Olympic, Paralympic Athletes visit Colorado Springs schools, October 25More than 60 athletes representing the U.S. Olympic Movement, including eight wrestlers, will travel to 16 Colorado Springs, Colo., area schools on Monday, October 25 as part of the Unites States Olympic Committee's Champions In Life outreach program. The athletes will address the importance of staying in school, staying drug free, avoiding gangs and violence and being the best that they can be in life. The athletes will speak with students in assemblies that will take place at each of the 16 schools from 9:15 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
Wrestlers have been very active in community service programs such as this, especially in the Colorado Springs community. Only one sport, team handball, has more athletes involved in the Champion In Life program on October 25.
The wrestlers involved in the program include Olympic Champions Kendall Cross and Jeff Blatnick, Olympic silver medalists Matt Ghaffari and Dennis Hall, Olympic bronze medalist Gene Davis, Olympians Dan Mello and Shawn Sheldon and U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete Ramico Blackmon.
The USOC Champions In Life program has two parts: 1) a school assembly program in which U.S. Olympians, Olympic hopefuls, Paralympians and Pan American sport athletes talk to students about their personal stories and overcoming adversity to make positive choices in life and 2) an interactive sports session where Olympic athletes teach students about their Olympic sport and give them firsthand activity-based experience.
Following school assembly sessions, the athletes will go to the U.S. Olympic Complex to greet students for the interactive sessions, which will be held from 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Athletes will give students personal instruction on various Olympic sports and teach them safe and health practices, in addition to giving them new concepts in sports. Over 400 students representing local and regional schools are expected to attend the interactive session.
Colorado Springs area schools that will be represented during the interactive session at the U.S. Olympic Complex include: Buena Vista Elementary School; Canon City Elementary Schools; Chamberlin Elementary School; Chipeta Elementary School; Columbine Elementary Schools; Globe Charter School; Gold Camp Elementary School; Jefferson Elementary School; Pike Elementary School; Manitou Springs Elementary School; Monterey Elementary School; Scott Elementary School; Stratton Elementary School; Stratton Meadows Elementary School; Ute Pass Elementary School.
WRESTLING ATHLETE APPEARANCES (school, address, athlete, style, birthdate, hometown, college, Olympic teams)
CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL, 1200 Cresta Road, Colorado Springs, Colo. WRESTLER Ramico Blackmon, freestyle wrestling, 9/12/72, Colorado Springs, Colo., Eastern Michigan (none)
DOHERTY HIGH SCHOOL, 4515 Barnes Road, Colorado Springs, Colo. WRESTLER Matt Ghaffari, Greco-Roman wrestling, 11/11/61, Avon Lake, Ohio, Cleveland State (1992, 1996 silver)
EAST MIDDLE SCHOOL, 1600 North Union Blvd., Colorado Springs, Colo.WRESTLER Dan Mello, Greco-Roman wrestling, 5/21/53, Colorado Springs, Colo., Portland State/California State (1980)
LEWIS-PALMER MIDDLE SCHOOL, 1776 Woodmoor Drive, Monument, Colo. WRESTLER Shawn Sheldon, Greco-Roman wrestling, 11/18/64, Colorado Springs, Colo., SUNY-Albany (1988,1992)
MESA RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL, 6070 Mesa Ridge Parkway, Colorado Springs, Colo. WRESTLER Gene Davis, freestyle wrestling, 11/17/45, Colorado Springs, Colo., Oklahoma State (1972, 1976 bronze)
PANORAMA MIDDLE SCHOOL, 2145 South Chelton, Colorado Springs, Colo. WRESTLER Kendall Cross, wrestling, 2/24/68, Brookline, Mass., Oklahoma State (1992, 1996 gold)
WILLIAM J. PALMER HIGH SCHOOL, 301 N. Nevada Ave., Colorado Springs, Colo. WRESTLER Dennis Hall, wrestling, 2/5/71, Plover, Wis., University of Wisconsin (1992, 1996 silver)
WOODLAND PARK HIGH SCHOOL, 151 North Baldwin, Woodland Park, Colo. WRESTLER Jeff Blatnick, wrestling, 7/26/57, Clifton Park, N.Y., Springfield College (1980, 1984 gold)