Exclusive with Local Olympic Hero Matt Grevers

It’s not everyday that I get to see and wear an Olympic Gold Medal, but the Saturday of Northwestern’s 48-26 victory over Purdue was one of those days. NU Alum and Olympic Gold-Medalist Matt Grevers, served as Grand Marshal for the university’s Homecoming. Grevers, who won the silver medal in the 100m backstroke at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and was a part of two Gold Medal winning relay teams, was also honored during the Homecoming football game.  I caught up to him at Ryan Field’s Randy Walker Terrace after he just spent a couple hours signing autographs for hundreds of fans. “If you go to Bears, Cubs, Sox, Blackhawks games, you realize there’s a certain intensity. These people really appreciate their sports, they LIVE through their sports, people are so passionate about it,” Grevers said. The Lake Forest, IL native also discussed the elite status that professional athletes possess in the Chicago area and how that carries over to the collegiate game. “Even the college level, the athletes walk around the community and receive great respect for what they’ve done,” Grevers stated.
“Really an honor being granted this as I’m just a swimmer, really that’s how I think of myself. I’ve been a swimmer all my life and not really get recognized; and then all of a sudden thanks to Michael Phelps and what he’s accomplished, everything changed. I’ve bled purple all my life, I went to Northwestern, so it really was a nice warm fuzzy feeling.” I asked him to expand upon the effect that Michael Phelps, the Associated Press athlete of the year, has had on swimming.

“Michael just brought a great awareness to swimming and people started looking at it and said hey wait a second, you can burn like 10,000 calories a day, maybe I should do that. So the numbers have gone up significantly. I think swimming is a great sport and yes it is a little monotonous and you’re staring at the bottom of a black line, but aside from that it’s great exercise,” Grevers responded before discussing why Chicago would make a perfect host for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. “It is probably the number one sports-fan city in the world and from a bus standpoint it only makes sense,” Grevers said before continuing. “The atmosphere is going to be the best here and I hope the other people realize that this is truly the best spot to have it. I looked at some of the plans and it truly is amazing. The facilities and the venues are very exciting, I hope Chicago gets it. If not, it would be a shame.”

NHL Winter Classic Increasing Chicago’s International Reputation

The second annual NHL Winter Classic is no ordinary game; neither are the bread and circuses surrounding it. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, joined by Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz, Blackhawks President John McDonough, and Cubs Chairman Crane Kenney came to Wrigley Field for a special press event in advance of the much-anticipated outdoor regular-season game between the Hawks and their bitter rival, the Detroit Red Wings, on New Year’s Day. Following the tour, a fedora-clad Daley and the executives talked about how hosting a world class event, centered around an Olympic sport with many international sports stars will raise the city’s global profile and add more appeal to the City’s 2016 Olympic bid.

“As the first hockey game to be played at Wrigley Field, this game is already part of Chicago sports history.” Chicagoans of every age are very passionate about sports…getting involved in sports teaches you discipline, courage and a strong work ethic, as well as teamwork. It also opens the door to achieving your dreams. In fact one of the reasons we’re pursuing the Olympic and paralympic games is because of the lasting legacy to the children of our great city,” Daley delivered.

After the speeches, Rocky Wirtz presented Hizzoner II with a special Winter Classic jersey with “Daley 09″ stitched on the back. Later, he was probed by a reporter about how landing this game was another example conveying how Chicago was ready to host the Olympic and Paralympic games. “It brings in major TV with NBC, the Chicago Blackhawks the Chicago Cubs, it brings in the city. So it’s really a combination of things, it really doesn’t matter who you’re cheering for; people love their sports in Chicago. And it really helps us {in} how we work the transportation, parking access to and from the stadium, security, outside- all that works together. And that’s what it is, it shows you we can handle large crowds as well,” Daley said.

Tell us How a Past Olympics Have Benefited You!

Do you have an Olympic success story to share? An idea about how you and your community can benefit from a future Olympic experience here in Chicago? If so, please submit a video telling your tale and you’ll have a chance to win a chance to Vancouver in 2010. I recently spoke with a couple influential people from the most recent American host city with some interesting and uplifting Olympic stories to tell.

