Olympic Dreams http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=9256 Serving Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga and Ontonagon Counties Since 1858 HOME | NEWS | SPORTS | OBITUARIES | FEATURES | CLASSIFIEDS | CONTACT | WEATHER Published: Friday, November 02, 2007 Real Estate Flip Book Professional Service Directory 2007 Menu Guide News Digest Local News State National International Submit News Sports Digest Local Sports State National Submit News Community Features Letters Editorial Business Photo Gallery Outdoors Obituaries Weather Classifieds Calendar Trail Report Crosswords Lottery Newspaper In Education Services Subscribe Advertising Contact Us! Links Submit News Affiliates Daily Press The Mining Journal Daily News The Alpena News Front Page of Olympic Dreams By JANE NORDBERG, DMG Writer HOUGHTON — It’s a Dream Team of a different kind Come Monday, the Copper Country will get a visit from five female Olympians hoping to inspire future athletes and others to achieve their own dreams Holiday Shopping Pioneer Televisions Necklaces Sony Laptop Computers Home Lighting Apple iPod Mini The “Sharing the Dream” tour includes: • 7-time Olympic gold medalist Shannon Miller, the most decorated gymnast in U.S history; • Gold, silver and bronze medalist Angela Ruggiero in the sport of ice hockey; • Cheryl Haworth, Olympic bronze medalist, super heavyweight division of weightlifting and strongest woman in the Western Hemisphere; • Natalie Woolfolk, weightlifter, American record holder in every event in the 63-kilo weight class; • Sheila Taormina, Olympic swimmer and triathlete, and trying to become the first person in history to make the Olympics in three different sports During their stay Sunday and Monday, the athletes will meet with schoolchildren in Calumet and Houghton, and will host public presentations and sports camps at the Michigan Technological University Student Development Complex The visit is sponsored by Michigan Technological University and Keweenaw Memorial Medical Center Keweenaw Memorial Rehab and Fitness Center Director Terry Smythe, who organized the event locally, said the mission of the team is to show that professional athletes not come in one package “They’re different in age, size, background, you name it,” Smythe said What they have in common is that they were driven to succeed at their own sport, she said, and want to share that knowledge and experience with others “Women athletes have to work hard to break down barriers,” said Smythe “We understand that road and are willing to help others find a path to their dream.” 11/6/07 2:26 AM Olympic Dreams http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=9256 In addition to their athletic success, the women have also achieved individual academic and professional goals Miller completed law school this year and ran her first marathon Ruggiero is a Harvard University graduate and was a finalist on the television show, “The Apprentice.” Haworth holds a degree in historic preservation and is a talented artist Taormina has a master’s degree in business and runs her own company, and continues to train for the 2008 Olympics Woolfolk is currently studying at the University of Colorado and is an accomplished cook Sites Of Interest Search Search Database M/D/YYYY Get Publication Print Article Email this story to a friend “The thing that’s cool about them is that they’re real people who have done these incredible things,” said Les Cook, MTU vice president for student affairs “It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to meet these athletes and hear their experiences first-hand.” Cook’s 9-year-old daughter, Addison, a 1st-year Squirt on the Kiwanis hockey team, plans to participate in the skating session with Ruggiero Monday night “As a parent, I think it’s important for kids to have positive role models,” he said “It’s especially important for a girl playing hockey like Addison to see that if she wanted to continue with it as a career, there are stereotypes being broken.” Smythe added, however, that regardless of fitness level, anyone attending the presentations by the Sharing the Dream athletes would find their stories captivating “They’re impressive women at many levels,” Smythe said “You will walk away motivated and inspired.” The Sharing the Dream tour athletes are represented by New York-based agency StantonShade For more information on the tour and full biographies of the athletes, go to www.stantonshade.com Respond to this story Jane Nordberg can be reached at jnordberg@mininggazette.com ADVERTISEMENT Serving Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga and Ontonagon Counties Since 1858 Main Office: P.O Box 368, Houghton, MI 49931 906-482-1500 FAX: 906-482-2726 Calumet Office: 203 Fifth St., Calumet, MI 49913 906-337-0700 Toll Free: 1-800-682-7607 If you have any problems, questions, or comments regarding www.mininggazette.com, please contact the Webmaster For all other comments, please see our feedback page Users of this site agree to our Terms of Service Copyright © 2006 – The Daily Mining Gazette Administration of 11/6/07 2:26 AM