I swear, the people at the USOC have ZERO sense of humor. They need to ditch their "Citius, Altius, Fortius" brand and trademark this term instead: "Avarus, Vorax, Gluto." It means "Greedy, Voracious, Glutton", and is most apropos.
What do robots, lab rats, rappers and pet ferrets have in common? They've all come under fire from the U.S. Olympic Committee for using the word "Olympics."Trademark infringement is proving to be an "Olympic" sport as the United States Olympic Committee has threatened to sue those who use the trademarked term, including the Ferret Olympics and the Nose Olympics. Every Olympic season, the USOC threatens to sue dozens of businesses, clubs and nonprofit organizations for using the trademarked word to promote events or products. USOC lawyers say they're protecting one of the world's most lucrative sporting events from "ambush marketing" by companies seeking to profit from the Games. While the committee's vigilance has certainly thwarted such efforts, it has had another side effect. It's produced a slew of awkward and often comical substitutes for the forbidden phrase.
To raise money for her ferret shelter in Eugene, Ore., Melanee Ellis created the Ferret Olympics 13 years ago. The annual competition tests ferrets in events such as racing through a plastic dryer hose, knocking down empty beer cans, and climbing out of a paper bag. During the 2004 Olympics, Ms. Ellis got a call from a USOC lawyer who warned the shelter would be sued for trademark infringement unless she changed the event's name. "I thought it was a joke," Ms. Ellis says.
It wasn't. The event is now called the Ferret Agility Trials.
Other groups have also struggled to find catchy synonyms. Olympets -- a contest in California that tests dogs and other pets in categories such as ball catching, "laziest" and "most disobedient" -- changed its name to the National Pet Games after the USOC contacted organizers two years ago. Toy maker Play Vision tried unsuccessfully to register a trademark for the Nose Olympics -- a game that includes a pair of gag glasses with attachments like small plastic basketball hoops that wearers can play by tossing their heads around. The company settled for Nose Aerobics.
Play Visions Inc. Nose Aerobics: The object of the game is to get the ball in the basket. The toy's maker, Play Vision, tried to trademark the name Nose Olympics.
A biking, swimming and strength contest in Hawaii held to promote raw foods became the Raw Games after the Olympic Committee blocked the organizers' attempt to register the trademarks "Raw Olympics" and "Rawlympics."
Why can't vegetable lovers and miniature horses have their own Olympics? A 1978 U.S. congressional act gives the Olympic Committee exclusive rights to the words Olympic, Olympiad and Citius, Altius, Fortius, the Olympic motto, which is Latin for "faster, higher, stronger." The legislation was drafted to protect the Olympics Committee's lucrative sponsorship deals. It was upheld by a 1987 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that barred San Francisco Arts and Athletics from calling their contest the Gay Olympic Games. The court ruled that "Olympic" isn't a generic word and therefore is subject to trademark protection.
'OLYMPIGS'
Since the last Olympics, the USOC has gone after more than 1,000 trademark violations, a spokeswoman says. A search through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reveals more than 446 trademark applications with the word "Olympics," or some variation (including Biblelympics, Caveman Ughlympics and Olympigs). Almost all of them were denied. Recently, the Olympic Committee has gone after the Hip Hop Olympics, an international videogame competition called the Digital Olympics, and Baby Me Fit Olympics, a fitness program for young children, a USOC lawyer says. "It demeans the brand," says Rana Dershowitz, USOC general counsel.
"It's pure, unfounded greed," David Calkins, president of the Robotics Society of American, says of the USOC policy. Mr. Calkins heard from USOC lawyers five years ago after filing a trademark application for the term ROBOlympics. The international competition, which began in 1983, pits robots against each other in 82 categories, including boxing, soccer, kung fu, sumo wrestling and firefighting. Mr. Calkins says he considered waging a legal battle because he thought it would spur publicity, but the group's sponsors were reluctant to take on the deep-pocketed Olympic Committee. So the event is now called the RoboGames.
Nebraska Wesleyan University's psychology department had held the Rat Olympics for 30 years before it caught the USOC's attention. Every December, about 25 lab rats, coached by psychology students, compete for gold, silver and bronze medals -- and, perhaps greater incentive for a rat, yogurt morsels. The events include rope climbing, swimming, hurdles, weight lifting and the long jump (subway riders take note: the all-time rat long-jump record is 4.5 feet). In 2003, the university got a warning call from the USOC. "We tried to demonstrate to them that this wasn't a profit-making event, it was truly an academic event," says Sara Olson, director of public relations for the university. "They didn't buy it."