In 2002, Salt Lake City became the largest metropolitan area to ever host the winter Olympic Games. On the world’s biggest athletic stage, the region displayed its newly acquired status as a first-rate sports destination; in both economy and community. “It’s really hard to say anything negative about the Olympic experience. We had $91 million left over, so the nay-sayers who said we were going to be in a financial hole were way off. It was a lot about exposure and validation. People said hey, if they can host the Olympics then they can host our group and we can have a good time there,” stated Ski Utah President Nathan Rafferty. In the last year more visitors found their way to the region that hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics. “As the snow piled on so did the skiers,” remarked Rafferty. “Utah’s incredible snow, unparalleled accessibility and world class resorts continue to attract new visitors making it a crucial source of revenue for the state.”

The sports sector of Utah’s economy was thriving after 2002, and it continues to generate more positive return since. With the addition of a first-class soccer stadium/concert venue, sports and entertainment consumers are expected to increase in numbers and therefore provide more future growth. The University of Utah’s football program also got a boost from the 2002 Winter Olympics. The stadium underwent a $52 million expansion and renovation starting in 1997.

The US Men’s basketball team won Gold in Beijing with two members of the Utah Jazz, Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, on their roster. Despite playing in the NBA’s smallest market, the Jazz are succeeding both on the court -currently in first place following back-to-back division title season- and in the board room. According to a Forbes.com study last year, the Jazz were ranked #16 in NBA team value at $342 million. Leading the way is Randy Rigby, President of the Larry H. Miller Sports and Entertainment group which owns the Jazz. Over the phone Rigby told me about the Olympic impact in the Salt Lake City metropolitan region. “One thing it did do was show people what a great place Utah is as a destination,” he said.

Do you have a similar tale? Then please submit a video for the contest and tell the world! Show the global community what the Olympics did for you and Why Chicago should host the Olympics.

Chicago’s Moving Sense of Community

Has there been a moment in your life when you’ve experienced the city of Chicago’s amazing sense of community? If so, please submit a video telling your story of togetherness, cohesivesness and collective euphoria and you can win a chance to Vancouver in 2010. Tell us about a time when the city’s cohesiveness made you realize we would be the perfect host for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Last night, we saw the perfect example when millions of people paraded through the streets of Chicago celebrating one of our own, Barack Obama being elected President of the United States. A moment similar to this was when the Chicago White Sox won the 2005 World Series. On that magical fall evening three years ago, we all walked freely in the midst of the downtown streets while throngs of people screamed and cheered wildly. Motorists honked their horns while totals strangers hugged each other and sang together. All this warmth and fuzziness was also present on the nights that the Chicago Bulls won their six NBA Championships when the city, much like it did yesterday, spelled out festively thematic words and pictures in the lights of the city skyscrapers.

How powerful can Chicago’s sense of community become? Last night, I celebrated Barack’s historical victory with close friend Paul Sajovec, Chief of Staff to Alderman Waguespack, 32nd Ward of the City of Chicago. He told me the story of what he did when the Bulls won their first title. Paul spent the earlier part of his youth in Chicago before his family moved to Detroit. On the night the Bulls won the title, he drove to Chicago from Detroit by himself, to celebrate the title and then drove back the same night by himself. That’s how strong the pull of Chicago’s civic pride is.

I know you have similar stories of your own, so please submit a video for the contest and tell the world! Show the global community our collective passion and unity and Why Chicago should host the Olympics.

David Diaz Brings Underdog Story Home

My “Principal for a Day” experience held a very consistent theme. Olympic Boxer and former WBC Lightweight Champion David Diaz returned to his alma mater, Carl Von Linne School on Chicago’s north side, telling a Rocky like underdog story. During an assembly in his honor, a Chicago 2016 promotional video entitled “Surprises” was shown highlighting how Chicago as a city surpasses expectations. This video highlighted the many ways that this city has pleasantly surprised the world; just like Diaz has during his career. Listed very generously at 5’6” and 139 pounds, Diaz articulated in his speech how he’s been constantly told that he “was too small and too short to make it as a boxer.”

However, Diaz persevered, inspired by his favorite boxer Julio Cesar Chavez, and continued to defy the critics on his way up through the boxing circuit. A video displayed some of his career highlights before Diaz mentioned the fact that he lost his last bout decisively. His rousing words “It’s not about whether you get knocked down, it’s what you do when you get up off the matt,” struck a positive chord with the crowd in attendance. His morning at the same school from which he graduated in 1990 included signing autographs for students, catching up with some of his past teachers and taking questions from children that didn’t “pull any punches,” pun intended.

His day concluded with reading to a class of third-graders. The story was about Olympic Champion Billy Mills, the second Native American ever to win a gold medal. Mills won the 10,000 meter run in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics which made him the only American ever to win gold in this event. Most consider his victory in 1964 to be the greatest upset in Olympic history. Therefore, the story Diaz read reflected both his personal story and the message of the 2016 video shown during the assembly.

