One Athlete Remains Unnamed Among 40 U.S. Olympic Team Hopefuls Receiving Vehicles to Support Olympic Dream
FOR RELEASE: August 1, 2001One Athlete Remains Unnamed Among 40 U.S. Olympic Team Hopefuls Receiving Vehicles to Support Olympic Dream
Nationwide vehicle donation program meets athlete transportation needs
DETROIT - With 39 of 40 U.S. Olympic Team hopefuls already notified about their selection to receive a Chevrolet vehicle to help support their training and transportation needs, eager athletes from across the country await to hear if he or she is the final athlete to be named to this year's Chevrolet The Team Behind The Team.
Since late June, aspiring American athletes have been receiving vehicles from Chevrolet The Team Behind The Team through Chevrolet's network of 4,300 dealerships nationwide. Designed to help relieve some of the burdens that Olympic training can put on an athlete and his or her family, the vehicle donation program kicked-off this summer in New York with a surprise on national television when speed skating great Bonnie Blair presented bobsledder Joe McDonald and his brother, Brian, a skeleton sledder, with a Chevrolet Tahoe and Silverado, respectively. The final athlete for this year's program will be announced in late August at an undisclosed location in the Midwest.
In addition to the Tahoe and Silverado, Chevrolet The Team Behind The Team athletes are also being put behind the wheel of the Venture and Malibu, all of which are certain to help meet daily transportation needs. Vehicle assignments are based on athlete training and transportation needs.
"Chevrolet is proud to continue its long history of supporting aspiring U.S. Olympic athletes through The Team Behind The Team vehicle donation program," said Mac Whisner, Chevrolet director of truck advertising and sales promotion. "The Team Behind The Team helps ease the burden many athletes and their families face in pursuit of their Olympic dreams, namely by providing athletes with the reliable and high quality transportation they need to compete and train."
An Advisory Panel comprised of some of America's greatest U.S. Olympians selected the Chevrolet The Team Behind The Team athletes for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Representing this year's Advisory Panel are the following Olympic gold medalists: Speed skaters
Bonnie Blair and Dan Jansen; figure skaters Peggy Fleming and Kristi Yamaguchi; skier Phil Mahre and track and field athlete Evelyn Ashford.
U.S. Olympic Team hopefuls who were considered for one of the 40 Chevrolet vehicles submitted a detailed application consisting of financial information, competitive history and placements, and a short essay describing why they should be selected. Selection was based on financial need, training and competition requirements and qualification as a U.S. Olympic Team hopeful. Rankings were then tabulated to determine the recipients of the vehicles.
JK Group, Inc., an independent company that manages corporate philanthropic programs, was enlisted by Chevrolet to administer The Team Behind The Team selection process. Spearheading the development of the overall process, JK Group worked with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and National Governing Bodies of Sport to identify prospective U.S. Olympic Team hopefuls that would be eligible for the program.
Chevrolet, which is General Motors' lead division for the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games, has a long history of supporting the spirit of the Olympic Games through partnerships with many National Governing Bodies of Sport, including the U.S. Ski and Snowboarding Association, U.S. Figure Skating Association and USA Hockey. These partnerships, along with The Team Behind The Team program and Chevrolet's role as a presenting sponsor of the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Torch Relay, elevate Chevrolet's commitment to providing transportation solutions for the Olympic Games.
The Team Behind The Team program was first established in 1999 when it donated vehicles to 100 U.S. Olympic hopefuls who aspired to make the team for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
Chevrolet is the largest division of General Motors, which is the official domestic automotive sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team through 2004. Headquartered in Detroit, Chevrolet fulfills the transportation needs of more than 36 million Americans daily -- more than any other manufacturer -- and offers the broadest lineup of cars, trucks and vans in the industry.
EDITOR'S NOTE: See the attached roster of this year's Chevrolet The Team Behind The Team athletes. In addition, to download photographs of select athletes from this year's program, please visit http://media.gm.com
Chevrolet The Team Behind The Team
2002 U.S. Olympic Team Hopefuls
| ATHLETE | AGE | HOMETOWN | SPORT | CHEVROLET VEHICLE |
| Jill Bakken | 24 | Park City, UT | Bobsled | Venture |
| Ian Baranski | 21 | Colorado Springs, CO | Short Track Speed Skating | Malibu |
| Ron Biondo | 19 | Broadview Heights, OH | Short Track Speed Skating | Venture |
| Alana Blahoski | 27 | St. Paul. MN | Ice Hockey | Venture |
| Craig Brown | 25 | Madison, WI | Curling | Tahoe |
| Erika Brown | 28 | Northbrook, IL | Curling | Malibu |
| Joey Cheek | 22 | Park City, UT | Speed Skating | Tahoe |
| Jennifer Davidson | 28 | Layton, UT | Bobsled | Tahoe |
| Ann Driscoll | 23 | Park City, UT | Speed Skating | Malibu |
| Vonetta Flowers | 27 | Helena, AL | Bobsled | Malibu |
| Steve Hartsell | 23 | Westland, MI | Figure Skating | Venture |
| Todd Hays | 32 | Salt Lake City, UT | Bobsled | Silverado |
| Kelly Hilliman | 24 | Tonawanda, NY | Freestyle Skiing | Silverado |
| Steven Holcomb | 21 | Salt Lake City, UT | Bobsled and Skeleton | Tahoe |
| Stacia Hookom | 26 | Mesa, AZ | Snowboarding | Silverado |
| Katie King | 26 | Salem, NH | Ice Hockey | Malibu |
| Jennifer Kirsch | 22 | Potsdam, NY | Short Track Speed Skating | Malibu |
| Joe McDonald | 33 | Kingston, NY | Bobsled | Tahoe |
| Brian McDonald | 29 | Kingston, NY | Skeleton | Tahoe |
| Deborah Nordyke | 39 | Day, NY | Biathlon | Tahoe |
| Dave Owens | 33 | Broken Arrow, OK | Bobsled | Silverado |
| Joe Pack | 23 | Park City, UT | Freestyle Skiing | Tahoe |
| Lea Ann Parsley | 33 | Granville, OH | Skeleton | Venture |
| Mike Peplinski | 27 | Eau Claire, WI | Curling | Venture |
| Amy Peterson | 29 | Ballston Spa, NY | Short Track Speed Skating | Malibu |
| Anton Pogue | 33 | Hood River, OR | Snowboarding | Silverado |
| Jean Racine | 23 | Park City, UT | Bobsled | Silverado |
| Ivan Radcliff | 28 | Sandy, UT | Skeleton | Tahoe |
| Sarah Schleper | 22 | Avon, CO | Alpine Ski Racing | Silverado |
| Curtis Schreiner | 34 | Day, NY | Biathlon | Tahoe |
| Doug Sharp | 31 | Jeffersonville, IN | Bobsled | Silverado |
| Jim Shea, Jr. | 33 | Lake Placid, NY | Skeleton | Silverado |
| Earl Shepherd | 31 | Homestead, PA | Bobsled | Tahoe |
| Brian Shimer | 39 | Naples, FL | Bobsled | Venture |
| Natalie Simenson | 25 | Grand Forks, ND | Curling | Malibu |
| Chris Thorpe | 30 | Daytona Beach, FL | Luge | Venture |
| Daniel Weinstein | 20 | Brookline, MA | Short Track Speed Skating | Malibu |
| Becky Wilczak | 20 | River Forest, IL | Luge | Malibu |
| Paul Wise | 27 | Lyndhurst, NJ | Bobsled | Venture |
| TO BE NAMED | ? | ? | ? | ? |