University officials decided to milk the situation for publicity. They issued a press release announcing a naming contest, and got 200 entries from 30 states. The governor of Nebraska came to campus to unveil the winner: The Xtreme Rat Challenge.
New names don't always stick. Ms. Ellis struggled to come up with a noble-sounding substitute for her Ferret Olympics, and considered calling it the Ferrelympics, the Ferret Festival and the Great Ferret Challenge before finally settling on the Ferret Agility Trials. But, she says, "I have tons of people who still ask me, 'What's happening with the Ferret Olympics?' "
Nebraska Weslyan University
Xtreme Rat Challenge
A lab rat goes for the gold in a contest formerly known as the Rat Olympics. Rats are trained by psychology students to compete in events such as rope climbing, swimming and long jump.
Jong-Hwan Kim
RoboGames
Robots compete in a soccer match, one of 82 events during the annual games -- formerly ROBOlympics -- in San Francisco. Other contests include kung fu fighting and boxing androids (the first robot to hit the floor loses). "It actually is very similar to the Olympics," says David Calkins, president of the Robotics Society of America.
Electronic Arts
Digital Games
The Global Gaming League tried to call its international videogame tournament the Digital Olympics, and filed a trademark application complete with a symbol of multihued, overlapping blades that resembles the Olympic rings. (Games in the tournament include Burnout Paradise) The USOC objected earlier this year.
National Pet Games
National Pet Games
A Boston terrier competes in California. Formerly called Olympets, the games have drawn dogs, parrots and lizards. A miniature horse is expected this year.
Ferret Agility Trials
A pet ferret pulls a weighted wagon in a strength contest. Ferrets also compete at yawning and digging in the dirt.
Here's an FTZ timeline that caused me a good deal of concern when I first found it...
nosing around in the $8,000,000 USOC mystery building's trash bin...located at 4615 Foreign Trade Zone Boulevard.
I'm not sure what it all means, but my alert shifted into high when I realized I couldn't:
Bookmark or favorite the URLs
Copy and/or paste the URLs
Save any of the web pages as text or HTML
Download or save any of the attached PDF files
Indeed, the best I could do was to take individual screen grabs of all the information -
have you *any* idea how unwieldy that was and continues to be?
So, why was this information so deliberately obfuscated? I dunno.
Here's the web address where I found this information.
http://ita-web.ita.doc.gov/FTZ/OFISLogin.nsf
Please go take a look-see for yourselves...
This stuff goes all the way back to when Apple came ad just as abruptly flew the coop in the 1990's; it also has to do with the old-Intel building that's now inhabited by county offices. And isn't it interesting that both the downtown and the Interquest areas have both been declared "blighted" and slated for "urban renewal" - even though there's hardly a thing "urban" about the pastoral and as-yet undeveloped Interquest area.
So, what gives?
I have such a busy day and week going on, I just don't have time to assemble this stuff so that it's large enough and legible.
All but the final four FTZ projects have been completed.
PLEASE go and take a look at this information for yourselves, at least until I've had a chance to assemble and post the screen grabs I took.
Some of them are adorable. Some of them are atrocious. All of them are, on some level, creepy. They are the mascots of the Winter Olympic Games, and these are their stories.
1968: Schuss – Grenoble
It’s fitting that the abstract character that represented the birth of the modern Olympic mascot became known as the Skiing Sperm. Schuss, the tri-colored unofficial mascot of the 1968 Winter Games, was depicted on pins and toys, but wasn’t personified by a life-size plush character. Schuss’s name was derived from an alpine skiing term for a fast and straight downhill run.
1976: Schneemann – Innsbruck
The 1972 Winter Games didn’t have a mascot, so the first official Winter Olympics mascot didn’t debut until 1976. In addition to giving Austrian children nightmares, Schneemann, which is either German for “snowman” or “anthropomorphic snowball with a carrot nose,” represented the games of simplicity.
