As the 2008 Summer Olympics approach and athletes around the world prepare for the competition on the world's biggest stage, several members of the Dartmouth community are also readying themselves for a shot at the gold.
While some ex-Dartmouth athletes will be representing the United States for the second time, others will be competing in their first Olympic Games, and a few non-U.S. citizens will leave Dartmouth to represent their home nations.
Adam Nelson '97 has garnered the most Summer Olympic medals of any recent Dartmouth graduate, earning the silver medal in the shot put for the United States in both the 2000 and 2004 Summer Games.
Nelson has since broken his streak as a runner-up, winning his first major world title at the world athletics championships in Finland in 2005.
Nelson finished second in the 2007 world championships in Osaka, Japan, and currently holds the No. 2 ranking in the world in the shot put.
Nelson's personal best came in 2002, with a throw of 22.51 meters. At the time, Nelson's throw was the fourth longest in United States history.
Ironically, Nelson's first introduction to the Summer Olympics came while working at the concession stand in his hometown of Atlanta, Ga., during the 1996 Olympic Games.
Nelson, a member of Dartmouth's track and field team while at the College, also played on the varsity football team for all four of his years at Dartmouth. He was a member of the 1996 undefeated Ivy League champion football team, the last Big Green squad to win an Ivy title.
Nelson also served as the president of Chi Heorot fraternity in 1997.
Dartmouth's other returning medalist is Kristin Luckenbill '01, who won the gold medal as a member of the 2004 U.S. women's soccer team.
Luckenbill started in 70 consecutive matches in four seasons as the goalkeeper for Dartmouth's women's soccer team, and was named All-American three years in a row.
Luckenbill, however, was not recruited to the College for soccer but for her outstanding skiing ability. During her freshman year, Luckenbill won the silver medal for the slalom at the 1998 Junior Olympics.
During her sophomore season on the women's soccer team, Luckenbill was named NSCAA first team All-American, first team All-New England, first team All-Ivy and was selected as the Ivy League player of the year. She also led the team to an Ivy League title and a trip to the final eight of the NCAA tournament.
After graduating, Luckenbill was taken by the Carolina Courage in the 10th round of the Women's United Soccer Association's inaugural draft and played three seasons before the league folded in 2003.
In 2002, Luckenbill was named the WUSA's goalkeeper of the year and was placed on the first team All-WUSA.
Luckenbill's success continued when the U.S. women's soccer team earned their gold medal in Athens by defeating the Brazilian squad, 2-1, in the championship match.
Dartmouth's athletic department web site reported that Luckenbill had been called into training camp for the United States national team's Olympic qualifying squad in March of this year.
The 2008 Summer Games will also bring with them a slew of first-time Olympians that enhanced their athletic careers at Dartmouth.
Jarrod Shoemaker '04 leads the pack of Olympic medalist hopefuls with his recent triathlon performances.
Shoemaker has received much media attention recently after his image appeared on a Wheaties box. Shoemaker was the first American to cross the line of the triathalon at the Bejing World Cup, which was held on the official Olympic course. He finished 11th overall, but his place as the first American automatically earned him a spot on the United States triathlon team for the 2008 Games.
Shoemaker finished the triathlon -- the standard Olympic version that includes a 1.5 kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bicycle race, and a 10-kilometer run -- in one hour, 49 minutes and 45 seconds to earn his trip to Beijing.
While at Dartmouth, Shoemaker ran for the cross country and track teams. During his first three years, Shoemaker led the team to three straight Heptagonal cross country championships and won the Heptagonal Games cross country championship in his junior year.
During his senior year, Shoemaker finished 12th at the NCAA outdoor nationals in the 5k race with a time of 14:09.
In his last two years at Dartmouth, Shoemaker began to train in swimming and biking as well as track.
After graduation, Shoemaker shifted his focus to the triathlon. He met with great success in his early career, winning the under-23 National race during his first year in competition.
Shoemaker qualified for the U.S. triathlon's national elite team in 2006, and is currently gearing up for the Hy-Vee ITU World Cup on June 22 in Des Moines, Iowa. The race has the highest prize award out of any professional triathlon competition at $700,000.
On September 20, 2007, Shoemaker told the Boston Globe that he did not expect to qualify for the Olympic team.
"I still can't believe it happened -- and so quickly after jumping head-first into the sport," he said.
Following in Shoemaker's footsteps is Ben True '08, who has been a member of the varsity cross country, Nordic skiing and track teams since his freshman year.
