2008 Memorial Kids Race
Congratulations to all the men and women who competed the last couple of weekends at the NCAA National Championships!!! I am covering the men’s championship on Comcast which will air this weekend. I am so excited for the University of Oklahoma!! (Yes I am an hokie so I’m a bit biased) OU took the title and Jonathon Horton took the Nissan-Emery Award as well. This award is given annually to the USA’s outstanding senior collegiate gymnast. Stanford came in a close second, then Illinois and Penn State. Tune in for coverage of the Individual All-Around competition on CN8-The Comcast Network.
As for the women, Georgia took its 4th straight title! They suffered such a loss this year with Courtney Kupets, out with a torn Achilles tendon. However, this team really pulled it together and fought through to the end. Utah came in second, Stanford third and the University of Florida in fourth. Susan Jackson took the Vault title, Tasha Schwikert won the Uneven Bars, Grace Taylor on Balance Beam and Courtney McCool took the Floor Exercise title. Coach Suzanne Yoculan (GA) has won 8 NCAA National Gymnastics Championships, including three straight from 2005-07 and will be missed when she retires in 2009.
And with the College season over, gymnastics fans turn there focus to the main event, the Olympic Games. There are only a few more opportunities for athletes to prove themselves worthy of the Olympic uniform and those are coming up quickly. The men have their National Championships in Houston, TX June 22-24th. The women hold their National championships in Boston, MA June 5-7th. Then it’s on to Olympic Trials in Philadelphia, June 19-22nd. By the end of trials we should at least have 2 “lock-ins” for the men and two for the women’s team. However, as important as these competitions are the most critical days, will be in July at their respective training camps. It is then that the complete teams will be formed and announced.
Unfortunately I did not get to attend the women’s NCAA championship. However, I did get to head back to Oklahoma to be the Honorary Chairman for the Kids Race (http://www.okcmarathon.com/KidsMarathon/tabid/57/Default.aspx) at the OKC Memorial Marathon. I love this race on so many different levels. First, it helps us to remember those who were killed and those who survived during the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Second, it’s a time for all of us to celebrate life. Sometimes we get so busy we forget to do that. In particular the kid’s race is wonderful because these kids run all year round logging 25 total miles. On marathon day, they run the last 1.2 miles and cross the finish line for a full marathon. It promotes activity and teaches kids how being active and that working toward a goal can be fun! For the third year I helped start the race and then ran with the kids for the first time. We had so much fun!
For more news, updates and information on Shannon Miller, please check out www.shannonmiller.com
May 10th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
It was a shame that Courtney Kupets tore her Achilles tendon. A loss for Georgia and terribly frustrating for Courtney I am sure since this was the second time she did this.
As for the Olympics, I LOVE the Olympic year. Everything about it is so exciting from Nationals to Trials to the Games. I can’t wait to see our team show their stuff in Beijing.
It’s great that you were involved with the OKC Memorial Marathon. The bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building is one of those events seared into our memories. I remember watching the news reports in 1995 - I was a freshman in college then and it was just so incredibly sad to see.