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Monday, Aug. 22, 2016
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Alumna continues Olympic legacy Krystal Ward Staff Writer
DeKalb | From competing and coaching to working behind the scenes, NIU has made a mark on one of the largest sporting spectacles in the world at the Olympics. In 1996, Connie Teaberry, director of women’s track and field and cross country, competed for the U.S. in Atlanta at the Centennial Olympics. At the same time, Donna Turner, associate athletic director for communications, worked in the baseball media department. “We worked every [baseball] game,” Turner said. “We helped the people who were doing the scores and the mix zone, which is where they do the interviews with the athletes afterwards.” Until voted off of the Olympics in 2012, baseball had been a sport that competed every day over the twoweek period of the Olym- Connie Teaberry Director of women’s pics. Turner’s track and field schedule was packed and intense, sometimes working three games in a day while aligning reporter interviews with the athletes. Though Turner and Teaberry were both at the Olympics in 1996,
Courtesy Houston Chronicle
Aimee Boorman, U.S. gymnastics head coach and NIU alumna, (left) encourages U.S. women’s gymnast Simone Biles during a competition. Boorman has worked with Biles since Biles was 7 years old.
they did not meet until they both started working at NIU. Then, at 25 years old, Teaberry was competing in the women’s high-jump for the U.S. She made it through the first four heights of 1.75 meters, 1.80 meters, 1.85 meters and 1.90 meters, according to Sports Reference’s website. However, she did not advance to the finals, missing
on three attempts at 1.93 meters. Competing at the Olympics and wearing “USA” across her chest came with a great honor and a sense of responsibility to make sure she was putting the U.S. at the forefront, Teaberry said. “It’s one of those things that you work for so hard,” Teaberry said. “And when you actually get there, you have that exclamation point
Swimmer falsifies robbery
The Associated Press
Rio de Janeiro | American swimmer Ryan Lochte said he overexaggerated what happened at a Rio de Janeiro gas station and acknowledged it was his “immature behavior” that got him and three teammates into a mess that consumed the final days of the Olympics. Lochte, in a portion of an interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer that aired Saturday, continued backtracking from a story that he initially described as an armed robbery. Police have said the swimmers vandalized a bathroom after a night of partying and armed guards confronted them and asked them to pay for the damage. “It’s how you want to make it look like,” Lochte said. “Whether you call it a robbery or whether you call it extortion or us just paying for the damages, we don’t know. All we know is there was a gun pointed in our direction and we were demanded to give money.” But he admitted he understood he was being told the Americans had to pay for the damage or the police would be called. “We just wanted to get out of there,” Lochte said, adding the swimmers were frightened. Lauer told Lochte his story had morphed from one about “the mean streets of Rio” to a negotiated settlement to cover up dumb behavior. “That’s why I’m taking full responsibility for it, because I overexaggerated the story,” Lochte said. “If I had never done that, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
with a sense of accomplishment in your heart.” At this years Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, NIU alumna and Chicago native Aimee Boorman is the head coach of U.S. women’s gymnast Simone Biles. Biles won gold medals for women’s vault, women’s team allaround, women’s individual allaround and a bronze medal for
women’s beam. Biles is highly touted as the best gymnast of all-time. Biles has been working with Boorman ever since Biles was seven years old. She views Boorman as a second mom as they’ve endured this entire Olympic journey together, according to a Los Angeles Times article. People in the DeKalb area and alumni of the school should be proud of NIU and the school’s accomplishments through the years, Teaberry said. “A lot of people, and even some [NIU] students, count NIU out,” Teaberry said. “[Huskies nowadays are] not proud of the letters that [they] wear across [their] chest. We have some talented, intelligent, hard-working alumni that come from NIU that work very hard to get where they are… it’s something that being in athletics I know and see on a regular basis. Northern Illinois University has so much to offer.” NIU has a strong commitment to diversity, and its numerous ties to the Olympics highlight it in a new way. “It’s great to have a connection [to the Olympics],” Turner said. “Any connection with a sporting event like this, at any level, shows the diversity of NIU and the alumni and that you can go out and do anything from here.”
Olympic medals The 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro concluded Sunday with the closing ceremony. Listed below are the top 10 countries.
1. United States: 121 2. China: 70 The Associated Press
Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte checks his time after a 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay on Aug. 9 in Rio de Janeiro.
Lochte also said he had lied in telling NBC interviewer Billy Bush the next day a gun had been cocked and pointed at his forehead. He said he was still under the influence of alcohol when he talked to Bush. “I definitely had too much to drink that night, and I was very intoxicated,” he said. Lochte, who dyed his hair white for the games and had it turn a light shade of green from the pool, had changed his hair back to its regular shade of brown for the interview, which was conducted in New York. As Brazilian police investigated his robbery claim, and eventually held his teammates for questioning while they sorted out his story, he had tweeted he intended to dye it back. He said he had hoped to continue competitive swimming but acknowledged it won’t be his decision about whether he would be able to be part of the
American team again. USA Swimming and the International Olympic Committee could issue sanctions.
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Whether you call it a robbery or whether you call it extortion or us just paying for the damages, we don’t know. All we know is there was a gun pointed in our direction and we were demanded to give money.” Ryan Lochte Olympic Swimmer
Lochte said he regretted how the incident had tarnished Rio and the last week of the Olympics. He also gave an interview to Brazil’s main broadcaster Globo on Saturday to apologize for his actions. “Brazil doesn’t deserve that,” he said to Globo. “I am sorry that my immaturity caused all this ruckus.”
3. Great Britain: 67 4. Russia: 56 5. Germany: 42 6. France: 42 7. Japan: 41 8. Australia: 29 9. Italy: 28 10. South Korea: 21