True helped the Big Green to the 2007 NCAA title in Nordic skiing, earning All-American honors in both the 20k classic and the 10k skate.
True was also a member of the six-man United States under-23 national team for Nordic skiing in 2007.
The only thing that could top True's stellar collegiate skiing career is his impressive running record. During the fall of 2006, True won his second straight Ivy League title in cross country and competed in the NCAA championship.
True has also had great success as a member of Dartmouth's track and field team. He won the Ivy League title in both the 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter races in 2007. His time in the 1,500-meter event qualified him for the NCAA meet, where he ran a personal best time of three minutes and 40 seconds. This race earned him eighth place and All-American honors.
True also became the first Dartmouth student to run a sub-four minute mile at the U.S. track and field New England championship last spring.
"When you get to the starting line, you've got to give your all," True told IvyLeagueSports.com of his record breaking race. "I'm glad to check this off the list. It's something I really wanted to do and I know I can run faster."
True's personal best in the 1,500-meter race is just one second off of the minimum time required to qualify for the United States Olympic team trials, which will be held June 27-July 6 in Eugene, Ore.
Dartmouth alumni Sean Furey '04 went to the Olympic Trials in 2004 for the javelin throw, frequently throwing over 220 feet during his senior season. However, he was unable to earn a spot on the U.S. team that competed in Athens.
Decathlete Mustafa Abdur-Rahim '04 joined Furey in the 2004 Olympic Trials after placing sixth overall in the event at the 2003 NCAA outdoor championships.
Athletes like Furey and Abdur-Rahim have until June 15 to earn the chance to attend the Olympic time trials in Oregon later this summer.
Off the track, lightweight rower Matt Muffelman '03 is another U.S. Olympic hopeful that bleeds green.
Muffelman is a three-time member of the U.S national team and is in the running for an Olympic bid in the lightweight straight four, a four man shell without a coxswain.
In 2006, Muffelman's boat finished ninth in the lightweight four at the FISA world championships. He was also in the boat that won the lightweight four race at the 2007 PanAmerican Games trials.
The official crews for Beijing's qualifying boats will be named no later than June 27.
In addition to U.S. Olympic hopefuls, several former and current Big Green athletes look to represent their home countries in Beijing this August.
Dan Keat '10 and Craig Henderson '09, members of Dartmouth's men's soccer team, are currently on the New Zealand national team roster.
While both players had planned to join the New Zealand team for international competition this summer, Keat tore his anterior cruciate ligament during spring practice with Dartmouth and will not be able to play with the team in Beijing this summer.
The New Zealand national team earned the top place in the six-team qualifying tournament for the Oceania region and will advance to Olympic competition this August.
Henderson played on the under-23 national team in New Zealand in 2007. According to Olympic rules, a national soccer team must be made entirely of players under the age of 23, with the exception of three older players who may be professional.
The three older members of the New Zealand team all play for top-tier British soccer programs: Ryan Nelson for Blackburn, Simon Elliot for Fulham and Chris Killen for the Glasgow Celtics.
When asked about the differences between playing for Dartmouth and the New Zealand national team, Henderson said that the atmospheres were very different.
"Both are extremely competitive, but it's tough to compare because you have a different mentality playing a whole season with one team and [tournament play] with the other," Henderson said.
Henderson was Dartmouth's leading scorer in 2007 with six goals and four assists, and earned second team All-Ivy honors.
After Spring term, Henderson plans to return to New Zealand, where he will attend two or three week-long training camps before going on tour in preparation for Beijing.
In addition, Dartmouth's Dominic Seiterle '98 hopes to race with Canada's heavyweight rowing squad this summer.
Seiterle rowed for the heavyweight crew team while at Dartmouth. He won a gold medal at the World Rowing championships in Munich, Germany in Sept. 2007.
Seiterle is a native of Montreal who returned to rowing last year after a seven-year hiatus following his appearance in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where his Canadian double finished in 13th place.
Seiterle and the Canadian eight also won the first and second 2007 World Cup regattas in Linz, Austria and Lucerne, Switzerland.
Despite his success, Seiterle is no stranger to setbacks. He was diagnosed with thyroid cancer during his third year at Dartmouth. He made a full recovery and returned for his senior year as the captain of the heavyweight crew.
The 2008 Summer Games will take place from Aug. 8-24 in Beijing, China.
