U.S. Olympic Team in women’s wrestling featured in major photo essay in ESPN The Magazine
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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
07/09/2004
The members of the U.S. Olympic Team in women's freestyle wrestling were featured in a major photo essay in ESPN The Magazine, in its July 19 edition which hit the newsstands and was received by subscribers this week. The feature covered five pages in this major national sports magazine. The story is entitled "Ladykillers." Al Bellow of Getty Images shot the images for ESPN The Magazine, and the text for the feature was written by ESPN journalist Lindsay Berra. The athletes focused on in the feature are Olympians Patricia Miranda (Colorado Springs, Colo./Dave Schultz WC) at 48 kg/105.5 lbs., Tela O'Donnell (Colorado Springs, Colo./Dave Schultz WC) at 55 kg/121 lbs., Sara McMann (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. and Toccara Montgomery (Cleveland, Ohio/New York AC) at 72 kg/158.5 lbs. Bellow spent a week with the U.S. women wrestlers when they were in Staten Island, N.Y., for a historic pre-Olympic training camp session, June 21-28. The team trained at the di Silvestri Wrestling Center on the campus of Staten Island's Monsignor Farrell High School that week. There is a fun two-page portrait of the four U.S. Olympic team members, shot from the roof of the Staten Island Hotel, where the team stayed during the training camp. Also included are action shots of Miranda, McMann and Montgomery from the Titan Games Built by Home Depot competition in Atlanta, Ga., June 19-20. A training shot of O'Donnell is included. A photo of the team members, along with USA Wrestling National Women's Coach and Olympic Coach Terry Steiner (Colorado Springs, Colo.) with New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, is included. Bloomberg declared it Women's Olympic Wrestling Team week in New York City when the women were there for training. A shot of McMann taking down NBC Today Show host Katie Couric from the outdoor set of the Today Show in Rockefeller Center is featured. The women wrestlers appeared on the Today Show, giving wrestling demonstrations and being interviewed by hosts Couric and Matt Lauer. Another image of Montgomery in her hotel room, working on the hair of training partner Stephany Lee (Honolulu, Hawaii/Missouri Valley College) is in the feature. This was the first U.S. Olympic training camp for women's wrestling ever, as women's wrestling is the only new sport at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. While they were in New York City, the team was involved in a series of major media interviews and public appearances. In addition to appearing on the Today Show, the women were involved in a special feature segment on College Sports Television. The feature was originally to be held outside in Chelsea Piers, but moved into the CSTV studio before a live audience. Among the national media outlets to interview the women were NBC News Channel, CNN, Reuters Television, National Public Radio and Voice of America. People Magazine did a photo shoot. Major newspapers including the New York Times, Newsday, the Record, the White Plains Journal and the Staten Island Advance attended practice. Also doing interviews were Women's Wear Daily, plus Japanese newspaper Mainichi and New York newsradio WINS and New York television stations WNBC and WPIX. The women were guests of Staten Island and the New York City community, with special support from the Metropolitan Wrestling Association. Other groups supporting the visit were the New York City Sports Commission and the NYC2012 bid committee.