Do you have your own underdog story related to 2016 to tell? How about an uplifting, inspiring story about the city and its bid for the Olympics? If so, submit your video!

Passion for Chicago Fire Burns Bright

One Olympic sport with growing popularity in both Chicago and the nation overall is soccer. It’s appealing to the youth of this country with over 19 million children currently participating in the sport. The Chicago Fire, the Second City’s Major League Soccer team, was founded on October 8, 1997, the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In the Fire’s inaugural season of 1998 the club won the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup. They also won the U.S. Open Cup in 2000, ’03 and ‘06. And they were also runner-up for the MLS Cup twice (’00, ’03).

The Chicago Fire logo is modeled from a standard Fire Department crest, featuring what a Florian’s cross. The city’s fire department is one of many that utilize this symbol. The team’s first GM, Peter Wilt, sought to create a logo with a classic image like the NHL’s Original Six franchises and also evoke the symbols and brands associated with European soccer clubs.

Home Fires

In 2008, the Fire had one of their better years at the gate drawing an average of 17,034, well above their all-time average of 15,717. The team played at the famous home of the Chicago Bears NFL franchise, Soldier Field both before (1998-2001) and after the renovation (2004–2005). From 2002–2003 the team played their home games a formidable distance from the city, in Naperville’s Cardinal Stadium. They currently play in their own stadium, Toyota Park located at 71st and Harlem Avenue in the southwest suburb of Bridgeview. Toyota Park, also one of the city’s premier summer concert venues, is owned by that municipality.

The “Ring of Fire” was established in 2003 by the team and the club’s Alumni Association to honor those who have made special contributions to the cause of making the Chicago Fire a proud and successful club. Aside from the charter member, only current “Ring of Fire” members can select new inductees, and no more than one can be selected within any one year. The names of the “Ring of Fire” are prominently displayed at Toyota Park.

Competition

Like the many trophy games of college football, a special and original prize goes to the victor between the Fire and FC Dallas. Since 2001, the two teams compete annually for the Brimstone Cup. FC Dallas is the Fire’s biggest rival, but the events of recent years have stimulated a new rivalry between the Fire and the New England Revolution, another team with nickname paying homage to the city’s history and culture. The Revolution-Fire rivalry is starting to resemble that of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees or Minnesota Twins-Chicago White Sox because the clubs have ended each other’s season (whether in the playoffs or during the regular season) every year since 2001. The Fire’s current squad is coached by Denis Hamlet and captained by Cuahtemoc Blanc.

Chicago has a built-in passion for soccer, taking over Soldier Field when high profile games come to Chicago, especially Mexico.  Having other global fans at our doorstep in 2016 would be fantastic - bring it on!

Only the Olympics Can Match the Autumn Sports Overload

October brings the busiest time of the year for sports, and the multitude of choices might cause overload for the fan. It’s a plethora of choices on parallel with the amount of art displayed in the churches and museums of Flornence, Italy. When I visited the “flowering city on the Arno River,” I was amazed by how much marble and canvas had been aesthetically crafted across the city, the multitude of options made it hard to choose what I wanted to see it first and fit it all in the time I was allotted. That’s what it currently feels like as a sports fan in autumn, especially so on the weekend. The Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games bring the same kind of incessant excitement as sporting events take place pretty much the entire day, ever day, for two weeks straight. In Beijing, we saw that the vast difference in time zone gave us televised events at all hours of the day. In order to televise most of the sporting events taking place, you see all the NBC networks (MSNBC, CNBC etc.) carrying them. During the Olympics, sports is the lead on the news channels. Similarly, all the ESPN Networks (ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNClassic, ESPN360 etc.) are currently jam-packed with their live event schedules.

To handle the sports overload that this segment of the calendar year brings, it takes a city like Chicago with teams involved in all the major professional and collegiate sports. A great sports town like Chicago, that handles the huge number of current choices and events, is perfect for hosting the Olympic and Paralymipc Games, which include the same scenario.

