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| Alumni News Dedication, sacrifice rewarded with life-long memories for Drake Olympians "President Bush came to speak to us before we went in. Suddenly I'm standing five feet from the President of the United States and all I can think is, 'This is crazy that Annie Swisshelm is standing here! How did I get here?'"
Swisshelm, LA'90, found herself standing in front of the President just a few months ago as she prepared to head into Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City as a member of the first U.S. Olympic curling team. "In all my life, that moment can never be duplicated," said Swisshelm. "You get in lines four people across and hundreds deep and start the 3/4-mile walk to the stadium. You can hear the crowd the whole way there. We -- the American team because we were the host nation -- were the last people in and the stands were just shaking. I was smiling the biggest smile and tears were pouring down my cheeks. I've never experienced such adrenaline, emotion," Swisshelm paused for a moment, "and fear." Uncertain times Many fans and athletes were concerned about safety at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, but the constant presence of security guards, checkpoints, and baggage searches kept Swisshelm feeling safe and comfortable during the 17-day event. "I can honestly say that I felt like I was in the safest place on earth in the Olympic Village and at the games." Swisshelm was not the first athlete to be confronted with the possibility of danger at the Olympics. Robert Helmick, LA'58, LW'60, became head of the national water polo team for the 1972 Olympics in Munich. "When we were at the Munich Olympics, we were staying just across the walkway from the Israeli delegation, so we were right there when the attacks occurred. We were just filled with horror. It was appalling and we were just helpless. There was nothing we could do," Helmick said. "But then there are the good memories of the Olympics, too," he continued, "like marching into the stadium with the athletes. I remember standing in the prep area as Mark Spitz won his seventh gold medal in a swimming event and just the sight of him going crazy as he embraced all of us was wonderful." Doing what it takes Rod Wilde, former Drake women's volleyball coach, has bittersweet memories of his first Olympics. He went to the Olympics in 1984 in Los Angeles with the U.S. volleyball team. But when Wilde broke his leg a few weeks before the games, he became an alternate for the team. The U.S. men's volleyball team went on to win a gold medal in the event. "You don't get a gold medal unless you actually play in the game," Wilde ruefully noted. "I tried to return to the Olympics in '92 but I found I was past my prime and I didn't make the team." Wilde realized his chances of attending the Olympics as a player might be over but, as a coach, he had a lot to offer other Olympic hopefuls. "I went into the coaching ranks and went to the '96 Olympics in Atlanta and the 2000 games in Sydney. It was very exciting, after so many years of trying, to participate in the Olympics and finally be a part of it." Wilde's Olympic experience serves as an unpleasant reminder to many athletes. "I see a lot of athletes who are physically talented and who are at a level where they can physically play the game exceptionally well," said Wilde. "But it comes down to determination, drive and desire to commit to something that may not have the rewards you expected. I realized that after the '84 Olympics when I broke my leg a month before the game. You hang it all out there but training for this comes with no guarantees. It requires people willing to commit so they can make it to the next level and people who are willing to sacrifice and put their lives on hold." Swisshelm doesn't consider her dedication to curling a sacrifice. "This isn't a sacrifice any more than any other choice you make, no more so than my girlfriend who's pregnant with her second child. People make different choices and, for me, I just find so much joy in playing." Swisshelm already has her sights set on the 2006 Olympics where, she hopes, her curling team can finish better than they did in 2002. "We finished fourth this year, which is about the worst possible place to finish." Swisshelm took up curling at the age of nine through her parents' golf club outside of Chicago. "I didn't play in college. There's no ice in Des Moines," she noted with a chuckle. "After graduation, I moved back to Chicago and began playing again. Some friends and I formed a team and played one night a week and, next thing you know, we won the state championship." In 1994, Swisshelm made the decision to pursue her curling career exclusively so she quit working in film and theater in the Chicago area and began training full-time. "In the off season here in Chicago there's no ice for practicing so I focus on cardio and muscle building. Then I work on skill when there's ice in the autumn and winter." The essence of the experience Sometimes the pomp and circumstance of the events seem to eclipse the actual reason for being there. But it seems as if every athlete has some fond memory of the Olympics that brings things back into focus. For Ann Swisshelm, it was her stay in the Olympic Village because she saw it as a microcosm of the world, featuring hundreds of languages, nationalities, customs, and cultures. "The Olympic Village is very utilitarian, sort of like Goodwin-Kirk," Swisshelm noted with a laugh. "It's less glamorous than that, actually, but it's so special to be in the U.S. House and part of the host country. And it was just so amazing. I mean, Japan was just across the hallway." "One of the most memorable experiences for me was definitely Atlanta's closing ceremonies," recounted Rod Wilde. "Our team did poorly in the games and the Atlanta Olympics were really commercialized, which really tainted the experience for me. Not to mention the bombing - so I almost didn't go to the closing ceremonies. The closing night was supposed to be this nicely choreographed event with lots of recording artists singing on the field and the athletes are off to one end of the field. Then, all of a