| Jul 03 | America’s Top Young Athletes Head to Chicago for National Finals of U.S. Jr. Olympic Skills Competition |
 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The U.S. Jr. Olympic Skills competition, the official youth skills competition of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), will converge on the Olympic and Paralympic Games Candidate City of Chicago July 24-27 for the National Finals. Seventy-two athletes ages 8-13 will compete in four fundamental sports - basketball, soccer, tennis and track & field - for the opportunity to be crowned champions of their sport. The athletes competing in Chicago qualified by winning their age and gender category at one of 150 regional events, stemming from 7,500 local qualifying events across the country. They represent the event's top 72 young athletes across the country out of more than 1.7 million competitors. Now in its third year, the U.S. Jr. Olympic Skills competition, with the help of sponsors Kellogg's Frosted Flakes ®, AT&T, World Sport Chicago, the United States Tennis Association (USTA), McDonald's and Nike, introduces America's youth to the excitement of a multi-sport competition, encouraging participation in Olympic sport, emphasizing fair and friendly play, and promoting an active lifestyle. "With the assistance of our sponsors and extensive community network, the U.S. Jr. Olympic Skills program is an avenue for youth to follow their dreams, stay physically active, build confidence and character, embrace the Olympic Movement and hopefully evolve into our next Olympians," said USOC Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr. Maritza Correia, two-time world champion, 11-time NCAA champion, 2004 Olympian and the first African-American woman to capture an Olympic swimming medal, will serve as athlete ambassador for the event. Correia will appear at the Opening Ceremony on July 24 at Soldier Field to share her story and inspire the competitors. The athletes who qualified for the 2008 Jr. Olympic Skills National Finals can be found in the attached document and below. Competition will take place on the University of Illinois - Chicago campus. For more information on the Jr. Olympic Skills program, please visit www.jrolympicskills.com. About the USOC The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the sole entity in the United States whose mission involves training, entering and underwriting the full expenses for the U.S. teams in the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. In addition to being the steward of the U.S. Olympic Movement, the USOC is the moving force for support of sports in the United States that are on the program of the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. Learn more about the U.S. Olympic Team and USOC at www.usolympicteam.com. For more information, please contact the USOC Communications Division at 719-866-4529. 2008 NATIONAL FINALISTS - BASKETBALL 8-9 Year Old Division - Boys Name Hometown Region Hunter Whitaker Rochester, NH East Ben Pyle McPherson, KS Central Juan Carlos Garate Jr. Whittier, CA West 8-9 Year Old Division - Girls Name Hometown Region Katherine Wolff Bowie, MD East Taylor Robertson McPherson, KS Central Savanna Christensen Laie, HI West 10-11 Year Old Division - Boys Name Hometown Region Patrick Kilmartin Torrington, CT East Tristan Baker Springfield, MO Central Cameron Loftis San Jose, CA West 10-11 Year Old Division - Girls Name Hometown Region Anne Rowe Hyattsville, MD East Sydni Dykes Arden Hills, MN Central Katie Nelson San Diego, CA West 12-13 Year Old Division - Boys Name Hometown Region Lee Messier Narragansett, RI East Matt McClure Bartlett, IL Central Kyle Anderson Oregon City, OR West 12-13 Year Old Division - Girls Name Hometown Region Kaliyah Mitchell Stone Mountain, GA East Haley Cook Cicero, IN Central Halie Bergman Hilmar, CA West 2008 NATIONAL FINALISTS - SOCCER 8-9 Year Old Division - Boys Name Hometown Region Steven Foran Sarasota, FL East Anthony Alvarez Melrose Park, IL Central Brendan Armstrong Albuquerque, NM West 8-9 Year Old Division - Girls Name Hometown Region Annika Mertens Travelers Rest, SC East Emily McGuire Broken Arrow, OK Central Kamaile Aluli Hauula, HI West 10-11 Year Old Division - Boys Name Hometown Region Nate Inman Greenville, SC East Cameron Young Tulsa, OK Central Jonathan Barajas Indio, CA West 10-11 Year Old Division - Girls Name Hometown Region Cheyenne Deininger Newport, NC East Vanessa Ramage Racine, WI Central Mara Basich-Pease San Luis Obispo, CA West 12-13 Year Old Division - Boys Name Hometown Region Nathan Wallace-Springer Edinburg, VA East Taylor Stephen Nixa, MO Central Jose Munoz Stockton, CA West 12-13 Year Old Division - Girls Name Hometown Region Haley Neese Mebane, NC East Maria Martuch Birchrun, MI Central Caitlin Cardoza Brentwood, CA West 2008 NATIONAL FINALISTS - TENNIS 8-9 Year Old Division - Boys Name Hometown Region Case Tolliver Bluefield, WV East Dylan Young Huntsville, AL Central Saisiddarth Domala San Ramon, CA West 8-9 Year Old Division - Girls Name Hometown Region Carissa Pompa Rochester, NY East Madelyn Anderson Thompson, ND Central Savanna Christensen Laie, HI West 10-11 Year Old Division - Boys Name Hometown Region Kyle Chisu Edwards Morristown, NJ East Vincent Rettke Madison, AL Central Monroe Porter Parker, CO West 10-11 Year Old Division - Girls Name Hometown Region Nicole Gabe Princeton, WV East Erin Young Huntsville, AL Central Jasmine Smith Landers, CA West 12-13 Year Old Division - Boys Name Hometown Region Marco Amendola Cumberland, RI East Ryan Fedewa Spring Lake, MI Central Zachary Frampton Laie, HI West 12-13 Year Old Division - Girls Name Hometown Region Abigail Muesse Winder, GA East Katie Stanage Hot Springs Village, AR Central Rachel Christensen Laie, HI West 2008 NATIONAL FINALISTS - TRACK & FIELD 8-9 Year Old Division - Boys Name Hometown Region Ian Clough St. Johnsbury, VT East Marcus L Martin Lorain, OH Central Matthew Beck Martinez, CA West 8-9 Year Old Division - Girls Name Hometown Region Nesiah Ely Potomac, MD East Carley Helton Hebron, KY Central Brianna Harvey Fort Irwin, CA West 10-11 Year Old Division - Boys Name Hometown Region Brett Norman West Long Branch, NJ East Jared Jubert Matteson, IL Central Iram Hinojosa Eagle Pass, TX West 10-11 Year Old Division - Girls Name Hometown Region Julie Duncan Medford, NJ East Jasmine Finch Birmingham, AL Central Jamilee Iddings Kelso, WA West 12-13 Year Old Division - Boys Name Hometown Region Shane Jackson Monticello, NY East Geriand Cook Minneapolis, MN Central Kyle Isom Vacaville, CA West 12-13 Year Old Division - Girls Name Hometown Region Taylor Konrath Marathon, FL East Shayna Stevens Blue Springs, MO Central Felicianna Vazquez Waianae, HI West |