Eighty-five athletes who dream of representing the United States at the 2004 Olympic Games traveled to Athens, Greece, to "Seize the SUMMIT." The November 6-9 gathering, which included a visit to the Athletes Village and previews of the USA High Performance Center and competition venues, was the third in a series of 2004 Summer Sport SUMMITS hosted by the United States Olympic Committee and its Athlete Programs Division.     Designed to help American athletes achieve their peak performance at the Athens Olympic Games, the SUMMIT program brings together a cross-sport group to share a vision of excellence and serve as a motivating support system for one another prior to and during the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad. It is modeled on the SUMMIT 2002 initiative, which was an instrumental part of the overall medal success of the U.S. Olympic Team in Salt Lake City. Of the athletes who participated in the 2002 program, 49% earned a medal and 80% placed in the top eight during the Olympic Winter Games in Utah.    A dozen athletes from wrestling, representing all three styles, participated in the gathering in Athens, Greece this weekend. The wrestlers, all members of the 2003 U.S. World Team, were: Stephen Abas (Fresno, Calif.), Tina George (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Eric Guerrero (Stillwater, Okla.), Jamill Kelly (Stillwater, Okla.), Sara McMann (Lock Haven, Pa.), Kristie Marano (Albany, N.Y.), Sally Roberts (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Jenny Wong (Stillwater, Minn.), Kevin Bracken (Colorado Springs, Colo.), T.C. Dantzler (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Justin Ruiz (Taylorsville, Utah) and Brad Vering (Colorado Springs, Colo.).    "This SUMMIT is a reminder of why we do this, why we continue to train in our sport," said Ruth Nortje. "It's wonderful to come away wanting to make ever single minute count. It's too easy to become complacent. This event was a renewal. After listening to Connie's [Carpenter-Phinney] talk, I know that every little bit counts. The SUMMIT has renewed my focus on my process. I will take my best path."     Gymnast Raj Bhavsar cited mental imagery as the biggest benefit of his participation in the program in Athens. "Now that I've been here, when I train I'll be able to visualize everything - landing at the airport, going through the terminal, driving through Athens, arriving at the [athletes'] village, training at the venue and competing. I can see it all - it's so important." Asked if he believes this will give him an advantage, Bhavsar said, "I know it will - big time. Mental imagery is huge."    A steering committee of U.S. Olympic medalists has helped the hopefuls as they prepare for the 2004 Athens Games by sharing experiences and lessons learned in setting goals and achieving them. They include Mike Conley (athletics/'84 silver, '92 gold); Karch Kiraly (volleyball/'84 gold, '88 gold, '96 gold); Heather Pease Olson (synchronized swimming/'96 gold); Connie Carpenter Phinney (cycling/'84 gold); Sandra Whyte-Sweeney (ice hockey, '98 gold); Andrew Valmon (athletics/'88 gold, '92 gold); and Peter Vidmar (gymnastics, '84 two gold and one silver). Serving as team leaders for the SUMMIT were Olympians Jill Savery (synchronized swimming/'96 gold) and Michelle Dusserre Farrell (gymnastics/'84 silver), who is now a USOC sport partnership manager.    Diver Mark Ruiz credited Whyte-Sweeney with providing his "take away moment" from the sessions in Athens. "It was that resources are there for us and we need to take advantage of them. Sandra's story made me think about that for the first time. I have an advantage - not all the athletes have been able to see all the USOC has provided for us."    "I think the athletes' eyes were opened to what it will be like during the 2004 Olympic Games. They got to experience the look and the feel of Athens," said Mary Klever, director of USOC Athlete Programs. "This familiarization with what will be their surroundings next August should help as they prepare to compete and enhance their performances during the Olympiad."    Other athletes participating in the "Seize the SUMMIT" program were: Archery - Vic Wunderle (Lincoln, Ill.); Boxing - Karl Dargan (Tulsa, Okla.) and Raul Martinez (San Antonio, Texas); Canoe/Kayak - Kathy Colin (Kailua, Hawaii), Ruth Nortje (Whitehouse Station, N.J.) and Matt Taylor (Atlanta, Ga.); Cycling (Mountain) - Susan Haywood (Davis, W. Va.); Diving - Cassandra Cardinell (Loudonville, N.Y.), Michelle Davison (Columbia, S.C.), Sara Hildebrand (St. Paul, Minn.), Mark Ruiz (Orlando, Fla.) and Brittany Viola (Orlando, Fla.); Fencing - Soren Thompson (San Diego, Calif.); Gymnastics - Raj Bhavsar (Houston, Texas); Judo - Brian Olson (Tallahassee, Fla.); Sailing - Betsy Allison (Newport, R.I.), Lee Icyda (Stuart, Fla.) and Suzie Leech (Avon, Conn./Annapolis, Md.); and Shooting - Brandi Neal (Spencer, Ind.) and Glenn Eller (Houston, Texas).    Also, Softball - Leah Amico (Chino Hills, Calif.), Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.), Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.), Jaime Clark (Tustin, Calif.), Lisa Fernandez (Long Beach, Calif.), Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.), Tairia Flowers (Tucson, Ariz.), Amanda Freed (Cypress, Calif.), Nicole Giordano (Saugus, Calif.), Lori Harrigan (Las Vegas, Nev.), Lovieanne Jung (Fountain Valley, Calif.), Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.), Lauren Lappin (Anaheim, Calif.), Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.), Stacey Nuveman (La Verne, Calif.), Catherine Osterman (Houston, Texas), Jenny Topping (Whittier, Calif.) and Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.); Swimming - Rachel Komisarz (Warren, Mich.); Synchronized Swimming - Alison Bartosik (Santa Clara, Calif.), Tammy Crow (St. Louis, Mo.), Erin Dobratz (Clayton, Calif.), Mary Hofer (San Diego, Calif.), Becky Jasontek (Loveland, Ohio), Sara Lowe (Desoto, Texas), Lauren McFall (Sunnyvale, Calif.), Stephanie Nesbitt (Riverside, Calif.), Katie Norris (Tallahassee, Fla.) and Kendra Zanotto (Los Gatos, Calif.); Taekwondo - Simona Hradil (Richardson, Texas), Diana Lopez (Sugarland, Texas), Mark Lopez (Sugarland, Texas), Peter Lopez (Upland, Calif.) and Taylor Stone (Denver, Colo.).    Additionally, Track & Field - Dawn Burrell (Houston, Texas), Allyson Felix (Los Angeles, Calif.), Jearl Miles-Clark (Knoxville, Tenn.), Melissa Morrison (Columbia, S.C.) and Demetria Washington (Columbia, S.C.); Volleyball (Beach) - Dain Blanton (Laguna Beach, Calif.); Water Polo - Omar Amr (Fullerton, Calif.), Ryan Bailey (Long Beach, Calif.), Layne Beaubien (Coronado, Calif.), Brandon Brooks (Honolulu, Hawaii), Larry Felix (Anaheim, Calif.), Peter Hudnut (Encino, Calif.), Genai Kerr (Imperial Beach, Calif.), Dan Klatt (Fresno, Calif.), Merrill Moses (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.), Jeff Powers (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), Chris Segesman (Santa Barbara, Calif.), Wolf Wigo (New York, N.Y.) and Adam Wright (Seal Beach, Calif.);     "One Team, One Dream" was the theme for the 2001 sessions of the SUMMIT, which brought together athletes representing 19 Olympic summer sports for a variety of group activities aimed at helping the participants get to know each other and celebrate their commonality even through they come from different disciplines. In 2002, the theme was "Riding the Wave to Athens" and the program continued to focus on philosophies and training regimens that could help in the athletes' pursuit of Olympic success.