As the world readies itself for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games today, several Dartmouth alumni are also bracing themselves for a chance at the gold.
One current student, Craig Henderson '09, and three alums, Adam Nelson '97, Jarrod Shoemaker '04 and Dominic Seiterle '98, will all be competing in Beijing over the next two weeks.
Henderson is a member of New Zealand Olympic men's soccer team, which is currently tied for second place in their bracket, behind tournament favorite Brazil. The New Zealand team recently tied China while playing one man short in its first ever Olympic match.
Henderson played on the Under-23 National Team in New Zealand last year. According to Olympic rules, a national soccer team must be comprised entirely of players under the age of 23, with the exception of three older players who may be professional athletes.
The three older members of the New Zealand team all play in the English Premier League: Ryan Nelson for Blackburn, Simon Elliot for Fulham and Chris Killen for the Glasgow Celtics.
When asked about the difference between playing for Dartmouth and a national team, Henderson said that the two environments were "very different."
"Both are extremely competitive," he said. "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 was Dartmouth's leading scorer in 2007 with six goals and four assists, and earned second team All-Ivy honors.
Adam Nelson '97 has garnered the most Summer Olympic medals of any recent Dartmouth graduate, earning the silver medal in the shot put in both the 2000 and 2004 Summer Games. This summer, Nelson is looking to finally close in on the gold medal, of which he fell only three inches short at the Sydney Olympic games in 2000.
Since then, Nelson has broken his streak as a runner-up by winning his first major world title at the 2005 World Athletics Championships in Finland.
Nelson also finished second in the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan and currently holds the No. 2 ranking in the world.
Nelson's personal best came in 2002 with a throw of 22.51 meters (73 ft, 10 in). At the time, Nelson's throw was the fourth-longest in United States history.
Along with his participation in track and field, Nelson played on the varsity football team throughout his four years at Dartmouth. He was also a member of the 1996 undefeated Ivy League champion football team, which stands as Big Green football's most recent championship team.
Also a member of the United States track and field squad, Jarrod Shoemaker '04 hopes to bring home the gold with a successful performance in the men's triathlon.
Shoemaker, whose image recently appeared on a Wheaties cereal box, was the first American to cross the line at the Bejing World Cup triathlon, 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 Olympic Games.
"The last two times I've raced on that course, I've improved from finishing in fifteenth to finishing eleventh," Shoemaker said. "If things go well I think I can be up there with the world's best."
The standard Olympic triathlon consists of a 1.5 kilometer swim, 40 kilometer bicycle race and a ten kilometer run. Shoemaker finished in one hour, 49 minutes and 45 seconds.
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, while winning the Heptagonal Games cross country championship during his junior year.
After graduation, Shoemaker shifted his focus entirely to the triathlon. He found great success in his early career, becoming the under-23 national champion during his first year in competition.
"I wasn't expecting it to happen. I still can't believe it happened -- and so quickly after jumping head-first into the sport," Shoemaker told The Boston Globe in September 2007.
Rounding out the Dartmouth representatives in Beijing is Dominic Seiterle '98, who will be rowing with the Canadian heavyweight eight boat.
Seiterle became a world champion in September 2007 at the World Rowing Championships in Munich, Germany.
Seiterle is a Montreal native who returned to rowing last year after a seven-year hiatus following his appearance in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
In his last Olympic appearance, Seiterle finished thirteenth, racing in the Canadian double.
Despite his success, Seiterle is no stranger to setbacks. He was diagnosed with thyroid cancer during his third year at Dartmouth.
Seiterle went on to make a full recovery and returned for his senior year to captain the heavyweight team.
More information on Dartmouth athletes in the Olympics can be found at IviesinChina.com, an all-encompassing blog that aims to cover the progress of all 41 Ivy League students and alumni participating in the Games.