1980: Roni – Lake Placid
A live raccoon named Rocky was originally chosen as the mascot for the 1980 Winter Games—but he died. So the Lake Placid organizing committee turned to graphic designer Donald Moss. A freelancer whose illustrations had appeared in Sports Illustrated, Moss studied at the Pratt Institute for Design after getting out of the Marines and later claimed to have created ABC’s logo. (“I never did get credit for that,” he told the New York Times in 1979.) Moss and his son also designed the logo for the U.S. Ski Team and 11 stamps for the U.S. Postal Service. He agreed that a raccoon was a natural choice for a mascot for the Lake Placid Games. “The mask across its eyes makes it very similar to the mask and goggles and caps worn by Olympic skiers,” Moss said. “And of course the raccoon looks cuddly, a kind of message you want to impart.” Moss’s raccoon, Roni, was named after Lake Placid’s Adirondack Mountains.
1984: Vucko – Sarajevo
Vucko, pronounced vootch-ko, was the wolf cub mascot of the 1984 Winter Games. A group that included Olympic organizing committee members, artists, a poet, and a sociologist narrowed the list of 870 potential mascots for the Sarajevo Games down to six. Vucko received more than 70 percent of the popular vote in the ensuing poll, which was conducted through Yugoslavia’s major newspapers. The other finalists were a snowball, a mountain goat, a chipmunk, a lamb, and a porcupine.
According to the Sarajevo Olympic committee’s official bulletin, Vucko was a symbol of the triumph of good over evil. “The happy Vucko is the symbol of man’s centuries-old efforts to conquer nature, to gain friendship from a beast, to make a wolf become Vucko.” Whatever it symbolized, the mascot became ubiquitous. “Grandparents used to tell stories of the wolves in the mountains around Sarajevo to scare children,” a city official said. “Now, they fall asleep with Vucko in their arms. There isn’t a child without one.”
1988: Hidy and Howdy – Calgary
Hidy and Howdy, whose names were chosen from more than 5,000 entries in a contest sponsored by the Calgary Zoo, were the first sibling mascots to represent the Winter Games. The brother and sister polar bears sported classic cowboy gear and graced signs and merchandise throughout Calgary in 1988.
A group of 85 high school students made appearances in Hidy and Howdy costumes in the years leading up to the Games, adhering to a set of rules developed by mascot committee chairman Lane Kranenburg. In addition to a rule that is common to most mascots—no verbal communication while in costume—one newspaper report indicated that Hidy and Howdy could not attend events where alcohol was served, stand near food serving areas, or hug anyone in a black suit. Hidy and Howdy, it would seem, had a shedding problem.
1992: Magique – Albertville
The Olympic committee rejected Albertville’s initial mascot, a mountain goat named Chamois, opening the door for Magique. Designed by French artist Philippe Mairesse, Magique was a star-shaped imp that signified youth, dreams, and imagination. “There’s an old Savoy song, ‘Etoile des Neiges’ (‘Star of the Snows’), and some people think it refers to that,” an Olympic hostess told a reporter in 1992. “And the cap is like that of a young chimney sweep.”
1994: Haakon and Kristin – Lillehammer
Haakon and Kristin, a pair of figures from the great age of Norwegian medieval history, were chosen as the mascots for the 1994 Winter Games. Prince Haakon Haakonson was the son of King Sverre Sigurdson, who led the Birkebeiners during the civil war that ravaged Norway in the late 12th century. Princess Kristin was Haakon’s paternal aunt. After the civil war and King Sverre’s death in 1202, the rival Baglers were determined to kill the infant Prince Haakon. He was carried to safety across the mountains from Lillehammer and raised in nearby Trondheim, ultimately ascending the throne in 1217 and ruling until 1263. Three boys and three girls were chosen from 150 to personify Haakon and Kristin, respectively, for the two years leading up to the Games.
1998: The Snowlets – Nagano
The original mascot for the Nagano Games was a weasel named Snowple, but he was replaced by four snow owls named Sukki, Nokki, Lekki, and Tsukki. Collectively, they were known as the Snowlets, a combination of the first letter, or letters, in each owl’s name. Owls are often associated with Athena in Greek mythology, and the Snowlets symbolized the seasons and the four-year Olympic cycle. “Owls are cherished by people around the world as the embodiment of the wisdom of the world,” one Nagano Olympics official said.
2002: Powder, Copper, and Coal – Salt Lake City
The Salt Lake organizing committee chose three animals from Native American folklore to represent the Olympic motto of Citius, Altius, Fortius (Swifter, Higher, Stronger) for the 2002 Games. According to legend, the snowshoe hare once cooled the burning earth by running up a mountain and shooting an arrow at the sun, dropping it lower in the sky. When the earth was dark and frozen, the coyote climbed the highest mountain to steal a flame from the fire people. And no matter how hard they tried, hunters could not defeat the mighty bear. The names chosen for the three mascots—Powder, Copper, and Coal—were symbolic of Utah’s skiing and mining heritage.
