Crippen, Kirk, Winfield Vie For Spot On USOC Athletes Advisory Council

PHOENIX, Arizona, February 7. EVER since Lindsay Mintenko joined USA Swimming as its National Team Managing Director, the USOC Athletes Advisory Council (AAC) has been without a swimming alternate.

The opening is for a female swimmer that has participated on an Olympic team or competed in an Operation Gold meet in the last 10 years to serve as an alternate behind Tom Dolan through the remainder of his term that will conclude in 2008.

Over the past few months, Maddy Crippen, Tara Kirk and Staciana Winfield have been vying for that spot as they each were vetted by USA Swimming's Athletes Executive Committee. They each took time out of their busy lives to speak with SwimmingWorldMagazine.com.

This interview is particularly important for those Olympic, Pan Pacific and World Championship team members from the previous 10 years as well as the Athletes Committee as a whole, since each of you will be part of the balloting process.

Why do you want to be a member of the Athletes Advisory Council?
Crippen: To represent swimming and its people on any level has always been an honor. To be able to do so at an elite level once again is very exciting to me. My experience as an Olympic athlete was my most memorable to date and to have this outlet to help other athletes directly would be excellent.

Kirk: I am committed to giving back to the sport that I have gained so much from. I want to help the all the young swimmers, who are the future of our sport, achieve beyond what I have done by providing them with as many opportunities and advantages as possible. By being a member of the AAC, I will be able to represent the needs of our athletes with enthusiasm and dedication to ensure that they are supported by our Olympic Committee to the greatest extent possible.

Winfield: I want to make an impact on the future success of Olympic athletes. There are many factors that go into achieving athletic greatness, and I want to make sure that those factors are being taken care of as best as possible for our athletes.

Why do you feel that you are the best candidate for this position?
Kirk: I am passionate about swimming, I believe in it, and I carry that commitment with me every day. I possess a clear perspective of the different situations of many of USA Swimming's top athletes, having been a successful club swimmer, college swimmer and professional swimmer. I understand the different challenges that occur at each level and can relate to the athletes and the problems they face. I will represent the athletes of USA Swimming with conviction in a diplomatic, persuasive and productive way that will help our swimmers without alienating the other athletes in the USOC.

Winfield: I am a natural leader, who is not afraid to listen, and knows when to speak with poise. I am passionate about the Olympic movement, and believe that we should continue to inspire and help the next generation of Olympians. My own experience with the Olympics, as well as my active involvement in sports through coaching, gives me the confidence necessary to represent athletes. I enjoy listening to people, collecting data and vocalizing it in order to help our athletes achieve their dreams.

Crippen: I have had the fortunate experience of being involved at the top level of USA Swimming for the past decade, both as an athlete and family member to national team members. I have seen first hand the evolution of an elite athlete's needs and I believe my grasp on issues that affect today's athletes is unique. I want to use this understanding to help further causes that could assist these individuals as they grow and mature, not only in sport, but emotionally and professionally.

What is your most positive contribution to the Olympic movement?
Winfield: I have studied the important sociological and psychological factors of sport, and Post Olympic Stress Syndrome, through my undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley. I know the various aspects it takes to be successful in sport. Also, I am aware of certain aspects that should be addressed more to retain athletes over numerous Olympics. I am a motivational speaker, and expert in my field of study, and have shared my experiences and knowledge with thousands of people over the past 8 years.

Crippen: The Olympic Movement begins at a very developmental level and as I progressed as an athlete I had the tendency to forget how important my formative years were to my growth as an elite athlete. A year after I retired from swimming, I knew I loved the sport and wanted to stay involved. I made a decision to return to swimming as an age group coach. During my swimming career, I was given the opportunity to be surrounded by some of the greatest minds and talents the sport had to offer. I had this great education and I felt I was doing young athletes a disservice by not sharing the lessons I had learned. Getting back to the pool, not as an athlete but as a coach had given me a fabulous opportunity to give back to young athletes and contribute at this developmental level.

Kirk: I have been a team captain of several USA Swimming teams and have gained experience and insight into what is important to USA Swimming's most elite athletes. Previously, I was also a member of the USA Swimming Sports Medicine/Science committee. I worked to evaluate and approve research applications that will contribute to the body of knowledge important in modern training regimens. I have also acted as an advocate on issues that impact swimmers. As an athlete as well as an individual, I am constantly thinking outside of the box and searching for ways to move USA Swimming to an even higher level. For example, when I realized that post-collegiate athletes training with their former college teams would face problems training for this Olympics during the college championship season, I addressed the issue with the national team head coach. I suggested that an open training camp during that time would be extremely helpful and would allow athletes to continue training hard while their home teams taper. The issue has now been taken up at USA Swimming headquarters.

