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July 2002 eNews

Greetings to all!

July is a very important month for BASOC: the USOC Site Inspection Team comes to town on the 14th, the Modern Pentathlon World Championships begin on the 15th at Stanford with a dazzling Opening Ceremony, our Bridge to the Future Poster Program is being distributed all over town (thanks to our great volunteers), and BASOC's Training for 2012 Program continues to inspire youth and create Olympic dreams.

We're excited about the visit from the USOC and eager to play host and show off our great area. We're also proud to host the Modern Pentathlon World Championships!

The Summer of World-Class Sports continues: there was great swimming that took place at the George Haines International Swim Center in Santa Clara -another testament to Northern California's ability to host major sporting events.

So, continue to spread the word, e-mail this newsletter to a friend, check out our expanded Web site, and join us as we continue to gain momentum in our quest to convince the USOC that we are the best invitation they can offer to the world -the Olympic Games in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2012.

In the Olympic Spirit...Anne

UPCOMING BASOC EVENTS
U.S. Olympic Committee Site Visit
July 14-15, 2002, San Francisco Bay Area

The USOC Site Inspection Team will return to the San Francisco Bay Area on July 14 and 15. For this second site visit, on Day One, BASOC will show off several sports venues and host a spectacular reception at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. On Day Two, the USOC Team will have the opportunity to ask any questions, hear about our Paralympic Plan and international strategies, and meet the BASOC Board of Directors. The USOC's Site Team visit and observations will be summarized at a press conference at the end of the day. Board members, Olympians, community leaders, elected officials, and BASOC volunteers will all pitch in to ensure that the USOC understands the Northern California's commitment to hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.

The Winning Bid
August 24, 2002, 5:00 p.m., di Rosa Preserve, Napa

You're invited to attend a gala in the wine country showcasing Northern California's finest chefs, award-winning wines, art, entertainment, and our Olympic spirit! Join our Olympians, businesses, and other supporters of San Francisco 2012 as we help make the vision a reality: San Francisco as the U.S. Olympic Committee - Candidate City in November 2002 and the San Francisco Bay Area as host of the 2012 Olympic Games! The di Rosa Preserve is home to 200 acres of vineyards, rolling meadows, gardens, art galleries, and a lake. For more information on The Winning Bid gala contact Marsella Macias at 650.856.2234, or visit www.winningbid2012.org!

2nd Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament
Sept. 9, 2002, CordeValle Golf Club, San Martin

This second annual event promises to be even better than last year's inaugural golf tournament that raised $100,000 for BASOC. Olympians and professional athletes will participate in the day to help raise funds for the San Francisco Bay Area's 2012 Olympic Bid. Corporate foursomes are now available for $5,000 per team. The Celebrity Sponsor of the tournament is Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. Call Helen Mendel, BASOC Director of Marketing, at 925.426.5339 for more information or to reserve your team.

SUMMER OF WORLD-CLASS SPORT EVENTS
Modern Pentathlon World Championships
July 15-21, 2002, Stanford University
http://www.pentathlon2002.org

The 2002 Modern Pentathlon World Championships
From July 15 to July 21, over 200 athletes representing more than 40 countries, will compete this year at Stanford University in the Modern Pentathlon. Each athlete competes in five different events: fencing, shooting, running, swimming, and riding. Many of these athletes are Olympians and will be competing in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

In addition to the other ten events in BASOC's 2002 Summer of World-Class Sport, the Modern Pentathlon World Championships is a showcase for our ability to host the Olympic Games. We urge you to come support this event as a volunteer or spectator. Tickets are on sale now and the BASOC community will receive a special promotional rate. Please use "A112" in the promotion code.

2002 Bank of the West Tennis Classic
July 22-28, 2002, Stanford University
http://www.bankofthewestclassic.com

In its 32nd year, this is the WTA's oldest women's-only tennis tournament. The Bank of the West Classic always attracts the stars of tennisMartina Hingis, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, Anne Kournikova, Jennifer Capriati, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and many more of the world? top female tennis professionals have competed here.

USA vs. Hungary Men's Water Polo
July 26-27, 2002, Moraga
www.usawaterpolo.com

This FINA World League event will feature Hungary's reigning 2000 Olympic championship team against a determined USA squad working its way toward Athens in 2004. Legendary coach Ratko Rudic leads a USA team that includes local Olympians Wolf Wigo and Tony Azevedo.

