Olympic Connections

[Craig Laughlin]

The Olympics will be starting soon. I thought it might be fun to see what sorts of personal (or semi-personal) connections we have to the upcoming events. I'll bet there are more than you would think.

Here are my families.

Maurice Mitchell, having just completed an outstanding track career as a Seminole just qualified for the Olympics in the 200 meters. He is a graduate of Raytown South High School form which my daughter graduated. (he was a couple years behind her) My son would have graduated from there had we not moved out here. Maurice was crazy fast. I remember when my son went out for track in Jr. High. We looked at the record board and decided he wasn't going to be breaking any school records as the board was filled with Maurice's name. He was at one point running the fastest High School 100 meters in the nation. - Nice kid. Raytown South's track team is regularly ranked nationally.

One of the 15 finalist for Gymnastics came from my daughter's gymnastic team in Kansas City. (GAGE) Sarah Finnegan and did not make the team but will be back next time. It was great to see the old coach Al Fong and his wife on TV at the trials. They have had many national and world awards including previous Olympic metals.

Way side note. My daughter was also coached by an Olympic coach in diving when she went to diving camp in High School. She likes to say she has been yelled at by two different Olympic coaches in two different sports.

Okay - Do you have any connections?

[Bud Pugh]

Um, a friend's kids went to high school in Bend, OR with the new record holder in the decathlon- Ashton Eaton.

That's a direct connection, isn't it?

[Craig Laughlin]

Um, a friend's kids went to high school in Bend, OR with the new record holder in the decathlon- Ashton Eaton.

That's a direct connection, isn't it?

Absolutely.

[John Reilly]

The closest connection I have to the Olympics is one summer my wife and I visited the (obsolete) Olympic village in Lake Placid, NY and toured the museum. We were exhausted from all the walking.

[Jim Poteet]

My son, Josh, played youth soccer with Blake Griffin. He also played high school basketball against Blake. Blake made the USA Olympic Basketball team, but was injured just prior to the first exhibition game and will now watch from the sidelines rather than play.

[Glenn Messer]

I love track and field. Over the years I had the privilege of meeting and watching some of the greatest performers of their day. I watched Bobby Morrow run near the end of his career. I watched Bill Nieder set a new world record in the shot put (he won in Rome, 1960). One of the greatest runners I had the opportunity to watch was Charlie Tidwell of Kansas -- you could never count his team out in a relay race. I competed (poorly) against a superb high school athlete named Bert Coan who almost singlehandedly lead his high school team to a state championship (I think he held some national records at one time) and went on to play professional football. For consistency from high school through international competition I don't think I ever saw anyone better than Randy Matson; he came out of Pampa, TX -- same high school that Dr. Jim Bond came out of; I think they knew each other. I watched him compete several times. Randy was an Olympic champion. A few years ago (1994 or 95) I was in the stands at an ACC Track and Field Championship and struck up a conversation with a young lady named Kim Graham. In 1996 she was a member of the USA 4x400 meter relay team in Atlanta and ran a race changing 3rd leg on that relay. I was thrilled to watch her do that. You can watch it on You Tube (1996 Olympic track and field 4x400m women's relay).

I was married in July of 1964. The 1964 olympics were being broadcast (not sure if it was live) and my wife will tell you that the thing she remembers most is me kneeling in the middle of the bed yelling, "Run, man, run!!!" at the top of my lungs. Yes, I love track and field.