Northwestern Alum and Olympic Gold-Medalist Matt Grevers, served as Grand Marshal for Northwestern University’s Homecoming. Grevers, who won the silver medal in the 100m backstroke at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and was a part of two Gold Medal winning relay teams, was also honored during the Homecoming football game.  I caught up with Grevers at Ryan Field’s Randy Walker Terrace after he just spent a couple hours signing autographs for hundreds of fans. “If you go to Bears, Cubs, Sox, Blackhawks games you realize there’s a certain intensity. These people really appreciate their sports, they LIVE through their sports, people are so passionate about it,” Grevers said. The Lake Forest, IL native also discussed the elite status that professional athletes possess in the Chicago area and how that carries over to the collegiate game. “Even the college level, the athletes walk around the community and receive great respect for that they’ve done,” Grevers stated.

Here’s what ESPN SportsCenter has to condense into their hour long broadcasts each weekend:

-The Major League Baseball playoffs…with day games as well as night games in the first round, it’s like an October version of March Madness, the action is constant. If your team isn’t in it, chances are one (or more) of your friends do have a team in the tourney.

-NBA basketball preseason begins. The preseason scrimmages lead us to regular season tip-off around Halloween. College basketball preseason, with its season opening “Midnight Madness” pep rallies occur in the middle of the tenth month as well. The commencing of b-ball season occurs at the exact same time that baseball is in its postseason. In other words, America’s main winter and summer games overlap at this time making it inherently unique.

-The NHL season begins in mid October, following a busy preseason that started in mid September. Ice Hockey gets going at a time when the weather is often still quite warm in most of the country. In other words, all four major sports often take place on the same day.

-College football hits intra-conference season. Although not an Olympic sport, these games are much more meaningful than the early season non conference tune ups. October Saturdays in the Midwest often mean Homecoming weekend and more outdoor sporting options than even the summer can possess. Sundays become even more exciting for many as the NFL is in midseason and the sports industry works over time on the weekends.

Chicago, the nation’s third largest media market has a sports media industry and venue infrastructure already in place to routinely promote and present the numerous sports entertainment options to both the fan and the consumer year round. The Second City smoothly handles this sports overload every year, which further demonstrates its ability to do the same as a prospective Olympic and Paralympic Games host.

“It is probably the number one sports-fan city in the world,” Grevers said.

Chicago Area Produces BMX Up-and-Comer

by: Paul Banks

The sport of BMX (Bicycle Motorcross racing) has something in common with Junk Bond trading and Rubik’s Cubes; all three saw a huge surge in popularity during the 1980s. However, BMX has come a long way since the age of legwarmers. It debuted as an Olympic sport in Beijing this past summer and this competitive field with a young history has a strong following within the youth of America. United States BMX competitors took home three medals in the games: Mike Day (silver), Donny Robinson (bronze) and Jill Kintner (bronze). This success is increasing the popularity of the sport and encouraging more youth to enter it.

Thirteen year old Teresa “Flying T” Nowdomski has dreams of competing in the 2016 Olympics, a dream that would seem even more exceptional if Chicago serves as host city. By then she will have reached her twenties. Like many who enter the sport, she became involved in the sport at a very young age. The current seventh grader at Hanover Central Junior High School has been competing in BMX since age 4. Just like the athletes in every other sport, BMX racers have their own personal role models and rivals. Flying T, who won the Redline Cup in Ohio this year, lists her favorite racer as Alise “the beast” Post and her biggest rival as Falishia Stancil.  Teresa, ranked in the top 10 nationally in for her age group, has her own website that you can visit here. For her Team Diamond BMX profile, go here.

 

Nowdomski hails from the Northwest Indiana region which contains three American Bike Association-sanctioned BMX tracks in Northwest Indiana — Hobart, Portage, and Lowell. They even possess an indoor track with Enter Steel Wheels Indoor BMX in Hobart.

 

Another hungry young BMX rider who hails from the area is a 6-year-old who’s already competed in National Competition. Kenny Nork hails from my back yard, the southwest suburb of Orland Park, Illinois. He is another competitor that you may see in an Olympic Games down the road. In Orland Park, the game of choice is golf, as the town water tower was painted to resemble a golf ball on a tee and is emblazoned with the words “Orland Park: World’s Golf Center.” In this country club dominated landscape, many kids growing up there (including myself) found few past time options, and BMX is a fruitful and productive outlet for kids seeking after school athletic activities. Many of the racers competing in the Northwest Indiana region have spoken publicly about a lack of children’s activities in their region as well. BMX is a sport helping to fill the void.