sudden, the athletes just stormed the field and began dancing with each other. They took back the event. I'm so glad I went because that reaffirmed for me what the Olympics are really about -- the athletes." The behind the scenes connection Although the Olympics are about the games, it takes a lot more than athletes and coaches to make the events feasible. As a press officer at the '92 and '96 Olympics, Mike Mahon, sports information director at Drake, was one of the people vital to making the events flow smoothly. "Well, my job as press officer was about a five-week period of work. In Atlanta for the Olympics, I fielded about 4,000 media requests during that time. One of my primary responsibilities was acting as a liaison between the media and the track team because each athlete can't do a personal interview. That's why we had press conferences." Mahon also arrived at the site well in advance of the U.S. delegation to thoroughly case-out the area before the games begin. It is Mahon's job to know the area inside and out because, without his assistance, the media would bombard athletes as they leave their competition area. "It's a lot of work," Mahon admits, "about 20 hours a day for the month that I'm there. I don't know if I'll do it again, but I'd love to be asked." Des Moines Attorney and Drake Trustee Robert Helmick, LA'58, LW'60, also played an important role in organizing the Olympics as President of the U.S. Olympic Committee and a member of the International Olympic Committee. "Our committees dealt with the selection and organization of all the games and locations in all aspects," stated Helmick. "It is a supervisory capacity and then local committees work under the approval of the international committee." Helmick is quick to offer a reminder that his positions on these committees are solely philanthropic contributions. "Of course, all of this is unpaid volunteer work, which is like being on the board of trustees at a university, an arts center, or the United Way. It's a way to give back to the community." Lisa D. Gildehaus, JO'93, is an independent filmmaker and writer.
by Douglas Lang, BN'69, President, Drake University National Alumni Association Board of Directors The Drake University National Alumni Association Board is hard at work on your behalf. Our mission is to meaningfully engage alumni in the life of Drake University. Every two years, the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association Board of Directors is selected. The Alumni Board consists of 29 members, each of whom is on a working committee of the board. The chairs of those committees are part of the Executive Committee, which in addition to myself includes Anne Hilton, BN'78, chair, and Julie Fitzpatrick, AS'89, secretary. Members of the new leadership team will start their terms this fall and are already off to a great start. Patty Kumbera, PH'89, heads the student recruitment committee, which identifies ways to involve alumni in student recruitment activities such as college fairs, letter-writing campaigns, home receptions and individual contacts. Connecting alumni to prospective students and their families has proven to be a significant factor in the student's choice to come to Drake. William Drury, Jr., LA'73, LW'77, chairs the advancement committee, which addresses marketing, technology and development issues. One priority this year will be to work on ways to increase alumni participation rates and giving, as part of the ranking of a university is based on percentage of giving to the annual fund. Kathy McNee, FA'68, heads the Drake alumni chapter committee. Committee members each chair one of the established alumni chapters -- central Iowa, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Kansas City, St. Louis, and the Twin Cities. The chapter committee designs, promotes, and implements activities that connect alumni to each other and, of course, to Drake. This year, the committee will initiate guidelines to clarify the roles and expectations of the official alumni chapters, as well as set standards for new chapters. Finally, veteran Alumni Board member Ron Snow, PH'81, chairs the programming committee. This committee identifies programs -- educational, social and cultural -- to involve alumni in the life of the University. One goal for this year is to work with the Office of Alumni and Parent Programs on their strategic planning and goal development. Remember, strong alumni support means a strong university. Your Alumni Board is dedicated to the success of Drake. Speaking on behalf of the entire Board, we look forward to the upcoming year and working with alumni, faculty and staff to advance Drake University. |
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| The Nominations please... The Drake National Alumni Association wants to honor alumni who have excelled in their careers, communities, volunteer activities, service to Drake and other endeavors. If you know alumni who fit that description, or if you're one yourself, please send a letter of nomination for the 2003 Drake alumni awards. Include all the information you have about a nominee. Awards include the Distinguished Service Award, Young Alumni Loyalty Award, the Young Alumni Achievement Award for grads under age 40, the Alumni Loyalty Award, and the Alumni Achievement Award. Do you know alumni who would like to strategize on alumni programming, student recruitment, and/or fund- and "friend-"raising? If so, nominate them (or yourself!) for an at-large position on the Drake University National Alumni Association Board of Directors. Nominations should include the person's name, contact information, his or her activities and offices held as a student at Drake, and his or her professional and community activities, awards and positions. Please also describe the contributions the nominee would make as a member of the Board. |
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| Deadline for nominations: December
1, 2002 Please send Nomination letters to: Julie Fitzpatrick, AS'89 Secretary, Drake University National Alumni Association Drake University, Alumni and Parent Programs 2507 University Ave., Des Moines, IA 50311 |
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