USA vs. China Men's Basketball
August 22, 2002, Oakland Arena
http://www.usabasketball.com/seniormen/02-mwc-training1.html

USA Basketball National teams, featuring NBA players such as Jason Kidd (who began playing at the Oakland Coliseum when he was in high school), have only faced China once before in an exhibition contest and only three times in either World Championship or Olympic play. China will be led by the ?alking Great Wall,?which features 7'1" Dallas Mavericks star Wang Zhizhi, 6'11" Mengke Bateer, who recently joined the Denver Nuggets, and 7'5" Yao Ming, who was the first pick in this year's NBA draft.

2002 San Francisco Grand Prix Cycling
September 15, 2002, Downtown San Francisco
http://64.226.67.30/index.asp

Part of America's Pro Cycling Tour (PCT), this televised race will feature over 100 athletes from around the world, including three-time defending Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong. Last year, the Grand Prix drew more than 400,000 spectators and was named one of the 10 Best Moments in Cycling by VeloNews. The race will wind its way through downtown San Francisco and over the famous hills where cable cars climb halfway to the stars. This is one of the best advertisements for our bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Olympic Update
Compiled by Brian Aronstam, BASOC Volunteer

Figure Skating: Responding to the judging scandal that rocked the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the International Skating Union (ISU) has adopted a revised system to determine skaters' marks at ISU championships. Delegates to the ISU Congress, meeting in Japan in early June, approved a Canadian proposal that maintains the current scoring system but increases the judging panel from 9 to 14 judges. A computer will randomly select 9 of the 14 judges' marks to determine the outcome of each competition. The marks of all 14 judges will be displayed with no one, including the judges, knowing which nine judges' marks were used to determine the outcome. The new system will take effect with the start of the 2002-03 competition season. ...

2010 Olympic Games: Eight cities, including the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, site of the 1984 Olympic Winter Games, have applied to host the Winter Olympic Games in 2010. Sarajevo joined Salzburg, Austria; Bern, Switzerland; Jaca, Spain; and Andorra La Vella, Andorra as five European cities to submit applications. Vancouver, Canada; Harbin, China; and Pyongchang, South Korea, also applied. In August, the IOC executive board will trim the field to a short list of official bid cities. The full IOC will select the winning city in July 2003. ...

In Tribute: Five-time U.S. Olympian Willie Davenport died suddenly last month after a massive heart attack. He was 59. Davenport won an Olympic gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City and took home a bronze medal in the same event from the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. He also competed in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich and wrapped up his Olympic career as a member of the U.S. four-man bobsled team at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y. ...

Paralympic Update
Compiled by Sharon Clark, BASOC Volunteer

50 Years: This year disabled sports celebrates 50 years of international competition, and it is amazing to look back and see how far we have come in such a short time. In 1952, a team of Dutch paraplegic war veteran archers competed in the annual Stoke Mandeville Games, thus making them the first International Stoke Mandeville Games. One year later, the Dutch team was joined by those from Canada, Finland, France, and Israel. In 1960, the first Paralympic Games were held in Rome, and 42 years later we beheld the incredible spectacle of Salt Lake City, with unprecedented media coverage, corporate sponsorship, and fan support for Paralympic athletes. ...

Torino 2006: A new sport will be added to the Paralympic Games for Torino 2006: curling. The other sports offered once again will be Alpine Skiing, Nordic Skiing, and Ice Sledge Hockey. ...

Athens 2004: The Paralympic Games in Athens 2004 promise to be the largest ever held. The magic Paralympic number has been 4,000 for several years. The 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney came very close with 3,843 athletes participating in the competitions. The goal, which both the IPC and ATHENS 2004 agreed on in April 2002, is to have 4,000 athletes representing 20 sports and disciplines entering the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Athens, September 2004. ...

Five-a-Side Football: The Paralympic Games in Athens will also include a new sport: Five-a-Side Football. The main differences with respect to the FIFA Futbol rules are these: the ball makes a noise when it moves, the sighted goalkeepers also act as guides during the game, the side fencing keeps the game from being interrupted, and the pitch that is split into thirds, each third with its own guide that lets the players know exactly where their team-mates and opponents are.

Five-a-Side Football will offer fans in Athens something exciting and different to observe. It is one of the most difficult and creative sports for blind athletes. ...

