Litespeed is in the Chattanooga Olympic Zone

There are a million "moving pieces" that come together to create those "unforgettable" Olympic moments. One moving piece in this year's Olympic Games that has a huge impact in creating such moments is Litespeed Bicycles, a critical moving part in the pursuit of an Olympic cyclist. Two Olympians, a mountain biker from Canada and a triathlete from Portugal, are counting on these Chattanooga-made bicycles to help them pedal their way to Gold in Beijing.

We recently visited the Litespeed factory and what we found was a team of people that are as dedicated to building these bicycles as the Olympians who ride them. Everywhere in the company, from the factory floor to the executive offices, passion, focus, and pride was part of every step in the process of building lightweight, fast bicycles.

Every community has a few companies that define its"cool factor." Litespeed is definitely one of ours. And this summer, as Chattanoogans tune into the Olympics on NBC, be sure to look for these locally-made bikes on the world's biggest stage. But don't blink - when it comes to the moving parts of these Olympic Games, none move faster than these Litespeed Bicycles.

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Tune in to WRCB's "Eyewitness News at 6" on Tuesday, July 15th to see Litespeed's "Chattanooga Olympic Zone" profile or back here on the blog where we'll post a video link to the Litespeed profile.

Joe Smith is in the Chattanooga Olympic Zone

If shuttling kids to and from soccer practice, doctor appointments, and getting them fed and to bed is a challenge in which you can relate, you will appreciate our next featured guest in the Chattanooga Olympic Zone.

As you tune into the Olympics Games one month from now, you'll be watching the world's best athletes on the world's biggest stage taking their best shot at Olympic Gold. But behind each one of those athletes is an "Olympic Team Manager" taking care of many details that allow a competitor to singularly focus on the task at hand. From getting athletes where they need to be (and on time) to keeping them healthy or just a boost of moral support at the right moment, the Olympic Team Manager is always there, 24/7 throughout the entire Games period and beyond.

Chattanoogan Joe Smith is headed to the Olympic Games in Beijing as the Team Manager for the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team. Sitting down with Joe, it quickly became evident that we were not talking to an "Olympic administrator" - we were talking to a "Team Dad" who sacrifices himself for the good of his boxers and his team. It is "behind the scenes" people like Joe who make the Olympic experience impacting and special for the athletes AND personal and meaningful for Chattanoogans watching the Games here at home. Thank you, Joe!

Don't miss Joe Smith's Chattanooga Olympic Zone profile on WRCB Channel 3 "Eyewitness News at 6" on Tuesday, July 8th. Or come back here to the Chattanooga Olympic Zone where we'll post a video link to Joe's profile.

Sean Ryan's Chattanooga Olympic Zone profile

Click on the following link to view Sean's Chattanooga Olympic Zone profile:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/player.html?assetid=1380

Sean Ryan is in the Chattanooga Olympics Zone

Pursuing an Olympic dream is a selfish endeavor. Finding your best performance on the international stage takes focus, determination, passion, innovation, luck and many other attributes as well. Add in an elite and fierce field of competitors pushing you to absolute limits, you quickly see there’s little time for much else. But, you do this because you want to and because the pursuit matters to you.

When Chattanooga’s Sean Ryan steps up on to the starting block at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials this month in Omaha, Nebraska, he’ll be sharing the stage with Olympic stars Michael Phelps and Aaron Piersol. This event is the premiere Olympic Trials for all Olympic sports and the ultimate display of depth in the U.S. Swimming program. While his job as a youth swim instructor at McCallie might not be a conventional part of a traditional Olympic training regimen, this work is an important part of Sean’s typical day over and above his twice daily personal workouts. What makes this story more interesting is that Sean is a kid himself – at 15 years-old, this McCallie junior-to-be has a purposeful sense of giving back and being a part of a larger community which is as much refreshing as it is inspiring.

Watch Sean in the "Chattanooga Olympic Zone" on Tuesday, June 17th, on WRCB's "Eyewitness News at 6" or tune in back here at the Chattanooga Olympic Zone blog after the broadcast.

Jim Parrish's Chattanooga Olympic Zone profile

In case you missed, here is Jim Parrish's Olympic Zone profile:

http://www.wrcbtv.com/videowindow.cfm?sid=2459

Thanks for tuning into the Chattanooga Olympic Zone!

Jim Parrish is in the Chattanooga Olympic Zone on Tuesday, February 5th

When I retired from competitve canoeing after the 2004 Olympics Games in Athens, there were a few things I was sure that I would NOT miss:

• Freezing rain-filled winter workouts on the Ocoee River
• Travelling on long, crowded flights with fragile racing canoes in tow
• The "shadow" of performance enhancing drugs that is cast upon the Olympic Movement

While I still do not miss any of these points, I feel for the thousands of "Drug-Free" U.S. Olympic-hopefuls preparing for the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer. Performance enhancing drugs are THE "Top of Mind" issue heading towards Beijing and the constant media coverage of denials/admissions from past Olympic stars and Capital Hill hearings all take an emotional toll on our young athletes trying to represent the U.S. with pride and dignity.

But there are good people in the Olympic movement who believe this is an issue in which we can not be wrong and can not give up. Such people raise standards and offer hope. I met one of them recently - Chattanoogan Jim Parrish produced all of the drug testing kits for the U.S. Olympic Committee between 1992-1998 and is the subject of our newest profile in the "Chattanooga Olympic Zone."

When you first meet Jim, you immediately feel a sense of honor, decency, and clarity about him. He comes across very balanced, purposeful in his thought, and values health and wellness in his own life. He works out at Chattanooga's Sports Barn five mornings each week, which is an important part of his "can-do" approach and outlook to living well.

In our conversations, the complexities of performance enhancing drug issues became less complex - as in, "why is choosing to do the right thing so difficult?" For Jim, it isn't and he is resolute in his belief that the Olympic movement is already heading in a better direction.

In the time we spent together for this story, I began to think about the many dedicated people that support the U.S. Olympic Team, its values, and traditions. While such individuals want to be a part of a winning team, I believe they really want to a support a clean and honest process that is capable of producing victories for which we can all be proud. The athletes who will make up Team USA this summer at the Olympics Games in Beijing need these supporters more than ever before - supporters like Jim Parrish.