Who is your most respected figure(s) or role model(s) in the Olympic movement?
Crippen: This question is impossible for me to answer. As an athlete competing in the games, I was consumed with sport and efforts of coaches and individuals to achieve the highest level. In this regard, my role models stretch from Olympic Champions Tracy Caulkins, Janet Evans, Dan Jansen and Rulon Gardner. However, as my life has turned more corporate, I have gained an understanding and respect for the undertaking that is involved on so many levels to make the Games successful every two years. The efforts made by the governing bodies to keep the athletes prepared both physically and financially, for competition at the highest level, is labor intensive on so many levels. I cannot call out one role model I have in this regard. The Olympic movement is truly a "Team" effort and would never happen if it were not for the efforts of everyone, from athlete to USOC management staff.

Kirk: Two people who I really respect in the Olympic movement are Shirley Babashoff and Jenny Thompson. Shirley Babashoff was one of the first swimmers to speak out about doping. She endured a lot of criticism and hardship because of her beliefs but she wasn't overcome by it. I admire Jenny because of how much she has achieved both in and out of the pool. She has proven that we can all be great at many things in many different fields. I was also greatly inspired when she declined one of the University of New Hampshire's most prestigious awards to protest the cutting of their men's swim team. In this, she showed that she had strong integrity while making swimming a priority. She is a great competitor and thinking of her reminds me everyday that there is more that I can do.

Winfield: My own experience and friendship with Amanda Beard (Olympic swimmer '96, '00, ‘04) has allowed me to watch her grow and excel over three Olympics, becoming a more mature athlete and balanced professional swimmer. She has successfully marketed herself and transcended athletics into a business that she loves and balances in her daily life. She could walk away, having achieved numerous Olympic medals, World and American records, and yet still swims for the love of the sport and competition.

What are the three most important issues facing all athletes in the Olympic movement?
Kirk: The most important issue facing all the athletes in the Olympic movement is the use of performance enhancing drugs. This takes the heart out of Olympic competition and taints the entire movement as a whole. We need better drug testing so that athletes who are clean can continue their pursuit of Olympic glory and those who are not can be removed from the sport. Another growing issue involves the conflicting sponsorship obligations of many professional athletes. As professionalism in Olympic sports grows this is an issue that will have to be dealt with to the satisfaction of the athletes and the NGBs. Finally, we need to make sure that we can meet the needs of different age groups of athletes equally. We have very young athletes in club programs, college athletes, and post-grads and we need to meet all their needs to ensure Olympic success and a good team environment.

Winfield: 1. Professionalism. How to continue your career as a professional athlete while still finding time to train for the love of the sport.
2. Anti-doping Issues. How to embrace the positive and negative effects of drug testing in order to help sport stay as clean as possible.
3. Transition to Life After Athletics. It is so important for athletes to have an exit strategy with a large support system, in order to transition into life after athletics.

Crippen: First, athletes need resources during their athletic careers to prepare for the life that awaits them after sport ends. Many of these individuals have to be consumed with their physical growth everyday and there is little energy (or time) left for professional development. Resources need to be available to allow athletes the opportunity for professional growth to take place while they are still competing.

Second, as the Olympic movement matures, we are finding athlete's careers are able to last longer. In swimming, for example, the trend has been moving more towards an Olympic Team filled with college graduates, not high school co-eds. In order to allow post graduates the opportunity to continue their career, their needs to have more accessible insurance benefits and grants that will allow them to support themselves, while continuing to train at the highest level need to be met. This may be available to the top 25 world ranked athletes in different sports. However, there have been quite a few Olympic medalists who two years before the Games were not world ranked. We cannot let these athletes slip through our fingers because finances are not accessible at various levels.

Third, the ability to compete with other countries in every sport at the highest level. This means having voices on every level of every sport and fluid communication between every level in order to prepare athletes as they grow and mature.

What are the three most exciting areas of growth for all athletes in the Olympic movement?
Winfield: 1. The psychological factors involved in the Olympics are beginning to be examined and addressed more frequently. The emphasis on the mind as the most powerful tool in athletics will help improve performance, while still working on physical athleticism.
2. Athlete retention: The United States can prosper from greater athlete retention by educating athletes on the Olympic movement at a young age, and then supporting them as they go through their career, especially after their first Olympics. This support network will continue to grow, and help the athletes continue to excel at their sport, even after they achieve their highest goals.
3. An athlete's perspective changes at the Olympics due to interactions with different cultures and beliefs. The world grows bigger with the knowledge of new things, yet somehow smaller by bringing athletes together for the "purity of sport". I think the Olympics has the opportunity to grow into a true celebration of humanity and global community, enabling athletes to connect with each other and stay connected through technology.

