About The Red and Black (Athens, Ga.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 2000)
1—' 1SLL Friday, September 15, 2000 | The Red & Black Current and Former Georgia Athletes Will Travel to Sydney to Represent America as ... Bulldog Olympians I t'J SCHEDULE Olympic television schedule featuring Georgia athletes 15 September >■ Opening Ceremony — NBC, 7:30 p.m.-midnight 4 Women’s Basketball: I States vs. South AVKorea — NBC, 10 a.m.-4 pm ► Swimming — NBC, 4:30 p.m.-midnight 17 Swimming — NBC, 11 a.m.- midnight 4 >• Swimming — NBC, X10 a.m.-noon, 7 p.m.- 1U midnight ► Women’s Basketball: United States vs. Cuba — MSNBC, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 19 ► Swimming — NBC, 10 a.m.-noon, 7 p.m.- midnight Swimming, Women’s "WW Ibasketball: United 4m wStates vs. Russia — NBC, 10 a.m.-noon, 7 p.m.- midnight 21 >• Swimming — NBC, 10 a.m. -noon, 7 p.m.-mid night Swimming, Track & / #Field — NBC, 10 a.m.- fcfcnoon. 7 p.m.-midnight ► Women’s basketball: United States vs. New Zealand — CNBC, 5-9 p.m. 23E night Track & Field, wimming — NBC, oon-6p.m., 7p.m.-mid- M > Track & Field — NBC, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., 7p.m.-midnight >• Women’s basketball: United States vs. Poland — MSNBC, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Track & Field — /l%NBC, 10 a.m.-noon, fcW7p.m.-midnight, 12:45 a.m.-2:15 a.m. n> Track & Field, / / Women’s Basketball: f Quarterfinal — NBC, 10 a.m.-noon, 7 p.m.-midnight, 12:45 a.m.-2:15 a.m. 28 > Track & Field — NBC. 10 a.m.-noon, 7 p.m.-midnight Track & Field, #U Women’s basketball: fcV Semifinal — NBC, 10 a.m.-noon, 7 p.m.-midnight, 12:45 a.m.-2:15 a.m. O Women ’ s basketball: 1 Gold medal game, V Track & Field — NBC, noon-6 p.m., 7 p.m.-midnight 1 October >- Closing ceremony — NBC, 7 p.m.-midnight Going for the Gold Georgia athletes set to represent United States, University in Australia 4 By BILL MURPHY wmurphy@randb.com For the 27th time, athletes from near and far will com pete for fame and glory in Sydney during the 2000 Olympic Games. And 21 of those athletes are past or present stu dent-athletes from Georgia. After tonight’s opening ceremony (NBC, 7:30), a plethora of Bulldogs from swim ming, track, equestrian and women’s basketball will be aim ing for the ultimate prize of gold. “This is a tremendous point of pride for our program,” Athletics Director Vince Dooley said. Bulldog athletes who are now set for action in Sydney have been train ing non-stop for months on end in SPECIAL | The Red a Black ▲ Former Bulldog Debbie Ferguson will compete in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. preparation for this incredible milestone of their athlet ic achievement. Saying that this is a point of pride is exactly right. Besides, what better way to show that Georgia pro duces some of the best athletes than to have them selected to represent their homelands to compete against the rest of the world’s best? We all know the breath-taking images. Michael Jordan and the 1992 Dream Team, and Michael Johnson as he set the 200-meter world record in Atlanta during the 1996 Olympic Games. Over the years, the memories of athletes questing for the illustrious gold that only a proud few can claim for their respective homelands have been endless. This year’s Olympics marks a milestone for the University of Georgia. Bulldog athletes account for 21 athletes in the Games. “I’m not aware of any school with as many athletes competing as Georgia,” Dooley said. The most notable name from Georgia is Teresa Edwards. Edwards played basketball at Georgia from 1983-86. To her credit she already has three gold medals and has appeared in more Olympic Games than any other former Georgia student-athlete. Seven former track athletes will compete in track and field — including Gudren Gudrunamardottir, who has been asked to carry the flag for Iceland, the country she will represent. Gudrunamardottir will compete in the 400-meter hurdles. Another focal point for Bulldog faithful will be the 10 Georgia swimmers, along with head swim coach Jack Bauerle as the assistant coach for the Olympic team, and the impact they have on the overall medal competi tion. The swimmers bound for Sydney have accomplished huge individual records during their careers at Georgia, but now the question is: Will they be able to overtake the world’s best? “This is the reason I have trained this hard all along, and I hope we can have a good showing in Sydney,” said swimmer Amanda Adkins. Outside of the traditional Olympic sports, Georgia also has a former student to watch in the Games. Robert Dover will be competing in equestrian for the fifth time in Olympic competition. Although Dover was never on a varsity athletic team at Georgia, he attend the University as a student. However, the