Olympic Profiles:Athletes, Coaches &

Teams

A Source Bank for the class to use if research access is limited.

1. Athletes

During this unit you will get to focus on a specific Olympic athlete of your choosing and build a character profile of them: Identify their physical character traits. What is the role of their coach? What makes them strong emotionally and mentally? What are their weaknesses?

What was their big story?

Did they win a medal? What did they place? Is there something unique about their history? Find out about the most important thing that happened to this

athlete.

Carmelina Moscato

Carmelina Moscato is a 28 year old born in Mississauga and attended St. Francis Xavier Secondary School in D-PCDSB.

She qualified for the Under 20 national team at only 16 years of age where her team won silver. She has been on two Canadian World Cup teams, has played for Canada internationally 54 times and just won bronze in the London Olympics in what was some of the most dramatic team soccer play the Olympics has seen in a long time.

She has worked as a University Assistant soccer coach and has played professionally in Sweden and Italy.

She attributes her strong skill development to early coaching from her brother when she was only ten years old.

She spends all her time devoted to improving her physical, mental and spiritual outlook. She believes that everyday is an opportunity to do something great with your life.Articles to read:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmelina_Moscatohttp://olympic.ca/team-canada/carmelina-moscato

Special Interview Handout: Read the interview Moscato completed just for this SHSM CLA. 2nd interview on video:http://www.cbc.ca/player/Sports/Olympic+Sports/Audio/ID/2254774227/

Oscar Pistorius Competes in the Paralympics and Regular Olympics

South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius began his London Paralympic campaign in scintillating fashion as he smashed the 200 metres T44 world record in his heat on Saturday.

Pistorius ran 21.30, shaving more than half a second off the previous record set by Brazilian Alan Fonteles Cardoso Oliveira in an earlier heat.

The 25-year-old, who is dubbed the ‘Blade Runner’, is defending the 100m, 200m and 400m Olympic titles he won in Beijing four years ago.

Pistorius, who wears carbon fibre prosthetic blades after he was born without a fibula in both legs, became the first double amputee to run in the Olympics, where he made the 400 metres semi-finals. Pistorius won the Olympic gold 400m race in the Paralympics.

There was a lot of controversy surrounding his running in the Olympics and whether or not he had an unfair advantage because of his blades. Scientific testing proved this to be false.

Official Website: http://www.oscarpistorius.com/Articles to read: http://www.oscarpistorius.com/news/1293-the-most-incredible-summer-of-my-life-

Carol Huynh

Articles to read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Huynhhttp://www.carolhuynh.com/Pages/home.asp

Carol Huynh is a 32 year old wrestler who has been wrestling since she was 15. It was something her older siblings also did.

She is used to overcoming challenges as her own parents were ethnic Chinese refugees from North Vietnam who settled in Canada at a very young age

She was the first gold medalist for Canada in women’s wrestling and was the first gold medalist for Canada at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She won Bronze in London 2012. She is an eleven time national champion and is one of Canada’s best international athletes.

Her coach describes her as dangerous as other athletes are afraid to wrestle her. This is due to her extremely fast attack skills and quickness on the mat.

If you visit her website you can see just how busy a schedule an elite Olympic athlete has, as well as see the challenges she has had to overcome to become an Olympic Athlete. Her website allows you to send messages to her and also shows how an athlete can make a living from their sport.

Patrick Anderson

Patrick Anderson was Canada’s most celebrated Paralympian during the London 2012 Paralympics.

He is considered to be the best wheelchair basketball player in the world and one of the greatest that have ever played the sport.

Patrick’s road to athletics was a difficult one as at the age of nine he was struck by a drunk driver which caused the loss of both his legs. The following year he started playing wheelchair basketball and within seven years was on the national team for Canada.

He is currently coached by Jerry Tonello and was one of the most frequent faces seen on television in Canada during the Paralympics. Because of his great style and skill on the court and his charisma off the court he is considered to be an international ambassador for the sport of wheelchair basketball.

He has led is team to three Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2004, 2012 and one silver medal in 2008.

Following 2008 he took time off from Basketball to pursue his other great passion which is music, by pursuing a degree in music at Hunter College in New York.

Articles to read: http://www.wheelchairbasketball.ca/Patrick_Anderson.aspxWebsite: http://patrickanderson.ca/

Shin A-Lam

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1278593-shin-a-lam-fencing-controversy-exposes-embarrassing-olympic-flaws

Shin A-Lam's failure to advance on from her semifinal match against Germany's Britta Heidemann was through no fault of her own.The South Korean fencer was tied at five with the defending Olympic gold medalist when the clock struck zero. She would have been awarded the upset victory and a chance at the gold medal if she lasted through the sudden death round due to a "priority ruling," but that was not the case.Shin allegedly committed a violation just before the buzzer. One second was added to the clock because of said violation. The match then restarted, but the clock stayed at one second. Heidemann took three swipes at Shin, the third of which connected as time expired to give her a buzzer-beating victoryShin's camp appealed the ruling while the fencer sat in a heap of tears in front of the entire crowd.

Articles to read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_a_lam

Usain Bolt

Articles to read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usain_BoltWebsite: http://usainbolt.com/Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O7K-8G2nwU

Usain Bolt was perhaps the most exciting and best known story coming out of the London Olympics. The “fastest man on earth” is a title given to the 100m runner who sets the world record. He is the first man to ever win the double-double by achieving gold in both the 100m and 200m races in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. His 4x100m relay team also won gold in London in 2008 & 2012.

