlete to the Weekend Warrior.

June 18, 2009, #24
 
In the midst of the cacophony and tumult of rhetoric related to the issues surrounding the United States Olympic Committee and the agreement to retain our city as its headquarters for the next quarter century, may I offer some fresh thinking? I have grown weary of reading the waves of sour grumbling by assorted NIMBYs and locals who dislike everything except their TV remotes, with their strident whining about the USOC……….the “let ‘em leave,” brigade is long on invective and short on awareness……..not only is the USOC a precious gem worth retaining, but the kind of quality organization that any city would take immense pride in having……….its hundreds of employees, solid professionals dedicated to a mission and a movement that offers the world and our nation both inspiration and hope, are men and women of character, passion and pride….they support our community, send their kids to our schools, buy their goods, homes and services here, pay their taxes, donate their time and money to our charities and programs, and represent our city nationally and internationally as unpaid ambassadors for Colorado Springs…….the USOC’s worth simply cannot be measured in dollars and “economic impact,” for it is much more……it is part of a worldwide mission and a movement, and the more than 350,000 athletes of all ages, abilities, disabilities and dreams that have come and gone from our city since 1977 are tacit proof of this noble endeavor they carry on their backs…….. Then there are the “NGBs”….the National Governing Bodies of sports,the 23 bodies of Olympic and Pan American Games sports that have their national headquarters in our midst, and whose efforts reach millions of athletes and officials in their programs………these are the men and women and the organizations who nurture the athletes every day, sometimes from as young as five to their senior years, and who drive development of youth programs and act as Pied Pipers for young girls and boys to join up and compete, and to chase their dreams all the way to the Olympic and Paralympic games if they are lucky……they offer their athletes to the USOC every four years as members of the Olympic and Paralympic Teams that represent America on the world‘s biggest stages……..but also at the World and National Championships, World Cups and sundry domestic and international competitions…….they, too, live here, buy here, empower our community, bring their events and meetings to town, and bring prestige and attention to our city every day of the year……..their chief executives rank among the best in America and the world………let me tick off the names of talented, exceptional, visionary leaders like Dave Ogrean (USA Hockey), Chuck Wielgus (USA swimming), Steve Johnson (USA Cycling), Doug Beal (USA Volleyball), Rich Bender (USA Wrestling), Jim Tooley (USA Basketball), Sheila Walker (USA Field Hockey), David Raith (US Figure Skating), Skip Gilbert (USA Triathlon), and Luke St. Onge of the United States of America National Karate Federation among a blue-chip team of 23 sport executives who call our city home and bring gold-plated reputations and business acumen to our family……….they are known worldwide as the best among amateur sports leaders, and their contacts both internationally and domestically are a gilt-edged gift to Colorado Springs, as I saw first-hand two weeks ago at USA Hockey’s national convention at the Crowne Plaza, where the nation’s ice hockey family gathered for their annual summit, hosted by Dave Ogrean and his crack staff……….next Tuesday, June 23, the USOC and the community will celebrate the worldwide Olympic Day with a special reception at the Olympic Visitor Center, with special guests including Olympic Hall of Fame greats Edwin Moses (the world’s greatest intermediate hurdler) and Teresa Edwards, the first basketball player –male or female- to compete in five Olympics, and swimming gold medalist George DiCarlo…….the theme of the evening will be to honor and remember the 25th anniversary of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the Games that may have saved the Olympics themselves, and the oft-forgotten role of our USOC in preserving those Games and using them to sustain the movement into the decades since……also on hand will be the USOC’s new Acting CEO, Stephanie Streeter, a former star basketballer at Stanford who has been entrusted with the organization’s navigation into the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and the choppy waters of the headquarters deal with our city…….this experienced business executive is just getting to know Colorado Springs, its rich history and Olympic legacy, and meeting the men and women who are the face of the effort here…….it will be a day worth remembering and celebrating……….Around 30 years ago at this time, I was seated at my desk in a small office at Olympic House, just a few months into my new job with the USOC…….it was late afternoon when a distinguished, older African-American man peaked around the corner and entered my space….he said, “Mr. Moran, I’m Jesse Owens.” I rose to greet him, and I will never forget the moment……I gave the 1936 American Olympic icon a golf-cart tour of the Olympic Training Center, (he had come to town to help us raise some funds) and as the sun set, I asked him if I could record a few of his memories on tape…….we paused at the edge of the old running track, and he said in a voice weakened by lung cancer, “Maybe someday, we can all stand together atop the victory platform and see our dreams realized.” He died on March 31, 1980, just a month after our Ice Hockey Team completed its “Miracle On Ice” at Lake Placid……..its dream come true……. And that hockey team trained and was selected in Colorado Springs………Let the USOC leave Colorado Springs?……….let us wish not.
 
Mike Moran, Director of Communications
The Colorado Springs Sports Corporation
1631 Mesa Ave., Suite E
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
               (719…       , ext.1011
mike@thesportscorp.org
 
www.thesportscorp.org
 
Coming up:
June 25-Sports Corp College Football Kickoff Luncheon, Colorado Springs Marriott
July 8-11- 69th Pikes Peak Or Bust Rodeo Days, Norris-Penrose Events Center Stadium
July 19- 87th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the “Race To The Clouds”
July 30-Aug. 2- 2009 State Games of America, (Opening Ceremony July 30, World Arena)
Oct. 3- USA Karate National University Championships, Olympic Training Center

Nov. 10- Colorado Springs Sports Hall Of Fame 2009 Banquet & Induction Ceremony, World Arena

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Keywords · Sports Corp · USOC · Mike Moran · Jesse Owens

Name: Mike Moran
Organization: Colorado Springs Sports Corporation
Email:
Phone: 719-634-7333, ext. 1011
URL: http://www.thesportscorp.org

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