Olympic Medalists Will Speak in Forum on Sports, Society and Leadership at University of Richmond
January 11, 2002
John Naber, four-time Olympic Gold Medal winner in swimming, will lead a discussion of "The Real Olympic Movement" on Jan. 28 at the University of Richmond.
Naber will talk about honor in competition, the Olympic movement on the eve of the 2002 games and ethical and leadership issues that have tainted and shaped the Olympics in recent history. The program, part of the Jepson Forum on Sports, Society and Leadership, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Modlin Center for the Arts.
Other panelists scheduled to appear are Col. Willie Davenport, four-time Olympic hurdler who returned for a fifth Games as a bobsledder; Tae Kwan Do gold medalist Arlene Limas; Paralympian Beth Scott, a blind swimmer who won eight gold medals; and Virginian Buddy Lee, member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team in Greco Roman wrestling.
Naber won four gold medals and a silver in the 1976 Olympic Games, breaking four world records in the process. Naber is one of the torch carriers for the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. He also is president of the U.S. Olympians, an association of more than 6,000 U.S. Olympic alumni and is a TV commentator for ABC Sports.
Davenport won a gold medal and broke the Olympic record in the 110-meter hurdles in 1968. He won a bronze medal in that event in 1976. He now is chief of the Sports Management Office of he Army National Guard.
Scott is a leader in the Paralympic movement, which began in 1948 with competition for athletes from six different disability groups. She also is a thyroid cancer survivor.
When Limas won her gold medal in Tae Kwan Do in 1988, the taped recording of the U.S. National Anthem failed to play. She sang it out loud and got the crowd singing along with her.
An Old Dominion University graduate, Lee is president and founder of Jump Rope Technology Inc. He used rope jumping in his own training and has trained other Olympic athletes in his methods.
The forum is sponsored by the Jepson School of Leadership Studies. Tickets are free but required. For reservations, call 289-8980. Two other events are on tap in the series:
Football star turned state Supreme Court justice Alan Page will talk about "Living a Worthy Life after Fame on the Playing Field" on Feb. 18 in the Modlin Center. Page is Minnesota's first African-American Supreme Court Justice. One of the famous "Purple People Eaters," the legendary Minnesota Vikings defensive line in the '70s, he studied law during his NFL career.
University of Richmond basketball coach John Beilein and UR Hall of Fame coach Dick Tarrant will talk on "Coaching, Motivating and Leading Teams" on April 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the Jepson Alumni Center.