Going For Gold

The world will be watching as the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games commence on August 8. With our active climate, it’s no wonder that a plethora of San Diegans are heading to the games to represent the United States. Here is a sampling of atheletes we connected with before they left for Beijing. Some are San Diego natives, others have been training here, but we’ll be rooting for them all this summer.
— Carol Hasson and Rina Van Orden

Graham Biehl
Graham Biehl has had Olympic gold in his sights his whole life.

"When I was eight years old, I would ask my uncle if I could see his medal and he would go upstairs and bring it down." That would be his uncle, San Diego’s two-time gold medalist Mark Reynolds.

Now Biehl, 21, heads to China for his own with partner Stu McNally of Boston. They sail the 470, one of the most demanding and highly technical dinghies in the world.

College student Biehl, a graduate of sailing powerhouse Point Loma High School, started sailing at age five on Mission Bay and is one of two standard bearers for the San Diego Yacht Club in the 2008 Olympics.

"I can’t even begin to describe what it’s like," he says.

Andrew Campbell
Sometimes, his father says, Andrew Campbell would be the only one at sailing class but he would still circle the waters alone with his coach at the San Diego Yacht Club. At the Beijing Olympics, Campbell, 24, will compete in the world’s premier one-man racing boat — the laser. "All the responsibilities are on your shoulders, but also all the victories are on your shoulders," he says.

Campbell, the pride of Bishop’s and Georgetown University, is a Pan Am Gold Medalist, 2006 Collegiate Sailor of the Year, and single-handed champion, with a love of sailing in his DNA. His father, Bill, sailed in three America’s Cups. Mom, Sherri, runs a sailing business with Olympian Graham Biehl’s mother, Jerelynn. As he heads to Beijing, Campbell has one word for his feelings — euphoric.

Tim Wadlow
Tim Wadlow, 34, the hope of Southwestern Yacht Club, sailed the waters off Point Loma from the age of ten. This will be his second Olympics after placing fifth in 2004. He sails the 49er with Chris Rast.

A graduate of Torrey Pines High School, and a mechanical engineer sailing All-American from Boston University, Wadlow says he knew he would be headed back to the Olympics the moment he pushed over the starting line at the Olympic trials last October. Wadlow says he first got the idea to try for Olympic gold from San Diego’s previous medalists.

"But I wouldn’t be doing another run at the Olympics without the support of my wife." Ery Largay is a sailor herself and often his crew in international team racing.

Chris Rast
This will be the fourth Olympic games for Chris Rast, out of the Southwestern Yacht Club. He crews with skipper Tim Wadlow in the 49er, a high-tech, ultra-fast modern skiff.

"I think the 49er is the most exhilarating class out there. It’s very difficult to control."

Besides the boat, Rast believes he himself is nothing if not battle-tested. Born in the U.S. and raised in Switzerland, he sailed in the last Olympics for that country but is thrilled to be on the U.S. team with one more time to gear up.

"It’s a hard thing, but it’s also a great opportunity to keep working on yourself as a person, and get the most out of your potential. I think we have a good shot at a medal."

Alice Schmidt
As Alice Schmidt, 26, spends her last few weeks before traveling to Beijing performing speed and endurance workouts, she looks forward to competing in the world’s largest sporting event alongside other athletes from her college team and the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.

After running track on an athletic scholarship all four years and graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Schmidt moved to San Diego with her now husband, James, to pursue their careers. Shortly after Alice began working at the Olympic Training Center and later began training with 1984 Olympic Champion in the men’s 800 meters, Joaquim Cruz.

"I feel so lucky that I get to push my limits and surround myself with amazing athletes every day... and that’s my job!" says Schmidt. Cruz has pushed her to achieve her dreams and helped Schmidt mature in her running career over the last three years so that she’ll be ready to compete in the 800-meter race in her first Olympics.

Schmidt adds, "I’ve always dreamed about making an Olympic team, and I’ve been training very hard for years to achieve this goal, so I’m just thrilled to compete in Beijing and represent San Diego and the United States at this great competition."

Tiffany Snow
After conquering her apprehensions about competing in a sport that requires you to wear a skirt, Tiffany Snow joined her high school’s field hockey team her freshman year. She came to love the sport and realized that she wanted to take it as far as she could — college, the national team, and eventually the Olympics.

Her ambition and dedication have helped her reach her dream as Snow, now 26, will head off to Beijing playing center forward for the U.S. Women’s Field Hockey Team.

Born and raised in Escondido and a graduate of San Pasqual High School, Snow graduated from Old Dominion University in 2003 with a degree in health and physical education and became a player on the USA National Squad. This is Snow’s first trip to the Olympics, and along with having her family and fianc?e, Santee firefighter/paramedic Aaron Huisman, there to support her, she looks forward to competing for a gold medal the most.

"I love the competition in the sport and working with 23 of my friends toward one common goal," says Snow. "As a team we have worked so hard to get where we are and now is the time to go out there and do what we do best — play hockey!"