Seattle Times Nominates Gary Hall, Jr., for “Olympic Spirit Award”

By Phillip Whitten

SEATTLE, August 28. IN a surprise move, US sprint star Gary Hall, Jr., has been nominated by Seattle Times sports columnist Ron Judd for the 2004 Olympic Spirit Award. Nominations had been solicited by the US Olympic Committee.

But while the Seattle paper was praising Hall, other journalists continued to criticize his attitude and actions. Bud Geracie, of the San Jose Mercury News, bluntly wrote: "One taste of Gary Hall Jr.'s act removed all mystery about the coach's decision to leave him off the relay team."

As charismatic as he is controversial, Hall, 29, a three-time Olympian, repeated as Olympic champion in the 50-meter freestyle.

The USOC Olympic Spirit Award is given to one American male and female athlete "who have overcome adversity in achieving their Olympic goal, and who have demonstrated outstanding levels of spirit during the Games."
The criteria for selection include "perseverance, commitment, courage and vision."

In announcing his choice, Judd wrote: "The Seattle Times Athens Bureau, which at this point is far too tired to walk upstairs and fill out the form, is pleased to nominate for the male award swimmer Gary Hall Jr., a great Olympian and even greater American."

Here's why:

"Perseverance? Hall, the 50-meter freestyle gold medalist, has been at the top of his Game for three consecutive Olympics. He is nearly 30 years old but won the 50-meter crown in a field packed with younger swimmers.

"Courage? One of America's all-time most medaled Olympians, Hall has emerged victorious in the last two Summer Games in spite of suffering from Type I diabetes, which requires daily injections of six to 10 shots of insulin and makes his rigorous training regimen a delicate balancing act.

"Commitment? A tireless speaker and volunteer for the American Diabetes Association, Hall has inspired untold numbers of children and adult diabetes sufferers, who have learned through his example that it's possible to not only survive but thrive with the disease.

"Vision? Hall has launched his own campaign to bring U.S. swimming out of the shadows of the American sports world by sponsoring match races, pitting the world's swimmers against one another in high-profile contests. He sees it as a way to enable more older, elite swimmers to finance their own training — a potential boon for U.S. Olympic medal counts into the future.

"Spirit? He triumphed again in Athens in spite of logistical obstacles that included: U.S. swim team coach Eddie Reese, who clearly has some deep-seated psychological revulsion for independent thinkers who swim really, really fast; USA Swimming, which fined Hall $5,000 for wearing his nation's colors to the starting blocks; and the USOC itself, which refused to abide Hall's simple request for an alternate travel schedule to let him adjust to the Athens climate and timetable to help regulate his blood-sugar levels.

"Bonus points: In recognition that the award is presented by Nu-Skin, a skin-care manufacturer, we can happily report that Hall's skin appears quite smooth, perhaps even velvety, and would serve as an excellent sponsorship conveyance device."

The general public will be able to vote for media nominees from Aug. 30 to Sept. 12 at www.nuskinenterprises.com.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use