Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing. Christina made her first national team at the age of 14, and had competed in five international events by the time she was 17. Meet Christina Jones As a young child, Christina tried every sport that she could think of. She tried ice skating, she tried gymnastics and soccer, swimming and nearly every type of dance. It wasn’t until her mother took her to a Santa Clara Aquamaids Synchronized Swimming show when she was six that she … Continue reading →

Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing. Cheryl was undefeated as a junior weightlifter. Meet Cheryl Haworth Cheryl was born in Savannah, Georgia, the middle daughter of Sheila and Robert Haworth. Her father, a businessman, and her mother, a nurse, were both athletes and encouraged their daughters to play sports. Cheryl was sickly and thin as a toddler and suffered from allergies, ear infections, bronchitis, and pneumonia. After having her tonsils and adenoids removed at age 6, she gained weight, and family members and … Continue reading →

Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing. Bill lettered in cross country while he was in high school. Meet Bill Zadick The son of Bob and Toni Zadick, he attended Great Falls High School (Great Falls, Montana) where he was coached by Tim Owens and became a four-time state champion (1988-91). While attending Iowa, he was a three-time NCAA All-American as well as an NCAA champion in 1996. Bill has and two sisters, Maryanne and Terri as well as a brother, Mike, who is … Continue reading →

Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing. Mike is a fan of the rodeo and used to ride bulls for recreation! Meet Mike Zadick Mike is the son of Bob and Toni Zadick and has one brother, Bill, as well as two sisters, Maryanne and Terri. While in high school he was a four-time state champion and a member of the football team. Along with his brother, Bill, the Zadick brothers became part of the first set of siblings since 1995 to make a … Continue reading →

Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing. Patricia’s talents are not limited to wrestling as she also enjoys playing the piano, river rafting and is fluent in Portuguese. Meet Patricia Miranda Patricia started wrestling at the age of 12 before l attending Stanford University where she was a member of the men’s varsity team. At Stanford she majored in economics and international policy before graduating from Yale University Law School in May 2007. Patricia has two brothers, Joe and Michael, and one sister, Andrea. … Continue reading →

Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing this summer. Bridget may get to indulge in her favorite food if she heads to Beijing, she loves Chinese. Meet Bridget Sloan Bridget is the youngest daughter of Jeff and Mary Sloan. She has three older siblings: Kyle, Kassie and Nathan. She is an honor roll student at Tri-West Hendricks High School in Pittsboro, Ind. She recently attained her goal of making the U.S. National Team and hopes to represent the U.S. in competitions. She participated in … Continue reading →

Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing this summer. Alicia cites her parents as her role models because they taught her that hard work brings rewards. Meet Alicia Sacramone Alicia is the daughter of Fred, an orthodontist, and Gail, a salon owner. She has one older brother, Jonathan. Alicia is a sophomore at Brown University and competed on the Brown gymnastics team last year. Alicia enjoys designing her own leotards and is interested in a career in fashion design. Why Root for Her? Alicia … Continue reading →

Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing this summer. Samantha volunteers in her free time with Jireh Sports, a sports ministry for at-risk youth. Meet Samanatha Peszek Samantha is the oldest daughter of Ed, a Regional Vice President, and Luan, publications director at USA Gymnastics. She has one younger sister, Jessica, who is a Level 9 gymnast. Samantha is a high honor roll student and was a member of USA Gymnastics’ Talent Opportunity Program (TOP) National Team. Samantha’s parents were athletes at the University … Continue reading →

Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing this summer. We’ve met all the male gymnastic contenders, now it’s time to get to know the females beginning with Shawn Johnson. Meet Shawn Johnson Shawn attends Valley Southwoods, a public high school in her hometown of West Des Moines, Iowa. The honor roll student has already had three short stories published and enjoys walking animal shelter dogs as part of her school’s volunteer program. She enjoys horseback riding, scrapbooking and socializing with her family and friends. … Continue reading →

Welcome to our Focus on the Olympics articles that introduces you to our Olympic athletes and hopefuls that will be competing in Beijing this summer. Jonathon is the fifth American male gymnast to record a top-four all around finished at the 2007 World Championships. Meet Jonathon Horton Jonathon was a member of the 2006 World Championships Team. He’s the son of Al, an engineer, and Margo, a realtor. He has an older sister named Margo, who is a dance instructor. His favorite subject is math, and in his spare time he enjoys reading the Bible, playing video games and golfing. … Continue reading →