Special Feature: Modern Pentathlon World Championships
By Jenny Mitchell, BASOC Volunteer

What do Spartan soldiers in 8th Century Greece and Stanford University have in common? To the average person, probably not much. But to pentathletes around the world, Stanford University, the site of the Modern Pentathlon 2002 World Championships, is the place where dreams will come true. For six action-packed days from July 15-21, over 200 athletes from more than 40 countries will participate in five Olympic competitions: equestrian, shooting, fencing, swimming, and running. Each athlete is coming to the San Francisco Bay Area in an attempt to engrave his or her name on a list of world champions in a sport that has lasted for over a thousand years.

The Pentathlon has a deep, rich history that dates back to 708 A.D., the year of the 18th Olympiad. The five original athletic events -running, jumping, spear throwing, discus throwing, and wrestling -were most likely conceived as a way of training Spartan soldiers. Competitors were eliminated based on their performances, and the pentathlon champion was considered to be the ultimate sportsman. The five sports in the Modern Pentathlon can be traced to the legend of a Napoleonic cavalry officer who had to ride, shoot, fight, swim, and run to deliver messages.

The Modern Pentathlon World Championships include six days of competition in preliminary, final, and relay rounds. Male and female athletes will participate in all five events in one day, making this Olympic sport one that requires true diversity of athletic skill and endurance.

Stanford won the bid to host the World Championships in early 2001. The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne noted the advantages of having the United States as the host for the World Championships, where athletes from Asia and South America could have a better chance to be a part of this European-dominated sport. The United States Modern Pentathlon Association and the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee (BASOC) were gladly up to the challenge of hosting and supporting the competition. Says Event Director Barbara Higgins, "An event of this magnitude is like a rehearsal for what we will encounter during the Olympic Games in 2012."

Kumi Takasumi, Venue Operations Manager, agrees, hosting a pentathlon is like hosting a mini-Olympics since there are five events that are very different from each other. Volunteers have been working full-time on all aspects of organizing this complex project, from working with international federations to finding sponsors and planning the opening ceremonies. As Project Manager Mark Hawkins explains, "the sheer complexity of the different themes that need to come together has been eye-opening."

The true success of the event lies with the volunteers. "An event is only as good as the people working it," says Higgins. "It's crucial to get the right people involved. We've been very fortunate to get the right people." Volunteers are still needed in all areas of this week-long sporting experience and can sign up to work with the media, spectators, volunteers, or the athletes themselves.

More information about the Modern Pentathlon World Championships, as well as volunteer opportunities and ticket purchasing information, can be found at: http://www.pentathlon2002.org

Special Feature: Celebrate The Winning Bid
By Tammy Kaehler, BASOC Volunteer

The Winning Bid 2012, a gala benefit event for BASOC, will be held at the di Rosa Preserve, located in the Carneros grape growing region at the hub of Napa and Sonoma Valleys. This special event will take place on Saturday, August 24, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

According to organizer Matt Dockstader, getting the wine country involved in BASOC's monumental effort is one of the goals of the event. If (or when, as CEO Anne Cribbs always says) BASOC is successful in its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, mountain biking will be held at Domaine Chandon in Napa Valley. "Businesses located throughout the Bay Area, from Monterey to Napa Valley, as well as in Sacramento, would benefit from the presence of the Olympic Games," Dockstader states. "Given the current economic climate, it's refreshing to know the 2012 Olympic Games could help generate over $7 billion for the regional economy."

The Winning Bid brings together one of the most outstanding lineups of Northern California chefs and winemakers to ever share the spotlight at one event, according to 1960 Olympian Anne Warner Cribbs, BASOC's President and CEO and President of the Northern California Olympians alumni association. "The Olympic games are about individual achievement, excellence, and participation," she says. "They celebrate humanity. Great chefs, winemakers, and artists also celebrate humanity, individual achievement, and excellence - a winning combination."

