“You know us as athletes. We are much more. “
The video many familiar faces. There’s track superstar Allyson Felix; Ski queen Jamie Anderson; National wheelchair basketball champion Aaron Gouge; USWNT’s dominant front, Megan Rapinoe; long jump champion and Paralympic Lex Gillette; Record pitcher Michelle Carter.
But identifying these athletes the sports they practice is precisely what the new crusade asks us to look at further: they can be decorated Olympians, world champions, records and MVPs.
But they are single mothers, full-time parents, physical health workers, yogis, bakers, veterans, musicians and even shoe lovers.
“The attractive personalities of the U. S. team are not going to be able to do that. But it’s not the first time And the concept of having such a varied team allows a variety of enthusiasts to bond with athletes in other ways,” Katie Bynum, DIRECTOR of Growth and Strategy at USOPC, told me. “The purpose is to put them in the middle of the narrative, not only for their achievements in the box as record beaters and world champions, but also for what they are like as people.
Every two years, athletes in the US national team have been able to make the most of their allies. Usa, for a moment, dominate the media cycle and screens throughout the United States; spectators see them as new and, for a privileged few, they are placed shiny medals around their necks. and crying — they all live.
But at the end of the Olympic Games, many sports enthusiasts only think of athletes in the US national team. But it’s not the first time And it is well documented that Olympic athletes are suffering from anxiety and depression, as well as a sense of lack of goal and an identity crisis after The Games end This consultation was explored in The Weight of Gold, a recent documentary that is captivating, though difficult to see, produced and narrated through Michael Phelps,
How do you replace the lives of athletes on the U. S. team?But it’s not the first time After the award of the last medal?For those who are at the highest point of their respective sports, they are likely to return directly to the competitive circuit, travel for World Cups and world championships and educate their players. off-season.
But many of the athletes on the U. S. team. They go straight back to the community and live their lives like we do. They can paint next to you on a night shift at the hospital, buy the same shoes as you or even serve alongside you on active military service. .
“The user you see sharing their life on Instagram is the same user who trains to win a medal,” said Hannah Roberts, a two-time World BMX Championship medalist who qualified for Tokyo 2020. “We are Olympic and Paralympic, so are sisters, academics, parents, artists, veterans and much more. We all have special passions that make us who we are and join our communities.
Unlike other CON and NPC, USOPC does not receive government funding. She and the athletes receive support through the media, sponsorship rights and fundraisers. This can provide demanding situations for athletes on U. S. teams. UU. no has access to educational facilities. However, it is also part of what gives the national team its American identity: passionate, hard-working and a little disjointed.
The “We Are Team USA” crusade actually celebrates aspect battles, but goes beyond what any athlete does in life, on or off the field. The purpose of raising a size to who those athletes are and what enthusiasts perceive they are. .
Jamie Anderson is a fiercely competitive snowboarder on the mountain, off the mountain, is a soft- voiced yogi who prioritizes an Ayurvedic lifestyle.
Lex Gillette, the world record holder who is completely blind in the long jump, is also a big fan of sneakers who can identify his entire collection through touch.
Melissa Stockwell is a Paralympic triathlete, she is also a former U. S. Army officer. But it’s not the first time
“I hope enthusiasts feel more connected to our athletes,” Bynum said. “And when they are more connected to our athletes, they will celebrate them and them with us. The ambition is that they become the most productive in America. “If we are motivated and united as they did before, and we feel a deeper connection with US selection, we will not be able to do so. Usa, there is an opportunity that only U. S. national team will have. America can achieve in this way: the result is greater inspiration and unity for our country. , because everyone is considered part of the US team. America. “
The diversity of games in the Tokyo 2021 program has also created a more varied American team, adding in terms of race, genre and experience Five new games have been added to those Games: skateboarding, surfing, climbing, karate and the return of baseball/softball, while the freestyle BMX joins the BMX as a new discipline. In 1991, he followed an IIC initiative that required any new game to join the Olympic program to have disciplines for both sexes.
Tokyo 2021 will be the first Olympic Games equivalent to the sexes, and the incorporation of those sports, and those proposed, has meant a harvest of new faces in the US team. From wannabe skating Mariah Duran to Hannah Roberts and 19-year-old. -old. Caroline Marks surfing phenomenon.
“This Olympics thing has been crazy,” Durán said at the USOPC media summit last week. “We’re paving the way for other people after us. “
And arrangements for this year’s Postponed Games are even more difficult for athletes who have been able to delay their Olympic nominations. Some have withdrawn in the meantime; some were not yet qualified when they closed the global and still don’t know if they will succeed. Training interrupted; Priorities have changed for those who still have Tokyo on the horizon, this time there is an additional layer of motivation.
“It’s hard, but she values it,” gymnast Simone Biles said at the USOPC Media Summit. “I think each and every athlete would say that we will not give up and that we will continue to try to achieve perfection. “
The beginning of the anthem video is just the beginning of the USOPC campaign, which will continue to Tokyo and then continue to Beijing. The US team’s social media accounts will continue. But it’s not the first time They will highlight many athletes, adding a new one in TikTok. identified the “unique opportunity” to announce athletes from the U. S. team. With two Olympic Games held six months apart.
“There’s a lot of size for athletes on the U. S. team,” Bynum said. “I hope everyone can see themselves on America’s vast team. “
I’ve been writing about action sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games for over a decade, having the X Games of summer and winter, the Summer and Winter Olympics and
I have been writing about action sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games for over a decade, making canopy the X Summer and Winter Games, the Summer and Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the Dew Tour, the World Championships, etc. each and every angle, however, my favorite pieces to write are the profiles of athletes who make those sports so attractive. I am originally from New Hampshire, where I brushed my teeth as a snowboarder (and cut my knees and elbows . . . many), and now I live in Chicago, a town that has a gold medal in my center despite its lack of elevation. Follow me on Twitter @MichelleBruton.