Eric Jackson's Chattanooga Olympic Zone Profile

Please click here to view Eric Jackson's Chattanooga Olympic Zone profile:

http://www.wrcbtv.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=2409907&h1=The%20Olympic%20Zone%3A%20E.J.%20Sparta&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=183900&LaunchPageAdTag=Olympics&activePane=info&playerVersion=1&hostPageUrl=http%3A//www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D8210608&rnd=3277649

Eric Jackson is in the Chattanooga Olympic Zone

My 1992 Olympic teammate and good friend, Eric Jackson, is the subject of our next profile in the Chattanooga Olympic Zone airing this Tuesday evening, April 22nd, on WRCB’s “Channel 3 Eyewitness News at Six.” If you miss the broadcast profile, tune in back here at the Chattanooga Olympic Zone blog - we'll post the video link after the broadcast.

Based in Sparta, Tennessee, Eric owns Jackson Kayaks, the world’s largest manufacturer of whitewater kayaks. This whitewater visionary has helped to change the way people, especially kids, access the sport of whitewater kayaking close to home and around the world.

This coming weekend, Eric, along with his daughter, Emily, will compete at the U.S. Olympic Whitewater Trials in Charlotte, NC. At 44 years-old, Eric may be a long-shot to make it to Beijing this time around, but his participation in the event will be as impacting as any other and without doubt will be among the crowd favorites throughout the weekend.

I recently posted a blog entry about Eric and Emily Jackson and what their participation means to both the kayaking and Olympic communities. You can read the post here:

http://goldmedalliving.blogspot.com/2008/03/kayakings-infectious-smile.html

Stay tuned to my “Gold Medal Living” blog throughout the week as I’ll be posting stories from the Olympic Trials Charlotte about Eric and other athletes preparing to take a step closer to competing in Beijing.

Dr. Zibin Guo's Chattanooga Olympic Zone profile

Click here for the link to Dr. Guo's Chattanooga Olympic Zone profile:

http://www.wrcbtv.com/videowindow.cfm?sid=3526

Dr. Zibin Guo is in the Chattanooga Olympic Zone

Approaching Miller Park in downtown Chattanooga, there’s a profound buzz in the air. Television crews set up their cameras, journalists pull out their notebooks, and a crowd begins to gather to see what’s happening. Dressed in white silk uniforms, members of Chattanooga’s Tai Ji community begin to file into the park for city-sponsored Tai Ji demonstration and campaign to promote health and wellness.

About 20 “experienced” Tai Ji participants take part in the demonstration – lined up in three rows, people practice slow and subtle movement of the word’s most popular Chinese martial art. In the perfectly synchronized movements, one man in the group stands out. Tucked in a corner of the back row, Dr. Zibin Guo is a quiet leader within this community. His attentive yet gentle movements speak to a balance that glows around him like a light.

A UTC professor of Chinese origin, Dr. Guo is a master practitioner of Tai Ji, an internal martial art that explores the interplay between two opposing yet complimentary forces. He’s particularly excited about two new opportunities to increase awareness of and participation in Tai Ji – one locally and one abroad. Closer to home, each Tuesday and Thursday morning before work throughout the spring, Dr. Guo is offering free Tai Ji classes geared towards promoting healthy lifestyles for the Chattanooga business community. Such classes are a great opportunity to relax and connect the mind and body and enjoy the outdoors before taking on the rigors of the day.

But Dr. Guo doesn’t stop there – he has quite an initiative forming on the international stage too – he created a Tai Ji program for people with wheel chair disabilities and the idea caught on. Dr. Guo reached out to Organizers of the 2008 Paralympic Games, the world’s largest multi-sport event for disabled athletes, the response was huge. After demonstrating wheelchair Tai Ji at the Olympic Culture Festival last year in Beijing, Paralympic organizers are considering wheelchair Tai ji for this year’s Paralympic Opening Ceremonies.

This Tuesday, March 25th, Dr. Guo will be our featured Chattanoogan in the “Chattanooga Olympic Zone,” which airs on WRCB TV, Channel 3’s “Eyewitness News at 6.” Tune in then or back here at the Chattanooga Olympic Zone blog to see the Dr. Guo’s profile.

For more information about Dr. Guo’s free Tai Ji classes, please visit:

http://www.utc.edu/Administration/UniversityRelations/news/2008/02/21/free-tai-ji-classes-coming-to-miller-park/

Dan Flack's Chattanooga Olympic Zone Profile

Here's the link to Dan Flack's Chattanooga Olympic Zone Profile:

http://www.wrcbtv.com/videowindow.cfm?sid=2993

Keep up the good work, Dan!

"The New Olympians" in the Chattanooga Olympic Zone

In escaping the shadows of winter, it's time to push aside memories of tearful apologies from an Olympic champion and an ugly fight on Capital Hill featuring one of baseball’s greatest pitchers and his former trainer. In regards to recent months in the world of sport, it’s fair to be asking yourself, "Should I be more optimistic or pessimistic about the upcoming Olympic season?"

A week ago, I may have thought twice about how to answer that question myself but that was then – this is now. Since that time, I traveled to San Marcos, Texas to watch the first of the qualifying races for the Olympic Whitewater Canoe/Kayak Trials, which will be contested later this spring in Charlotte, North Carolina. This kind of event isn't as much about who moves on to the next level of Olympic qualification but much more about who doesn’t. In this case, the standouts were young whitewater racers, such as 10 year-old, Chelsea Bornemann, getting their first rub with the Olympic Games and wearing smiles equal to any Gold Medalist you’ll find in Beijing. Check it out right here:

http://www.news8austin.com/shared/video/video_pop.asp?destlist=49384

Back in Chattanooga, Baylor Swim Coach, Dan Flack is getting ready to oversee daily swim practice. His varsity athletes file into a top-flight, state-of-the-art aquatic center that shouts, “Serious Swimming Here.” But, strike up a conversation with Baylor star swimmers, Alison Lusk, who is preparing for U.S. Olympic Trials, or Brad Hamilton, who is hoping to represent is Jamaica at the Olympics in China, surprisingly, they’re not talking about personal bests or Gold Medals. Instead, they're talking enthusiastically about representing their school, their families, and what it means to be good teammates. To me, as an Olympic Gold Medalist, it's music to my ears. It’s as if these young athletes are saying, “Don’t worry, the future of the Olympics are going to be ok.”

To be honest, I’m not too surprised – I kind of expected this. A few hours earlier, I’m sitting pool-side waiting for our camera crew to set up, Coach Flack and I get into a frank conversation about coaching philosophy. Most coaches love talking about their star athletes and how far they could go in sport. But, Coach Flack is different. This energetic and value-driven coach really lights up when he talks about helping young people take ownership of their dreams, becoming better citizens, and developing an appreciation for “the process” over and above “results.”

At the end of our interview, I ask Coach Flack about what he looks for in good role models for his athletes. He speaks about people who appear to have meteoric rises but in fact, overcame real challenges life challenges and persevered. But the question was answered before I asked – the right role model for tomorrow’s Olympians is sitting right in front of me.

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Catch Coach Flack's Chattanooga Olympic Zone profile on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 on Channel 3's Eyewitness News at 6pm or right here on later that evening on the Chattanooga Olympic Zone blog.

Chris Bono's Chattanooga Olympic Zone Profile

Here's the link to Chris Bono's Chattanooga Olympic Zone Profile:

http://www.wrcbtv.com/videowindow.cfm?sid=2812

Good luck, Chris!