2006: Neve and Gliz – Turin
Portuguese designer Pedro Albuquerque won an international contest sponsored by the Turin organizing committee and created Neve and Gliz, the snowball and ice cube mascots that represented the 2006 Winter Games. Neve is Italian for snow and Gliz is a shortened version of the Italian word for ice. Introduced 500 days before the Games, the duo was said to represent “the harmony and elegance of the movements made in sport” and, according to Albuquerque, “Olympic values like friendship, fair play and the spirit of competition.”
2010: Sumi, Quatchi, Miga – Vancouver
The mascots for the Vancouver Games are mythical characters inspired by the legends of the First Nations peoples of Canada. Sumi, whose name comes from the Salish term for “guardian spirit,” has Thunderbird wings, the legs of a black bear, and the hat of the Orca whale. Quatchi is a sasquatch, a popular figure in Pacific Northwest legends. Miga is a sea bear, part killer whale and part Kermode bear, a rare species native to British Columbia.
There is a fourth mascot, but contrary to what a Polish newspaper and a Google image search would lead you to believe, it’s not the Internet meme Pedobear. Rather, Mukmuk the marmot is the first Olympic mascot sidekick. He won’t appear in Vancouver because marmots hibernate during the winter, but you can read all about him on the official Vancouver Olympic Games website.
Beijing Unveils 2008 Olympic Mascots
A set of five doll mascots for the2008 Olympic Games were unveiled in Beijing on November 11, exactly 1,000 days before the event's opening ceremony. The long-anticipated mascots, which embody the natural characteristics of four of China's popular animals -- the Fish (L), the Panda (2nd, L), the Tibetan Antelope (2nd, R), the Swallow (R)-- and the Olympic Flame (C), were presented at a grand ceremony inside the Workers' Gymnasium in Beijing. The Official Mascots of the Beijing 2008 Olympic GamesLike the Five Olympic Rings from which they draw their color and inspiration, the Five Friendlies will serve as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship and peace--and blessings from China--to children all over the world. Designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who form an intimate circle of friends, the Five Friendlies also embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals--the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow--and the Olympic Flame. In China's traditional culture and art, the fish and water designs are symbols of prosperity and harvest. And so Beibei carries the blessing of prosperity. A fish is also a symbol of surplus in Chinese culture, another measure of a good year and a good life. The ornamental lines of the water-wave designs are taken from well-known Chinese paintings of the past. Among the Five Friendlies, Beibei is known to be gentle and pure. Strong in water sports, she reflects the blue Olympic ring. Each of the Friendlies has a rhyming two-syllable name--a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow.
When you put their names together--Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni--they say "Welcome to Beijing," offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of the Five Friendlies as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games.
The Five Friendlies also embody both the landscape and the dreams and aspirations of people from every part of the vast country of China. In their origins and their headpieces, you can see the five elements of nature--the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky--all stylistic rendered in ways that represent the deep traditional influences of Chinese folk art and ornamentation.
Spreading Traditional Chinese Blessings Wherever They Go
In the ancient culture of China, there is a grand tradition of spreading blessings through signs and symbols. Each of the Five Friendlies symbolizes a different blessing--and will honor this tradition by carrying their blessings to the children of the world. Prosperity, happiness, passion, health and good luck will be spread to every continent as the Five Friendlies carry their invitation to Beijing 2008 to every part of the globe.
At the heart of their mission--and through all of their work--the Five Friendlies will seek to unite the world in peace and friendship through the Olympic spirit. Dedicated to helping Beijing 2008 spread its theme of One World, One Dream to every continent, the Five Friendlies reflect the deep desire of the Chinese people to reach out to the world in friendship through the Games--and to invite every man, woman and child to take part in the great celebration of human solidarity that China will host in the light of the flame in 2008.
In China's traditional culture and art, the fish and water designs are symbols of prosperity and harvest. And so Beibei carries the blessing of prosperity. A fish is also a symbol of surplus in Chinese culture, another measure of a good year and a good life.
The ornamental lines of the water-wave designs are taken from well-known Chinese paintings of the past. Among the Five Friendlies, Beibei is known to be gentle and pure. Strong in water sports, she reflects the blue Olympic ring.
