Voices of the Olympic Games

USA archer Jennifer Nichols put-off college in 2004; at the time she was 17-years-old and the top USA female qualifier for the Olympic Games in Athens. Now, after returning from her second Olympic Games in Beijing, Jennifer and her sister are driving with parents in tow to visit colleges across the South East. So far the family has visited Regent University, Charleston Southern, Evangel, and Grand Canyon. From the road Jennifer writes, “The schools all look fantastic! Sometimes I think that maybe going to visit each is only making the decision harder.” Check out Jennifer’s blog for more updates and share your college tips!

Of the flight home from Beijing, silver medalists USA Women’s Waterpolo found an unlikely friend and avid fan in their airline pilot, Brad. The team’s attacker (it’s a real position), Heather Petri, got some great photos of the women crowding the cockpit with their medals on and playing pilot. To find out how the adventure got started and check out the photos, visit Heather’s blog, The Petri Dish.

USA weightlifter Carissa Gump writes that life is getting back to normal as she heads back to work and starts business classes part-time at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. The Olympic Games in Beijing was Carissa’s first Olympics and although she did not return with a medal she is happy to be home interacting with the community and her fans. Last weekend Carissa participated in the Juvenile Diabetes Walk in Colorado Springs, a special cause for her because her father struggled with diabetes. Read more about Carissa’s updates here as well as her coverage of drug use among Olympic athletes.

Canadian flat canoer Mark Oldershaw recently posted a blog entry about his summer post-Olympic Games. Days after returning from Beijing, Mark headed to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia for the Canadian National Championships. Mark competed in ten different races, paddling in eight and serving as a coxswain for two war canoes. He called the extensive schedule “quite a shock to the system.” Now that Mark has returned to Ottawa he has started back to school, is learning construction, and spending the weekends water skiing. You can keep up with Mark and all the Canoe4Canada guys on their blog.

Just days after winning the gold medal in men’s pair rowing at the Olympic Games in Beijing, Australia’s Drew Ginn went into the hospital with back pain and last week underwent surgery to repair a ruptured disc. Drew is now recovering at home with his family and writes, “It’s great to be home even if in a limited capacity.” The gold medal from Beijing is Drew’s second in men’s pair rowing and third overall. Go to Drew’s blog for more updates from the Ginn household and comment to wish him congratulations and a speedy recovery.