Crippen: As the world becomes more global, opportunities in every market manifest. This is true particularly for the Olympic Movement. The Olympics were essentially the first global production and the opportunities for corporate involvement grow every four years. For example, in only the past decade the ability to advertise online and reach a world wide market has been developed.

As we approach 2008, the world does not even know the outlets that corporate backers will have available to advertise. As commercial as this sound, it can only mean good things for the athlete. A drive in revenue means more monies available for all sports on every level of development. This brings opportunities not only for sports in general, but for individual athletes. As the advertising dollar grows, more professional level athletes will have the opportunity to gain corporate sponsorships, allowing them the freedom to train smarter and live with out many of the financial burdens facing today's older Olympic athletes.

Kirk: Athletes in the Olympic movement have more opportunities than ever. We are now able to stay in our sport longer because of increased funding both from the USOC and individual sponsorships. Another area of growth in the Olympic movement is increased minority participation in sports. Diversity is part of what makes our country great and it will make our sport great as well. Finally, another exciting area of growth for Olympic athletes is our increased visibility in the public and our ability to do good in the community. As role models, positive examples, and ambassadors of goodwill we can help leave our mark in a positive way, regardless of how many records we leave behind.

What do you think it takes to represent the athlete's voice within the governance structure of the USOC?

Crippen: An understanding must be developed that takes into regard the things swimmers need in relation to the concerns other sports have. A chain of communication must be established by the AAC representative that allows them the knowledge of what is needed by various athletes on various levels.

Kirk: Within the structure of the USOC it will take strength, determination, and diplomacy to represent the athlete's voice. However, I think that the most important thing that an AAC representative can do is to be accessible to the athletes, open minded to their problems, and able to listen to what they say they need. By listening and then acting I will be able to represent what the athletes really want.

Winfield: One must first be active in collecting the opinions of the athletes in order to represent their voice. One must put his/her ego aside and listen to the athletes' needs, in order to effectively represent them. One must also be comfortable speaking in front of the governing body in order to communicate and cooperate for the best interests of the athletes.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years as first a member of the swimming community, and second in your personal life?

Kirk: Over the next five years, I plan on finishing my professional swimming career and beginning my career outside of swimming. While I will be leaving competitive swimming, I plan to stay involved in the sport. I don't think that I will be able to get it out of my system so I will still be attending meets, talking with the athletes, and keeping in contact with coaches. Giving back to the sport is important and for me, it doesn't end with the end of my swimming career.

Winfield: In the next five years, I will impact athletes through coaching and at the collegiate level, and through speaking engagements, in order to help them achieve their potential. I will stay involved with the Olympic Alumni associations, and contribute positively to the Olympic movement. I will continue pursuing my graduate degree in the Social Psychology of Sport, in order to better understand the phenomenon of Post Olympic Stress Syndrome, and help our Olympic athletes continue their careers in athletics and beyond.

Crippen: I will be a part of the swimming community and the Olympic movement for the rest of my life. Not only has it impacted my life directly but my entire family. I intend on moving forward in both my professional and coaching careers and managing my lifestyle in order to have the flexibility necessary to do both effectively.

Also, Philadelphia has aspirations of qualifying itself as a bid city to host the Olympic Games in the next 25 years and I would like to contribute my time and energies to that cause.

How has the Olympic experience impacted your life?
Winfield: My Olympic experience made me a stronger, more successful athlete, coach, and person. It helped me gain perspective on the facets of sport that are hard to understand when you are preparing for the Olympics. My participation in the Olympics has given me an avenue to help others achieve their dreams, and teach life lessons. It has shed light on different paths for my future, and I would like to help others gain that light. Going to the Olympics has brought more people into my life, and has made me want to help others along their journey.

Crippen: It is the thing that I am most proud to say I have accomplished. I still get excited when people ask me to share my experience and I tell them that it was the greatest and most moving event in my life to date. I want to help others as they strive to reach this level and I believe as a member of the AAC, I will have a direct effect.

Kirk: My Olympic experience has taught me about excellence – both in my quest for the Olympics and my experiences at the Games. It has also taught me that while there is much to be gained as an athlete there is still more to do afterwards. Anyone can be great but what is important is to go beyond that, to mentor and inspire young men and women, to open their eyes to what is possible, and to clear the way for those who will come after. I have taken that responsibility to heart and do my best every day to be the role model that will make young athletes want to do more, see more, and be more. I recognize that my time as an elite athlete is short, but that there is still a lot of time for me to make a difference.

To contact the author about this story, please Click Here
If you wish your comment to be published, please note that in your e-mail.

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