On the Scene - USA Basketball Extension; Twitter Lessons; Media Onslaught

(ATR) During three jam-packed days, about 500 journalists got to know the faces and stories of more than 100 Olympic qualifiers and hopefuls at the 2012 Team USA Media Summit.

The event was so important to the sport of modern pentathlon that two athletes flew straight from Rome, site of last week's world championships, to Dallas, Texas, and arrived on the eve of their interviews.

"Margaux Isaksen was questioning, ‘Do I need to be there?’ and we said, ‘Absolutely,’ because she is the face of USA Pentathlon right now and this is such a big event for her and the sport," said Bill Kellick, who will be the press officer for both U.S. modern pentathlon and taekwondo in London.

Kellick tells Around the Rings that the Media Summit, which the U.S. Olympic Committee has hosted since 1988, is particularly important for sports like modern pentathlon that don’t usually get as much attention as more mainstream sports."The athletes spend a lot of time just explaining their sport," he said.

In taekwondo, this was the fourth Media Summit for Steven Lopez and the second for his sister Diana.

In 2008, Kellick said, "They realized how important it was after they saw the photos come out and appear in various publications. A lot of journalists put in the bag, so to speak. Not a lot of it appears instantly, but you keep seeing it down the road. The tidbits that they’ve gathered from the athletes appear just before the Games or at the Games, and you know that this is where they got it."

Patrick Sandusky, the USOC Chief of Communications and Public Affairs, tells ATR that with the changing media landscape "there are more people that are just Internet only, but we also have a number of broadcasters and newspapers.

"There was a pretty robust number of media across all formats, from Piers Morgan (CNN), Biff Henderson (the Late Show with David Letterman) to Billy Bush from Access Hollywood."

Morgan even set up a studio at the Hilton Anatole and interviewed gold medalists Michael Phelps, Nastia Liukin and a number of other athletes.

Media Onslaught

Some federations use the Media Summit as a venue to accommodate media in light of the pre-Olympic surge of interest.

Gymnasts such as Liukin, Shawn Johnson and current world champion Jordyn Wieber are in huge demand.

"We did tell people who called us, ‘Your best opportunity is to go to the USOC Media Summit,’ and actually most of those people did come," said Leslie King, Vice President of Communications for USA Gymnastics. "It’s actually great for the athletes because the reporters have the opportunity to get the stories in a relaxed setting. It’s not that the pressure isn’t already on to make the team, but it’s not when they’re at a competition and they’re focused on trying to compete. So I think it’s a real win-win."

Making New Friends

The athletes also enjoy the chance to mingle. Most don’t see each other except at press or sponsor opportunities or in the Olympic Village every four years.

"I think there’s something with athletes, even if you’ve never met the athlete, you feel like you know them because you know exactly what they’re going through," said Liukin, the 2008 gymnastics all-around champion. "Being at the top of your game and now going into London with extra added pressure, you definitely understand that."

She said what Phelps has achieved is "incredible." Both are sponsored by Visa and Subway.

"I was excited with the one gold medal that I won," Liukin said, "and to know he won eight, he’s just an inspiration for every athlete out there in the Olympic Movement."

Lessons in Social Media

Twitter had representatives in the athletes’ lounge at the hotel. "They’re working with the athletes on how they can enhance their online presence with Twitter," Sandusky said. "Beyond just verifying accounts, they’re talking to the athletes about the best ways to use them, how to use hash tags, how to talk about topics that will be relevant and be able to be re-tweeted and how to get more followers."

The USOC already streams Twitter feeds on its website.

USA Basketball Gets Extension

The USOC granted USA Basketball’s request for an extension on naming its roster. The deadline has been moved from June 18, which is before the end of the shortened NBA season, to July 7.

"It’s been an unusual year in the NBA with injuries," said Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball chairman. "Whether the injuries are due to that condensation (of the season), I don’t know. The reality is we lost four players from our pool (of 18 healthy players)."

USA Basketball added James Harden from Oklahoma City’s NBA team and Anthony Davis from the University of Kentucky, who is the only player in the pool fresh out of college.

The players will have two days of training camp in Las Vegas before the team is whittled down to 12.

"We need to take inventory, what status our players have," Colangelo said. "We needed to get through playoff season, and keep our fingers crossed that we don’t have any additional injuries. We’re grateful for the additional time."

Added coach Mike Krzyzewski, "The key for us is to make sure we get them fresh mentally, emotionally and physically."

Grateful to Compete

U.S. swimmer Jessica Hardy, who missed the Beijing Olympics after unknowingly taking clenbuterol in a nutritional supplement and testing positive, said the ordeal "has made me a lot stronger and tougher than I ever thought I would be.

Coming back after serving a one-year suspension, she is again a top contender for the U.S. team. "I’m so excited and grateful for the opportunity and more motivated than I’ve ever been," Hardy said.

She said the supplements industry is "the Wild West. It’s not safe in the U.S. Athletes that take supplements now, I don’t think it’s understood how much they’re putting themselves at risk. I stay clear of all supplemental vitamins and I think that’s the only safe way to make sure that you’re a safe athlete today."

Hardy had a choice about whether to come to the Media Summit.

"I think that my story has become a story of inspiration and overcoming adversity," she said, "and looking at obstacles square in the face, not letting anyone tell you no. I’ve been through a lot and I think that it’s good to be able to tell that story to help athletes or people in general that are going through a hard time that you need to fight it and have the strength and never give up. Believe in yourself."

Paralympics Pride

Jerome Singleton, who declares himself "the fastest amputee in the world," is looking forward to a showdown with South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius in London.

Singleton lost to Pistorius in Beijing in the Paralympics 100 meters by .03 of a second – "I saw a green flash go past me real quick, but I thought we had crossed the finish line," he recalled – then won their rematch at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships.

Pistorius hopes to compete at the Olympics in the 400-meter dash as well as the Paralympics.

"If he does the Olympics and does well, I don’t want any excuses when he comes to the Paralympics and races; don’t say you’re tired," Singleton said.

Singleton is a single amputee while Pistorius has two prosthetic legs. The South African has generated headlines and controversy since he began his quest to compete in the Olympics.

"He’s really brought Paralympics to the forefront," Singleton said. "A lot more people know about Paralympics today because of what he’s done. We’re trying to show what’s possible, and show God-given talent, but you also see the human will trying to take part in it, too."

With reporting in Dallas from Karen Rosen.

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