Upon arrival at The Winning Bid, guests will enjoy wine tasting, vineyard tours, music, and entertainment along with hors doeuvres presented by a line up that includes Executive Chef Peter Pahk of Silverado in Napa, Executive Chef John Sikhattana of Roy's in San Francisco, Owner/Chef Charles Pham of Slanted Door in San Francisco, Executive Chef Matthew Millea of Cielo at Ventana Inn & Spa in Big Sur, and Elaine Bell, Owner/Executive Chef of Elaine Bell Catering in Sonoma. Guests will also be treated to tours of the unique di Rosa Collection, featuring 1,800 works of art from 750 Bay Area artists housed in four galleries and placed throughout the preserve in meadows, along pathways, in vineyards, and even on Winery Lake.

Guests will be seated for dinner at 6:30 p.m. Ken Frank, Owner/Chef of La Toque in Rutherford will team up with Sonoma Foie Gras to present the first course; Nancy Oakes, Owner/Chef of Boulevard in San Francisco will present the second course; Thomas A. Keller, Owner/Chef of The French Laundry in Yountville will present the entree; and Michael McDonald, Executive Chef of Sant? at Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa will present dessert. Selected vintages provided by Beaulieu Vineyards, Beringer, Clos Pegase, Domaine Carneros, Duckhorn, Niebaum-Coppola, Robert Mondavi Winery, Schramsberg, Sonoma-Cutrer, Spottswoode, and Sterling will be served with hors doeuvres and paired with courses. The Russian River Brewing Company will serve craft beer.

Olympians Kerri Strug and Michael Johnson, as well as mayors of potential host cities, are expected to attend and will be introduced following dessert. A live auction of exclusive limited lots will precede a San Francisco 2012 multimedia show, live music, and dancing.

A variety of options are available to sponsoring businesses, ranging from Gold Presenters at $15,000 and Silver Ring Sponsors at $7,000, to Bronze tables for six at $2,012. Only 100 individual tickets at $275 per person or $500 per couple will be sold.

Event Director Matt Dockstader encourages everyone to spread the word! Anyone interested in sponsoring the event, purchasing individual tickets, or volunteering at the event can get more information from the web site, www.winningbid2012.org, or by contacting Marsella Macias at BASOC, 650.856.2234.

Olympic Icon: Katrina Radke, Swimming, 1988
By Elizabeth Faletti, BASOC Volunteer

Olympian Katrina Radke brings her extensive experience and training in working with people to the position of BASOC's Director of Olympian Relations. As the liaison between Northern California Olympians, BASOC, and events, Katrina connects our Olympic role models with Bay Area youths, communities, and service organizations.

When did swimming become a part of your life?
I started swimming when I was about 7 years old in Morris, MN. I started swimming mainly because my two older brothers were going to the swimming pool. I loved the water!

Who has been the most influential person in your swimming and non-swimming life and why?
There are many people who have influenced my life, not only people I have met but people I have read about. My parents, coaches and teachers have always had a great impact on who I am and in supporting me in swimming. I believe that we gain a lot from people in our lives if we let them teach us and inspire us.

What is your most memorable Olympic moment?
One of my most memorable Olympic moments is being able to meet many people from different countries before the opening ceremonies and getting pictures taken with them. I was reminded of what the Olympic Games represent: all people coming together with a common bond, being able to transcend our human limitations as we pursue our dreams of reaching our peak potential.

What are you doing professionally today?
I am a trained marriage and family therapist, am pursuing acting, and have been an executive in the healthcare industry. I am also currently working on the bid to bring the Olympic Games to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2012!

Are you still involved in swimming?
I still love being in the water. I hold private lessons with kids and stay current on what is going on for the future of the sport of swimming.

Why do you feel the Olympic Games should come to San Francisco in 2012?
San Francisco has so many things to offer the world. As an athlete, it is the best place in terms of weather. Internationally, this is the top place to travel. People can enjoy the City as well as the ocean and mountains. We have it all here! And, of course, friendly, fun loving people who enjoy life!

Lastly, the people who are involved in this bid effort bring their expertise from all industries to create the best possible Olympic Games conditions. Our bid is unique, also, because it is headed by an Olympian, Anne Cribbs. This is a testimony to the fact that Olympians want to make a difference in the future of sport, and also have the experiential knowledge to make a difference in making San Francisco THE place to host a spectacular Olympic Games!

Thanks Katrina and good luck any future endeavors as BASOC's Director of Olympian Relations. If you are an Olympian and would like to get involved with BASOC, please contact Katrina at katrina@basoc2012.org or 650.856.2234!

Venue Spotlight: Edwards Stadium, Beach Volleyball
By Steve Woo, BASOC Volunteer

We've all seen Olympians move mountains, but can they move beaches?