His world record time of 9.58 seconds for the 100 metre is attributed to the fact that he can run his race in fewer strides than all other competitors. He has elevated the profile of this sport higher than any other sprinter that has come before him.

These achievements are what earned him his nickname, “lightning bolt.” He is currently the highest paid athlete ever in track and field, was the IAAF World Athlete of the Year and was the Laureus Sportsman of the Year twice. His high profile has made him an extremely marketable athlete. Through advertising and marketing Bolt will build for himself more than just a career in athletics.

Like other Jamaican athletes before him, he came from a small town without much financial opportunity. His dedication to sport and strong coaching have made him the premiere elite athlete of this past decade.

2. Coaches

During this unit you will get to focus on a specific Olympic athlete of your choosing and build a character profile of them: Identify their physical character traits. What is the role of their coach? What makes them strong emotionally and mentally? What are their weaknesses?

What was their big story?

Did they win a medal? What did they place? Is there something unique about their history? Find out about the most important thing that happened to this

athlete.

Glen Mills

Glen Mills (Jamaica)

Mills is the former Jamaica head coach who now runs the Racers Track Club in Kingston, where he trains elite sprinters like Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake and Warren Weir. That means Mills, 63, had a hand in five of the six medals won in the men's sprints at the London Olympics.

Bolt has identified what makes Mills special as a mentor: "There's times when you want to doubt yourself," he admits.

"But coach is always there to say, 'Don't worry, I know what I can do to make you run faster, and what you need to do to go faster.'"

Mills's runners won all of the individual sprint golds in London, finishing off in style when Jamaica smashed the world record in the 4x100m relay final.

Glen Mills's 2012 Medals:

100m: Gold (Bolt) and silver (Blake)200m: Gold (Bolt), silver (Blake), bronze (Weir)4x100m relay: Gold (Blake and Bolt)

3. Canadian Team Stories

During this unit you will get to focus on a specific Olympic athlete of your choosing and build a character profile of them: Identify their physical character traits. What is the role of their coach? What makes them strong emotionally and mentally? What are their weaknesses?

What was their big story?

Did they win a medal? What did they place? Is there something unique about their history? Find out about the most important thing that happened to this

athlete.

Canadian Men’s 4x100 Relay Team

4. From bronze to banished

Canadians jumped off their collective couches for a few minutes on the last Saturday of the Olympics with the country’s huge bronze medal in the 4×100 metre race. Overshadowed by the Jamaicans and Americans, Canada ran a fantastic race, a huge finishing leg and jumped for joy with a clear bronze medal. But, after celebrations and hugs the tears started to flow as our runners were disqualified. Jared Connaughton admitted he stepped on the line. “The rule’s pretty unforgiving,” he said to Farhan Lalji or CTV. “I’m sorry for costing my teammates a medal.” That one hurt. Bad.

Canadian Women’s Soccer Team

1. Team Canada soccer

Bruce Arthur said this is a bronze that’s as good as gold. After finishing last in the 2011 World Cup, this tournament saw Christine Sinclair lift women’s soccer higher in this country than ever before.  But it’s that heartbreaking loss at Old Trafford against the Americans. The terrible refereeing. The near Miracle in Manchester. That’s the other piece of this tournament Canadians will remember.

Canadian Women’s Rowing

The Canadian women's eight has won silver at the Olympic rowing regatta, capturing Canada's seventh medal at the London Games.

The powerhouse Americans won gold while the Netherlands captured bronze.

"We weren't worried about the Dutch at all. We were out there to win, and were watching the whole field, but we were focused on our own boat and our race plan," said Lesley Thompson-Willie of London, Ont.

Canada and the U.S. came into the Games as rivals for gold.

http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/rowing/story/2012/08/02/sp-olympics-london-rowing-day-6.html

Canadian Men’s 8 Rowing Team

Canada's men's eight rowing team members Gabriel Bergen, right to left, Douglas Csima, Rob Gibson, Conlin McCabe, Malcolm Howard, Andrew Byrnes, Jeremiah Brown, Will Crothers, and cox Brian Price catch their breath after placing second in the repechage and earning themselves a spot in the Olympic finals at Eton Dorney at the 2012 Summer Olympics in Dorney, England on Monday, July 30, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Canadian Men’s 8 Rowing Team Articles

Team Article:http://www.canada.com/sports/2012-summer-games/rowing+band+brothers/7013191/story.html “Canadian men’s Olympic rowing success depends on unity” by Christie Baltchford, July 30, 2012.

Coaching Article:http://www.canada.com/sports/2012-summer-games/poetic+genius+behind+eight+Canadian+crew+Mike/7025658/story.html“The poetic genius behind the men’s eight Canadian crew: Mike Spracklen” by Christie Blatchford, August 2, 2012.

Class Discussion Activity

• Why is being on a rowing team like being in an army?• How does the team deal with failure?• Why is leadership important to this team?• Why are team members compared to brothers?

For the team article by Christie Blatchford on how success depends on unity use the following as a class activity or an assigned writing activity.Instructions: 1) Read the questions below and scan the article for key words that are in bold in the questions. 2) Highlight or underline these words in the article.3) Read the article and discuss the answers in class with a reading peer and then the class as a whole.

Questions: