SoCal Olympians

Last updated

The SoCal Olympians and Paralympians, is the largest and the oldest organization of the United States Olympic team in the United States, with a current membership of approximately 800 athletes. [1] Since 1912, this chapter has continually supplied the largest percentage of athletes that comprise the United States at the Olympics.

Contents

The organization dates back to 1919, and was formerly titled the Southern California Olympian chapter. The membership area includes areas in Southern California from Fresno, California, to the Southern California border with Mexico, a distance of over 300 miles.

The current chapter was founded on March 19, 1949, with its first president, Fred Kelly of Orange, California. Since that time the SoCal Olympians and Paralympians has sought to perpetuate Southern California's outstanding Olympic heritage which dates back to 1904.

The SoCal Olympians & Paralympians help fund the dreams of future USA Olympians, Paralympians, coordinate member appearances at youth, community and corporate events, offer fellowship to members of past and current Olympic teams, and support the creation of an active, visible worldwide Olympian organization.

More than 800 USA Olympians and Paralympians from past and present United States Olympic Teams who live and work in Southern California draw upon their athletic experiences to inspire and pass on the Olympic ideals of the Olympic Charter to its communities and to enrich the lives of the youth of Southern California.

The organization stages a Welcome Home Dinner for Olympians after each summer Olympic Games, and provides sports motivational speakers to local community groups. They participate in celebrity Golf tournaments and provide grants to Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls through their 501C3 charity, the Koroibos Foundation.

The SoCal Olympicians support the international Olympic Day by hosting sports clinics during the month of June. [2]

The current president is Tamara Christopherson, who represented Team USA in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

See also

Related Research Articles

United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee National Olympic and Paralympic Committee

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The USOPC is one of only four NOCs in the world that also serve as the National Paralympic Committee for their country. The USOPC is responsible for supporting, entering and overseeing U.S. teams for the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Youth Olympic Games, Pan American Games, and Parapan American Games and serves as the steward of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements in the United States.

Mal Whitfield American athlete

Malvin Greston Whitfield was an American athlete, goodwill ambassador, and airman. Nicknamed "Marvelous Mal", he was the Olympic champion in the 800 meters at the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics, and a member of the 1948 gold medal team in the 4 × 400 meters relay. Overall, Whitfield was a five-time Olympic medalist. After his competitive career, he worked for 47 years as a coach, goodwill ambassador, as well as an athletic mentor in Africa on behalf of the United States Information Service.

Fred Kelly (hurdler) American hurdler

Frederick Warren Kelly was an American athlete, winner of 110 m hurdles at the 1912 Summer Olympics.

USA Track & Field US governing body for track and field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking. The USATF was known between 1979 and 1992 as The Athletics Congress (TAC) after its spin off from the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), which governed the sport in the US through most of the 20th century until the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 dissolved its responsibility. Based in Indianapolis, USATF is a non-profit organization with a membership of more than 130,000. The organization has three key leadership positions: CEO Max Siegel, Board of Directors Chair Steve Miller, and elected President Vin Lananna. U.S. citizens and permanent residents can be USATF members, but permanent residents only can participate in masters events in the country, and they cannot receive any USATF medal, prize money or score for a team.

Australian Olympic Committee National Olympic Committee

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) is the National Olympic Committee responsible for developing, promoting and protecting the Olympic Movement in Australia. The AOC has the exclusive responsibility for the representation of Australia at the Olympic Games, the Youth Olympic Games and at Regional Games patronised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). All National Olympic Committees are constituents of the International Olympic Committee.

USA Triathlon

USA Triathlon (USAT) is the national governing body for the multisport disciplines of triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USA Triathlon is a member federation of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the World Triathlon. Rocky Harris is the chief executive officer and Joel Rosinbum is the chair. Its headquarters are in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Peter J. Cutino was an American swimming and water polo coach and educator for over 40 years and the author of several books and numerous articles on coaching aquatic sports. In his 26 years as head coach at the University of California, Berkeley, his Cal teams won eight NCAA titles. He was the all-time winning coach in U.S. water polo history. His efforts for water sports training, development of facilities for competition and philanthropic support of athletes earned him national recognition. In 1999, the Peter J. Cutino Award was established in his honor by the San Francisco Olympic Club, and is presented annually to the top American male and female collegiate water polo players.

