Auburn, Alabama Athletes Give Olympics A Local Feel

AUBURN, Ala.—They’re not exactly sitting around watching the Olympics in Auburn.

Not with the 2012 games in London just four short years away.

In fact, over the years, the Plains have become something of an Olympic factory.

This year, 25 current and former Auburn athletes and coaches are in Beijing.

For the Tigers, past performance does guarantee future success, bringing the world’s best athletes in track and swimming to campus every year.

“When they see that type of level of success you’ve had, everybody wants to be as good as they can be and they want to get to a program that can get them there,” Track Coach Ralph Spry said.

Senior Ty Akins is no exception.

He’s already an NCAA champion in the 110 meter hurdles, and came within a fraction of a second of making the US Olympic Team.

He doesn’t hold back on what his four years at Auburn have meant to his success: “Everything.  It’s meant everything.  It’s been my tool I used to make my life a better life to live,” Akins said.

Akins is following in a strong Auburn tradition, training alongside teammates like 2008 silver and bronze medalist Kerron Stewart.

Coach Spry says Auburn’s Olympians, like Stewart, are the true leaders of the track program.

“She’s a person if you didn’t know her, she’d never tell you,” Spry said, “but she’s one of the nicest persons you’ll ever meet.  Leads by example.  Comes to work every day.  Leads by example every day, and works hard.  It’s so exciting to watch her be rewarded for the work she puts in.”

Over the years, Auburn swimmers have become household names.

Athletes like Rowdy Gaines and Kirsty Coventry.

Coach Richard Quick says Auburn opens doors for the world’s top athletes.

“People with big dreams feel like Auburn is a place where they can come to school and live those big dreams,” Quick said.

It’s in the Auburn practice pool where Brazilian Cesar Cielo set out to achieve his dreams.

He won gold in the 50 meter freestyle and bronze in the 100 meter.

For Auburn swimmers still waiting for their shot at Olympic glory, famous teammates are friends and mentors, first.

“I know they’re big time swimmers, but it’s also, it’s just ‘Cesar my friend’ not ‘Cesar the Olympic gold medalist,” junior swimmer Maggie Bird said.
   
160 miles across the state, the University of Alabama sent 13 athletes and coaches to Beijing, and one of them had a long-distance shout-out to everyone back at the capstone.

USA Softball outfielder Kelly Kretschman stroked a three run blast in a recent game.

Kretschman won gold in 2004 and silver this year.

Coach Patrick Murphy smiles every time she’s on TV and the announcers say Kretschman was a four time all-American at Alabama.

Murphy said, “It’s a very, very big honor for our program to have her represent us.”

Women’s track coach Sandy Fowler was an Olympic coach in 2000, and men’s coach Harvey Glance is in Beijing right now.

Fowler says there’s a trait she notices in all her college athletes who succeed on the world stage.

“Staying dedicated to it through the frustrating times, through the hard times, through the injury times, and just knowing there’s that light on for you,” Fowler explained, “you have to be tough, too, and you have to really go after it.”

For Fowler, having Olympians from Alabama will make her job easier when recruiting season comes around.

“You know they’re over there talking about ‘well, I trained at Alabama, it’s a great place to train’.  I know Alabama is being talked about quite a bit over in Beijing,” Fowler said.

If you want a sign of the state schools’ successes in Beijing, consider this: if Auburn’s athletes formed their own country, they would be in the top 15 of the medal count, ahead of places like Brazil and Spain.
 
In all, there are more than 160 current and former athletes from the southeastern conference competing in Beijing this year.  To see a complete list, click here.