biggest question for people at Georgia will be: Can this group of Olympic representatives rise above the rest of the competition to bring home the gold? After strong preparation for the Games, Georgia ath letes should have a good showing in Sydney. Many are anxious for the Games to begin to see Georgia’s very own compete, and this feeling of anticipation was summed up by Dooley: “I’m really looking forward to seeing all of our won derful athletes compete for the rest of the world.” Five-time Olympian named team co-captain By AMBER SHAW ashaw@randb.com L ittle did the Cairo native know that at age 36 her name would appear in the Encyclopedia Britannica. As a child, Teresa Edwards just knew that she enjoyed playing basketball because she could beat the boys. She was found still playing with the boys this summer as she trained for her fifth Olympics, which begins today in Sydney, Australia. Her presence at the beginning of the Opening Ceremony will make Edwards one of only 16 U.S. athletes to have competed in five Olympics. “I don’t gloat in the fact it’s my fifth,” said Edwards, who was named co-captain of the U.S. women’s basketball team Thursday. “I’m proud that I’ve been able to do something of this magnitude, but it hasn’t been done yet.” Edwards is the only male or female U.S. basketball player to make five Olympic appearances. “She’s the leader,” Georgia women’s basketball coach Andy Landers said. “She’s more experienced than any male or female Olympic athlete in the world.” Edwards has trained relentlessly for these Olympics. Although she did not compete in the WNBA this season after negotiations fell through, Edwards spent hours with a per sonal trainer and then countless more in the gym. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” Edwards said. “I love to win. I’m staying focused on that and don’t have any time for anything else.” Winning has never seemed to be much of a problem for Edwards. In fact, it seems that everything her hands have touched turned to gold — or at least silver and bronze. She has been a member of seven U.S. national gold medal winning teams and was the co-captain of the 1992 bronze medal-winning Olympic team. While at Georgia, Edwards led the team to three SEC titles (1983, 1984, 1986), two Final Pour appearances (1983, 1985) and a 116-17 record. She still holds the career record for assists (653) and steals (342) and is third in overall scoring TERESA EDWARDS CAREER Collegiate Career > Freshman All-American in 1983 > All-America in 1985 and 1986 >■ All-SEC in 1984-86 United States Basketball Career > Youngest member of the 1984 gold-medal winning team >• Member of the 1986 Goodwill Games and World Championship gold medal-winning team > Member of the 1987 Pan- American gold-medal winning team >- Member of the 1988 Olympic gold medal-winning team >• Member of the 1990 Goodwill Games and World Championship gold-medal winning team > Member of the 1991 Pan American Games team >- Co-Captain of the 1992 bronze-medal winning Olympic team > Member of the 1994 World Championship team Professional Career >- Played for S.P. Magenta in Italy (1987-88) >• Played with Mitsubishi Electric Corp. in Nagoya, Japan (1990-93) > Played for C.B. Doma Basketball Club in Valencia, Spain (1993-94) > Played forTarbes Gespe Bigorre in France (1994-95) (1,989). Edwards’ peak years were spent overseas playing professional basketball. She had short stints with teams in France, Spain, Italy and Japan. But now Edwards adds leadership and strength to a U.S. team that features such basketball talent as Jennifer Azzi, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes. “She will lead them in preparation before the game and during the game, she will provide guidance and leadership,” Landers said. “The younger players will tap into her knowledge.” But is Edwards past her prime? “It seems like she’s getting older than she is because she’s been playing so long,” said U.S. teammate Ruthie Bolton- Holyfield. “But she’s only three years older than me. To me, she’s got some more years left in her.” SPECIAL | The Red a Black ▲ Teresa Edwards celebrates after the United States women’s basketball team won the gold medal in the 1996 Olympic Games. After years of practice, swimmers’ dreams come true By BILL MURPHY wmurphy@randb.com Swimmers, take your mark. These are the words ten Bulldog swimmers have been preparing to hear for years. The dream of a lifetime has come true, and the moment of truth is on the horizon now in Sydney, Australia. For the past month Bulldog swimmers competing for the United States have been training in California and Australia, while the four Georgia international swimmers trained in Athens at the Ramsey Center. When looking at the U.S. swimmers from Georgia, the first place to look