Irvine Novaquatics Swim team in Irvine, California

Novaquatics is a swim team in Irvine, California. They are a nonprofit organization that receives their funding through membership dues, fundraising events and sponsorships. They are a member of the Orange Committee within Southern California Swimming (SCS); this is a subdivision of USA Swimming. Irvine Novaqutics is part of Southern California Swimming (SCS). Currently, they are one of the largest swim teams in Southern California. They have consistently won championship meets such as Spring Junior Olympics, Summer Junior Olympics, Winter Age Group Championships, Pacific Swimming's annual Speedo Far Western National Age Group Short Course Championships, and the June Invites as well as many other major events.

California currently has 21 major professional sports franchises, far more than any other US state. The San Francisco Bay Area has six major league teams spread amongst three cities: San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. The Greater Los Angeles Area has ten major league teams. San Diego and Sacramento each have one major league team.

Khadevis Robinson American middle distance runner (born 1976)

Khadevis Robinson is an American retired middle-distance runner and currently coaches both the men's and women's cross country teams along with being an assistant track coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Steve Mesler American bobsledder (born 1978)

Steven Michael Mesler is an American bobsledder. He is the co-founder, President and CEO of the international award-winning non-profit education organization Classroom Champions. Mesler also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the United States Olympic Committee.

Cliff Meidl

Cliff Meidl is a retired American Sprint Kayaker. He competed in 1000 m kayak events at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. He was honored as the U.S. flag bearer at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Anita Lucette DeFrantz is an American Olympic rower, member of the International Olympic Committee, and twice Vice-President of International Rowing Federation (FISA).

Handball in the United States is a minor sport. The U.S. is represented in international competitions, such as the Summer Olympics and the Pan American Games, by the United States men's national handball team and the United States women's national handball team. The U.S. men's and women's teams have struggled in international competitions against nations where handball is more popular.

The Olympians for Olympians Fund provides monetary assistance to United States Olympic athletes who have exhausted their financial reserves in attempting to recover from accidents, natural disasters, long-term illnesses, or injuries.

Cathy Marino is a two-time American Olympic sprint canoer and 8 time USA National Champion. She competed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, she earned her best finish of seventh.

World Fit

World Fit is a program of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), and the United States Olympians and Paralympians Association (USOP) to promote physical fitness and the Olympic Games ideals to school children through kids fitness programs, school fitness programs, and childhood obesity programs. World Fit is part of the world's largest obesity-prevention network, EPODE International Network

Diane Simpson-Bundy American rhythmic gymnast

Diane Simpson is an American athlete, an Olympian and an eight-time Rhythmic gymnastics national team member, and was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame, Class of 2004. She is a media marketing communications consultant who writes, produces and manages talent and events for clients, sponsors and stakeholders.

Move United US non-profit parasports organization

Move United is an American non-profit organization devoted to the promotion of parasports among youths and adults with physical disabilities. The organization operates community parasports programs via over 150 local chapters across the country. Move United was formed in 2020 as a merger of two organizations; Disabled Sports USA, which was first founded in 1956 and based in Rockville, Maryland, and Adaptive Sports USA, a second organization founded in 1967. Move United is a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. As of 2020, the organization operates programs serving 100,000 residents in 43 states. In 2020, the two organizations merged as Move United, introducing a new identity by Superunion. A goal was announced for the organization to serve 90% of the U.S. population with local programs by 2028, in time for the 2028 Summer Paralympics in Los Angeles.

Katrina Diane Radke Gerry is a former competitive swimmer who represented the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

References

  1. SoCal Olympians & Paralympians
  2. "HomeDepot Center | About Us | Press Release". Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2011-01-07.