Tag Archives: athletes

Do Athletes Sleep Better than Non-Athletes?

Having trouble sleeping? If you tend to be an object at rest more often than an object in motion, that might be part of the problem. A study from the University of Basel in Switzerland looked specifically at teen athletes in their study on exercise and sleep. More than four hundred teens (the average age of study participants was seventeen) kept logs of activity and sleep patterns for a week. More than half of the participants were members of the “Swiss Olympic Classes“; the rest were more sedentary. The 258 student athletes exercised an average of seventeen and a half … Continue reading →

Athletes Stripped of Olympic Medals – Part 2

In one of my last blogs, I was talking about athletes stripped of their medals by the International Olympic Committee. Most of those stripped of their medals failed drug tests. And for some reason, most of the medal removals seem to happen in summer Olympic games. For some reason, the records I found only showed four winter game athletes stripped of their medals. Full scale drug testing by the IOC started in 1972, but anabolic steroids were not banned until 1976. If you think they aren’t serious about their non-drug use policy, let’s take a look at the first athlete … Continue reading →

Olympians Sizzling Bodies May Be Too Hot for China

If you needed incentive to get your body in shape then the Summer Olympics came just in time. Good gracious, have you seen the killer bods these elite athletes are sporting? Seriously, U.S. swimmer Dara Torres could have ignited the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony via spontaneous combustion had she simply marched into the stadium wearing her bikini. Her body is so ripped I try to block out the fact that she gave birth just two years ago. Michael Phelps is cut like a rack of lamb, as is the entire U.S. men’s gymnastics team (or all the gymnasts … Continue reading →

Asthma May Be an Issue for Athletes in Beijing

Olympic athletes with exercise-induced asthma may face two problems at the Games in Beijing: competing in one of the most polluted cities in the world and finding an asthma medication that is allowed under anti-doping regulations. Talk about a double whammy! Over the last decade, Beijing has spent more than seventeen billion dollars on pollution clean-up. But the site of the Summer Games is still known as one of the worst cities in the world for air quality. During the Olympic Games, the city will be cutting the number of cars on the road — a good start, but it … Continue reading →

Living The Christian Life In The Public Eye.

Living the Christian life in today’s world is never easy. It is even harder for celebrities or sportsmen and sportswomen in the public eye. I’m sure this is true for Christian athletes training and preparing for the Olympic Games. One such person is Allyson Felix. Allyson is the daughter of an ordained minister. Being the child of a minister often puts extra pressures of their offspring as friends of ours can testify. People sometimes seem to judge those whose parents are in ministry more harshly. The pressure to decide it’s all too hard living the Christian life and competing must … Continue reading →

Morgan Hamm (2008 Gymnastics Hopeful)

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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. Morgan and his brother Paul were featured as two of People’s “Most Eligible Bachelors” in 2004. Meet Morgan Hamm Morgan Carl Hamm was born to Sandy, a former All-American diver, and Cecily. Their older sister Betsey competed in gymnastics for Iowa State University. Morgan is 30 minutes older than Paul. The twins grew up on a farm in Waukesha, Wis., and trained on makeshift equipment. Their father, Sandy, built a pommel horse from an old … Continue reading →

Guillermo Alvarez (2008 Gymnastics Hopeful)

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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 looked at swimmers last week, we’re heading inside to the gymnastics floor this week. Meet Guillermo Alvarez Guillermo Alvarez is the youngest child of Janet, who works in the radiology department at Idaho State University, and Amando Alvarez, a Spanish instructor at Idaho State University. He has two brothers and a sister: Jaime, Magdalena and Marco Antonio. In 2005, he graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in psychology and was awarded … Continue reading →

Focus on the Olympics: Ryan Lochte (2008 Swimming Hopeful)

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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. Ryan Lochte’s parents were both swimming coaches and helped him achieve his dream of representing his country in the Olympics. Meet Ryan Lochte Ryan started swimming competitively at the age of 9. His parents were swimming coaches and his mother was his first coach with his father taking the primary role as he grew older. In 1992, he watched the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain where Pablo Morales won a gold medal in the 100-meter … Continue reading →

Focus on the Olympics: Aaron Peirsol (2008 Swimming Hopeful)

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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. Aaron started breaking records at the age of 15. Meet Aaron Peirsol Aaron is known for being California-style laid back. Though he hails from the Los Angeles area, he doesn’t seek any media attention. “I don’t like it to be too hyped-up for too long,” Aaron said. “I’m pretty mellow, pretty laid-back. I don’t want it to be too much at once. I’m swimming for better reasons than being a celebrity; I mean if I … Continue reading →

Focus on the Olympics: Chip Peterson (2008 Swimming Hopeful)

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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. Chip’s love of the water is a family thing dating back to World War II and the Navy. Meet Chip Peterson Chip comes from a water-loving family that includes his brother, Perry, who swam through high school and continues Masters swimming today; his father, Pete, who studies sea life and teaches marine biology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and is still a recreational swimmer; and his grandfather, who captained a Naval ship during … Continue reading →