is at the top. Head swim coach Jack Bauerle will be an assistant for the Olympic squad in Sydney, and has been training it as a unit this last month in California. “It has been a great honor to be able to coach these wonderful ath letes,” Bauerle said in a telephone interview from California, where the swimmers were training before heading to Sydney. Bauerle also continues to be well received by those Bulldog swim mers who he has grown accustomed to coaching. “It has been great having Jack coaching us out here,” said senior Kim Black, who has competed under Bauerle for the past three years. The team began training in Pasadena, Calif., in August and has maintained a cohesive bond throughout the grueling preparation for what is ahead in the Olympics, which begins today. “It has been intense training, but an enjoyable experience at the same time,” said incoming freshman Julia Stowers on her experience with her new Georgia teammates. While working as a unit, one component that must be present for cohesiveness is strong teamwork. These Georgia swimmers have fbund this task easy to maintain by spending time together in and out of the pool. “The teamwork has been great,” said freshman Kyle Salyards, who will be swimming the 200-meter breaststroke for the U.S. “Now that I’ve gotten to know everyone, I’m really looking forward to swimming with them once we get back to Georgia.” This feeling of teamwork was echoed by her teammates, along CURRENT/FORMER BULLDOG SWIMMERS IN THE OLYMPICS >• Wan Abdullah— Malaysia, 200/400* relay ► Amanda Adkins — United States, 200 backstroke ► Kim Black— United States, freestyle relay >• Mike Fung-A-Wing — Suriname, 100 backstroke >■ Nicholas Kintz — France, distance freestyle ► Kristy Kowal — Ufiited States, 200 breaststroke ► Chris Murray — Bahamas, 50/100 freestyle >■ Kyle Salyards — United States, 200 breaststroke ► Courtney Shealy — United States, 100 backstroke/ freestyle ► Julia Stowers — United States, freestyle relay ’all distances in meters 2000 OLYMPICS~ mtoiMBMwmm ADAM GOODWIN | The Rid * Buck with Bauerle, who has been very upbeat about the way training has transpired. “We go through two training sessions a day, and everyone has worked extremely well together as a team,” said Bauerle. The past individual achievements of these Swim Dogs are seem ingly endless, and having part of the 2000 women’s national champi onship team present to help some of the incoming freshmen with the pressures of international competition doesn’t hurt either. “The numbers show how talented these swimmers are,” Bauerle said. “Six of the 48 United States swimmers are from the University of Georgia, which is a great tribute to how hard our kids have worked.” Of course, achieving the Olympic dream is not something that has happened overnight for these top-notch athletes. Over the course of their lives they have had to make a lot of sacrifices to end up with the opportunity to swim in the Olympics in Sydney. “I’ve been swimming hard all my life to make it to where I am today,” said Black, who will be competing in the freestyle relay. Senior Chris Murray, who is competing for the Bahamas, agreed. “I’ve pressed myself hard all along to achieve the goals I have set for myself.” For these athletes to make their respective country’s teams, they had to qualify at the Olympic Trials. The U.S. team had its trials in Indianapolis in July, and the swimmers knew they had one opportu nity to show how good they actually were. “I knew I had to perform well, and making my (qualifying) time to beat to make the Games seemed very realistic to me,” Stowers said. Following the swimming trials, the Olympic hopefuls had their dreams fulfilled, and that meant Georgia had 10 swimmers bound for Sydney to take part in the Olympic Games. “When I had found out I had made it I was extremely excited, and knew how fortunate I was to have this opportunity,” said senior biol ogy major Mike Fung-A-Wing, who will be swimming in the 100-meter backstroke for Suriname. The Bulldog swimmers who Georgia is sending to Australia have grabbed the attention of the entire swimming population. They have also captivated the University’s administration as a whole, due to the number and quality of the athletes that the swimming program has produced. And somehow the level of academic performance they have upheld in the classroom hasn’t suffered either. “These kids have been able to maintain high academic standards, and are all outstanding individuals overall, which is a real tribute to them,” Bauerle said. Now all the long hours of practice are over, and it is time for these swimmers to shine. Saturday in Sydney, the 27th Summer Olympic Games shall begin, and the eyes of Georgia will be watching their very own in the swimming pool — going for the gold.