In the Summer of 2012, the trail of trucks that you will see cruising through the streets of Berkeley will be hauling the beach to the University of California's Edwards Stadium. That's right! Pull up a beach chair, lather up the sun block, and sport your best-looking shades. You've got a front row seat to an athletic showcase of the world's greatest digs, sets, and spikes. No longer confined to its humble and obscure origins on the shores of Southern California, beach volleyball has captured the imagination of coastal and landlocked sports fans around the world. At the 2012 San Francisco Olympic Games, Cal's Edwards Stadium will be host to beach volleyball, as well as a little fun in the sun-drenched sand.

Edwards Stadium stands in one of the most beautiful settings in the country, with unrivaled views of the Berkeley Hills and the San Francisco skyline, including panoramic vistas of the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. With this kind of backdrop, beach volleyball at Edwards Stadium is certain to get your adrenaline pumping and take your breath away. The world-class facilities at Cal make Berkeley an ideal setting for Olympic competition.

Built in 1932, Edwards Stadium has become a historical fixture at Cal. When the facility first opened, it was the only stadium in the world built solely for Track & Field use. For many years, Edwards Stadium had the distinction of being the largest exclusive Track & Field facility in the United States with a seating capacity of 22,000. The Stadium was recently renovated, and in 2000, the Cal men's and women's soccer teams adopted the Stadium as their new home venue. One of the Stadium's greatest features is its intimate structure, which brings the fans close to the athletes.

Edwards Stadium has a legacy unmatched in athletics. If there's such a thing as hallowed ground in the world of Track & Field, Edwards Stadium might be considered sacred to those athletes who produced 11 world records, 16 American records, and 18 collegiate records while competing there. Among the most memorable performances produced at the Stadium was the 3:51.3 mile clocked by Jim Ryun, the first American high school runner to break the elusive 4-minute mile. Bay Area natives may also recall a young Renaldo Nehemiah shattering records in the 110-meter hurdles, prior to his gridiron days with the San Francisco 49ers. From 100 to 5,000 meters, from 7 to 300 feet, Track & Field athletes have left their timeless marks on Edwards Stadium. In 2012, athletes of a different sort will be leaving their own footprints in the sand, literally, while digging, setting, and spiking their way into the Olympic history books at Cal.

"Students at Cal are very excited about bringing the Olympic Games to Berkeley," says Kevin Andersen, Executive Associate Athletic Director at Cal. "The exposure and prestige from hosting the Olympic Games would be a tremendous achievement for the University, leaving a historical legacy and adding to the storyline of Cal Athletics. Berkeley is already a very diverse place, with students, faculty, citizens, and visitors hailing from around the world. As the University continues to evolve, Berkeley will become a more and more exciting place to be."

Without a doubt, the students at Cal will welcome the athletes of the world with open arms and a big Golden Bear hug.

Paralympic Paragon - Chuck Gill, Basketball 1996, 2000
By Randy Haberl, BASOC Volunteer

Chuck Gill, a BASOC volunteer, Paralympian, and motivator has turned to basketball and helping others as his main goals in life. Chuck is a member of the U.S. National Paralympic Basketball Team and was on the 1996 and 2000 Paralympic Teams.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I grew up here in the Bay Area, San Francisco to be specific. I love sports and played competitive sports all my life. In 1982, my senior year, I developed Spinal Meningitis but was not properly diagnosed until two years later. This left me a paraplegic. This was rare at the time for my age group and luckily didn't turn out worse for me.

What led you to get into competitive basketball?
I learned more about wheelchair athletics while going through my physical therapy at Kaiser in Vallejo. I heard about the basketball league and I went to check it out. I fell in love with the game seeing others out there playing. I love to compete and was glad it was available to me so I went for it!

Tell us about your Paralympic experience.
My first Paralympic Games were in 1996 in Atlanta and then in Sydney for the 2000 Games. The crowds were great and very spirited in Sydney. You couldn't hear your teammates a few feet away as you competed. Right now, I'm training and working out for the World Championships in Japan later this year. I am also working hard to make the 2004 Paralympic Team to have one more shot at a gold medal.

What is your training routine?
I work out six days a week. Four days a week I weight train for about an hour and a half. Then it's one hour of conditioning and the bike for several miles. The rest of the time, I'm in the gym shooting and practicing. I try and take anywhere from 1,200 to 1,500 shots each session.