Jingjing makes children smile--and that's why he brings the blessing of happiness wherever he goes. You can see his joy in the charming naivety of his dancing pose and the lovely wave of his black and white fur. As a national treasure and a protected species, pandas are adored by people everywhere. The lotus designs in Jingjing's headdress, which are inspired by the porcelain paintings of the Song Dynasty (A.D.960-1234), symbolize the lush forest and the harmonious relationship between man and nature. Jingjing was chosen to represent our desire to protect nature's gifts--and to preserve the beauty of nature for all generations. Jingjing is charmingly naive and optimistic. He is an athlete noted for strength who represents the black Olympic ring.
In the intimate circle of Friendlies, Huanhuan is the big brother. He is a child of fire, symbolizing the Olympic Flame and the passion of sport--and passion is the blessing he bestows. Huanhuan stands in the center of Friendlies as the core embodiment of the Olympic spirit. And while he inspires all with the passion to run faster, jump higher and be stronger, he is also open and inviting. Wherever the light of Huanhuan shines, the inviting warmth of Beijing 2008--and the wishful blessings of the Chinese people--can be felt. The firery designs of his head ornament are drawn from the famed Dunhuang murals--with just a touch of China's traditional lucky designs. Huanhuan is outgoing and enthusiastic. He excels at all the ball games and represents the red Olympic ring.
Like all antelopes, Yingying is fast and agile and can swiftly cover great stretches of land as he races across the earth. A symbol of the vastness of China's landscape, the antelope carries the blessing of health, the strength of body that comes from harmony with nature. Yingying's flying pose captures the essence of a species unique to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the first animals put under protection in China. The selection of the Tibetan Antelope reflects Beijing commitment to a Green Olympics. His head ornament incorporates several decorative styles from the Qinghai-Tibet and Sinkiang cultures and the ethnic design traditions of Western China. Strong in track and field events, Yingying is a quick-witted and agile boy who represents the yellow Olympic ring.
Every spring and summer, the children of Beijing have flown beautiful kites on the currents of wind that blow through the capital. Among the kite designs, the golden-winged swallow is traditionally one of the most popular. Nini's figure is drawn from this grand tradition of flying designs. Her golden wings symbolize the infinite sky and spread good-luck as a blessing wherever she flies. Swallow is also pronounced "yan" in Chinese, and Yanjing is what Beijing was called as an ancient capital city. Among the Friendlies, Nini is as innocent and joyful as a swallow. She is strong in gymnastics and represents the green Olympic ring.
London's Olympic 2012 mascots are revealed: Wenlock and Mandeville unveiled as the 'faces' of the Games
They've only got one set of eyes between them and bear a striking resemblance to a computer game figure crossed with a character from the film Monsters, Inc.
You might not know what they are supposed to be, but get used to them - because they are going to be all over Britain for the next two years.
Wenlock and Mandeville (a bit more catchy than Much and Stoke) are the mascots for the London 2012 Olympics.
Following controversy surrounding the £400,000 logo, branded a 'childish effort' that invited 'widespread ridicule', organisers of the games will be hoping that Wenlock and Mandeville get a more favourable reception.
New mascots: The Olympic mascot Wenlock, left, and the Paralympic mascot Mandeville are unveiled in East London today. They were created from 'two drops of steel from the Olympic Stadium'
Although they would not comment on the cost of creating the mascots, organisers said it had been kept to just 'a few thousand pounds' because large parts of the work were done in house or with the help of sponsors.
The duo, launched with much fanfare on the BBC's The One Show, do, however, require a certain amount of explanation before they begin to make sense.
Firstly the names, which might ring a few geographical bells.
VIDEO: 2012 mascots unveiled...
Wenlock is named after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock where, in the mid-19th century, the Wenlock Games became one of the inspirations for the modern Olympic movement.
Mandeville's name is derived from Stoke Mandeville, in Buckinghamshire, home to Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
In the 1940s Dr Ludwig Guttman came to the hospital to set up a new spinal unit to help former soldiers suffering from spinal cord injuries.
Inspiration: Wenlock copies Usain Bolt's famous pose in a four-minute animation which explains the story of the duo
Testing his skills: Wenlock tries gymnastics, inspired by Beth Tweddle
Looking for ways to inspire those in his care he encouraged them to take up sport and the Stoke Mandeville Games was formed, widely recognised as a forerunner of the modern Paralympic movement.