 

Talking with Olympic Cyclist Christian Vande Velde
From Lemont to Beijing

by: Paul Banks

Christian Vande Velde is an American Olympic cyclist with major wins in many races including the Tour de Luxembourg in 2006 and UCI World Cup in 1999. Vande Velde finished the 2008 Tour de France in fifth place, behind winner Carlos Sastre and 17th in the Olympic road race in Beijing. Vande Velde, the son of United States Bicycling Hall of Fame inductee John Vande Velde, has been a professional cyclist for 10 years and currently rides for Team Garmin-Chipotle. He rode on two of Lance Armstrong’s victorious Tour de France teams. I had an exclusive conversation with the accomplished mountain biker in the press box at U.S. Cellular Field on the night he and two other Olympians were honored on the field prior to a Chicago White Sox home game.

 

Van de Velde was born in Hinsdale, IL, lived in Lemont for most of his life and attended Lemont high school. He lived in Spain for the last 11 years and just returned home to Chicago this year. I asked him about competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

 

“It was an amazing experience being in Bejjing, a race took place right on the Great Wall of China. It was a crazy experience being a part of that so far away from home. The Culture is so different than ours, it felt a lot like South America at times, he said.

 

I then followed up by asking him about Chicago’s sports scene. “I’ve been a fan of Chicago sports my whole life, I went to Bulls, Blackhawks and Sox games growing up and to be honored {here tonight} for a sport that isn’t really that big in Chicago is pretty exciting,” Vande Velde said.

 

He also agreed with me about how great the Chicago sports fans are and articulated why that might be, “Tradition. We have such a great tradition whether it be Wrigley Field or Michael Jordan, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton, we’ve had such rich traditions. As a sports culture, it’s huge, one of the biggest,” Vande Velde said. He also thought Chicago would be the perfect host for 2016. “I think it would be great to showcase the city of Chicago to much of the world. What a cool and great city it really is,” Christian said.

 

 

Olympic Gold Medalist Leads Elite Field in Chicago Marathon
Constantina Tomescu-Dita Returns to Chicago

by: Paul Banks

If you enjoyed watching Constantina Tomescu-Dita run (and win) the Olympic marathon, then you should be very excited to learn that she’ll be running here in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 12. The newly crowned Olympic women’s marathon gold medalist of Romania tops the list of this competing in the Elite Field –a grouping of highly accomplished runners who start earlier then the rest of the race participants- of runners on Sunday. She’s also a very familiar face to the Marathon, as she won the race in 2004.

“I am delighted to be returning to Chicago. I have always felt great running there and have been fortunate to have some of the best races of my life there,” said Tomescu-Dita from Romania shortly following her Olympic victory in Beijing. “It will also be nice to return because I understand Chicago is bidding for the 2016 Olympic Games and I think it would be a wonderful place to have them.” At age 38, Tomescu-Dita became the oldest woman to ever win the gold medal in the 26.2-mile Olympic contest. Another racer with a prestigious resume is upstart William Kipsang of Kenya who currently holds the 11th all-time fastest marathon finish time, fifth-fastest this year (2:05:49). The professional racers will start the 26.2-mile race at 7:55am on Sunday, Oct. 12, five minutes in advance of the massive field of 45,000 registered runners.

Tomescu-Dita’s main competition this weekend will be 2007 Chicago Marathon runner-up and fellow Romanian Adriana Pirtea, 28, as well as up-and-comer Bezunesh Bekele, 25, of Ethiopia. Race fans might recall Pirtea, who entered the final stretch last year maintaing a sizeable lead. As she pumped her arm to celebrate an anticipated victory just a few hundred meters shy of the finish line, returning 2006 Chicago Marathon champion Berhane Adere snuck up behind her unnoticed and passed her in the final strides to repeat her championship finish. So I guess it just proves the old adage “don’t celebrate your touchdowns, until after you’ve crossed the goalline.”

Bekele, on the other hand will attempt to follow-up her impressive debut at the Dubai Marathon. She enters the Chicago race with a 2:23:09 personal record, second in the field only to Tomescu-Dita herself. “The Bank of America Chicago Marathon has a reputation for producing historic efforts and breathtaking finishes and the quality of this year’s elite field is an extension of that tradition,” said Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski of Chicago Event Management, now in his 19th year overseeing the event.

Perhaps this year’s event will provide another dramatic climax?

The 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will start and finish in Chicago’s Grant Park beginning with the wheelchair race at 7:50 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12. In its 31st year, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon annually attracts 45,000 runners, 1.5 million spectators and 125,000 Expo visitors and generates more than $10 million for charities. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is one of the five races that comprise the World Marathon Majors. 

 

 

Next Page »