How did you become part of BASOC?
I was contacted to see if I would be interested in helping with the Olympic movement after the Sydney Olympics. I want to give back to everyone here in the Bay Area what I have experienced. The Olympic Games here would be so beneficial to everyone. I obviously am active in the Paralympic portion of the Olympic Games. I won't be playing in the 2012 Olympic Games, but to be a part of it will be awesome.

What are you doing these days?
I am mostly training but I do talk to children, both able-bodied and wheelchair kids. I can show them that anything is possible when you put your mind to it. I also talk with newly injured people and let them know what's available to them.

Do you have any advice for others?
Set your goals to the level of play you want to be a part of. You have to work hard and you may fall short a few times, but keep trying and keep that goal in mind. Also, take lessons learned from others you meet and try and use all those skills to better yourself. Learn from your mentors.

It is rewarding to hear the spirit and motivation in Chuck's voice. It is no wonder that he has accomplished so much. We wish him the best and good luck in the World Games later this year!

Company Focus, A-Link Network Services - Your Link to the Bay Area Olympic Games
By Kim Strenk, BASOC Volunteer

A-Link Network Services is a full-service Internet Services Provider (ISP) founded in 1995 and based in Sunnyvale, California. A-Link's core business is providing connectivity, Web hosting, and POP e-mail services. Unlike many of the high profile ISPs, A-Link has been profitable since the beginning through steady, conservative business growth with many small-to-medium size companies in traditional industries from advertising to plumbing. How did this quietly profitable small ISP come to be a part of the Bay Area's Olympic dream? To better understand A-Link's involvement with BASOC, we need to take a closer look at their Customer Service Manager, Richard Clark.

"I would love to see the Olympic Games here! I was born in the City [San Francisco] and was raised near the Presidio," said Clark. Beyond native pride and enthusiasm, Clark was also intrigued at the prospect because it was his old swim coach, Grant Giske, BASOC's Income Development Coordinator, that contacted A-Link.

BASOC Superstar: Nichelle Lyons, Income Development
By Lauren Brock, BASOC Volunteer

Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and educated at De Paul University, Nichelle Lyons came to Los Angeles in 1989 to begin her career in consulting. She moved northward to the Bay Area only three years ago, but has happily continued working in the consulting industry, running the business that she started nine years ago. Nichelle was recently able to tell us a little bit about the work Lyons and Associates does for BASOC.

How did you become involved in BASOC and what is your current role?
I met Anne Cribbs two years ago and talked to her about the Bid outline she was putting together for 2012. I liked what she was planning, but knew that there was a lot of work to be done. We discussed the strategies that she would need in order to make the Bid successful. About a year ago, she called me back and told me that the strategies had worked so far, but that she now needed my help with corporate fundraising. I now work on the Income Development Team.

What has been the biggest challenge for you so far and what challenges are coming up?
The biggest challenge of working on income development is increasing the awareness within the business community that the Bid is happening now, and that without support today, there is no chance that we will make it to the next stage. Several people I've encountered just assumed that the bid committee wouldn't need funding until around 2010! My job is to help show businesses how their investment will be used in the next few years to keep the Bid going. In the immediate future, we will be soliciting donations from the labor community because they would definitely profit from Olympic-related job openings if the Bid is successful.

What do you see as BASOC's greatest strengths in promoting the Bid?
Though there are many reasons why a San Francisco Bay Area Olympic Games would be successful, the three things that I tend to promote the most often are the amazing location, the wonderful climate, and the community benefits that the Olympic Games brings to host cities. San Francisco is already a world-class tourist destination, and the events would be spread out over a diverse area to showcase the entire region.

What is your favorite Olympic memory?
It is hard for me to think of a favorite Olympic memory, as I have many, but I'd have to say that watching Kerri Strug complete her second vault in the 1996 Olympic gymnastics competition stands out in my mind as a moment that had an impact on our entire country.

What events would you like to attend when the San Francisco Bay Area hosts the 2012 Olympic Games?
My favorite events are unquestionably Track & Field. I recently attended the National Track & Field Senior Championships at Stanford University so it was a great preview of 2012. BASOC helped to support the event's logistical needs as well, to show that we are committed to hosting major sporting events.