Then there is there appearance. A whole story has been created to explain that - they are said to have been fashioned from the last drops of steel left over from the final support girder of the Olympic stadium when it was made in Bolton.
They were fashioned into figures and magically came to life and set about making a journey to the Olympics in London.
But do they represent Britain?
Well according to London Mayor Boris Johnson they do, he said they were a 'solid coalition', adding: 'It's hard to imagine a mascot more in tune with the times...'
For those wondering about the rest of the symbolism encapsulated in two small metal figures, who in actual one-eyed steel form could probably feature on Dr Who, here's an explanation.
The orange light bearing the M and W above the single eye is inspired by the light on top of a London black cab.
Built to impress: Wenlock and Mandeville's design features include cameras for eyes and the Olympic colours
Futuristic: Wenlock and Mandeville give each other a high five
The bands around Wenlock's arms are friendship bands in the colours of the Olympic rings, and Mandeville wears a timing device to track its personal best.
Even the head shape apparently has a meaning, the three peaks on Wenlock's head represent the three medals up for grabs in each Olympic event.
As for the single eye, it's a camera to 'capture they people they meet, the places they go and the sports they try on their journey to 2012'.
Appropriately the one-eyed figures were created by London-based creative agency Iris, whose clients include Wonderbra, adidas and Argos.
Crucially the duo, not dissimilar in appearance to Sonic The Hedgehog, are both poised for action - a race, perhaps to win fans?
Although older observers might hanker for a cuddly figure like the popular mascot Misha the bear, of Moscow 1908, or the more obvious patriotism of Sydney 2000 when Australia chose native animals as its mascots, Stoke and Mandeville have been designed to appeal to children.
They will very soon be popping up on badges, gracing t-shirts, and touring the country hoping to become the endearing face of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The duo have been given their own story, written by children's author Michael Mopurgo - who wrote War Horse, which has been turned into a four-minute animated film.
They have been given their own website, and even individual Twitter and Facebook sites and children will be able to make their own versions.
'They are really going to come to life in the digital space,' Grant Hunter of Iris Advertising said.
Which is lucky as the organisers hope to make £70million in revenue from merchandising.
Among planned events is a schools competition to enable children to decide where Wenlock and Mandeville will visit first on separate journeys around the country.
Appealing: Wenlock and Mandeville strike a Usain Bolt pose with pupils at St Paul's Whitechapel School
Fun fitness: The mascots encourage the children to jump around and show that exercise can be as good as playtime
London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said the mascots had been created for children and he hoped they would inspire young people to take up sport.
'By linking young people to the values of sport, Wenlock and Mandeville will help inspire kids to strive to be the best they can be,' he said.
He said that although the designs were bold, that it was a 'tangible project' with a back story that children would love.
'We've always been open about this: we wanted to do things differently in London.'
Hi all. As you can see, my spider eyes have been all over the USOC of late.
This is kind of a sloppy, crappy list; hard as I tried, I couldn't find the names of all the different USOC CEOs, though as I understand it, they had 13 of 'em in in one 14 year period alone.
The dates are a little sketchy, too...but I did the best I could.
Hey, USOC: I'm lookin' for a cushy short-term job, with lots of perks and fringe benefits - gimme a ring.
I don't care how noble they try and make themselves out to be...sumpin' ain't right here, folks; we'd all be better off throwing our money into the wind than stuffing it into the bottomless pockets of this sham non-profit.
Let the El Pomar Foundation keep the Olympians afloat - they all seem to be in the same boat.
Take this first guy here, for instance; he wasn't a CEO...but *dang* isn't it interesting to see his name on the list of people who were scouting out possible new homes for the USOC back in the 1990's:
• Frank Aires: USOC Games Logistics Manager. Named USOC Director of Contracting and Purchasing in 1981; managed communications and equipment requirements for all National/Olympic Sports Festivals and Olympic, Paralympic and Pan American Games. Former intelligence systems consultant supporting the North American Aerospace Command following 28 years of service with the U.S. Air Force in various flying, operations and intelligence positions.
_______________________________
USOC President's Job on the Line : Athletics: Vote on term limit could determine whether Helmick stays past January of 1993.
Although the U.S. Olympic Committee allows its president to serve only one four-year term, Robert Helmick will have been in the office for almost eight years when his current term expires in January of 1993.
And if the USOC's board of directors adopts proposed legislation at its meeting this weekend in Dallas, Helmick could extend his presidency for four years.
