The Team USA “Only One” t-shirt. I just love the message – and the fact that you can interpret it in a variety of ways.

Is it that the difference between 1st and 2nd is measured by one step, one meter, one shot or one second?

Or is it that you become a champion one one second, one minute, one revolution, one meter, one millimeter, one shot, one goal, one step at a time?

What do you think?

Check out more Team USA Olympic gear – just in time for the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.

Personally, my favorite exercise in there is the medicine ball toss she is doing with her trainer while lying on her side. That exercise engages so many of the lesser used, but very important core muscles that Lindsey needs for making split second lateral adjustments as she is racing down the slopes. The other exercise that she has in her workout that looks so hard but perfect for her sport is the skier squats she is doing on the large balance ball towards the end.

It is always fun to get a behind the scenes look at our favorite athletes! Thanks to Lindsey and Under Armour for sharing this with all of us.

And now, in Damu’s own words:

DC: “First I want to say the God is the reason why I am here and able to do what I do! Without God none of this would be possible! I am a world class 100 meter hurdler for the USA and Nike. I am a 2008 Olympian where I finished 4th. My personal best is 12.44 and my goal is to qualify for the 2012 Olympic team. I have been a professional for 7 years now. Thank you for your interest and I hope that I may be a blessing to others!”

SGP: How old were you when you started competing?

DC: I actually started competing when I was 10 years old as a gymnast! I started competing in track n high school when I was 16 years old.

SGP: Did you play other sports when you were younger?

DC: I was a gymnast for 7 years

SGP: Do you do other sports for recreation or cross-training?

DC: No, I do not do other sports because the demands of being a professional/world class athlete takes up most of my time and days!

SGP: What is your biggest challenge you have overcome?

DC: My biggest challenge is learning the technical aspect of hurdling! The 100 meter hurdles is a very technical event and it takes years to grasp.

SGP: What are your biggest challenges in practice?

DC: In practice my biggest challenge is making sure I pretend I am in a meet scenario because sometimes I tend to relax too much and when you are on an elite level you have to go above and beyond to reach your goals.

SGP:  Do you like competing? How do you channel your nerves?

DC: I love competing! I know that as long as I put the work in in practice I rarely have nerves! I use a lot of visualization so I can prepare my mind for the big day!

SGP: How many hours a day do you train?

DC: A typical day would be three to four hours of running/weight workouts! The rest of the day is filled with massage, chiropractic, acupuncture and stretching! Usually, my day starts at 9am and ends 5pm.

SGP: What is your favorite way to reward yourself for achieving your goals?

DC: Since our track season is so long I usually wait until our time off to reward myself which would include shopping, little junk food! I get one month off in October to have some fun and just rest!

SGP: What is your advice for young athletes?

DC: Always set goals for yourself and make sure everyday counts. Everyday isn’t a good day but take something positive out of the day and grow from it! Never give up and always expect to be great!

SGP: Who is your biggest role model?

DC: My biggest role model is my mother who is a cancer survivor! She fought through tough times and never gave up on herself and now she enjoys the benefits of traveling the world watching me compete! I think of her when I am having a bad day at practice or if I am tired in a run and she gives me that extra I need to push a little harder!

We hope you enjoyed this interview!

Congratulations to the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil for being awarded the honor of hosting the 2016 Olympic Games. It will be the first time any South American country has hosted an Olympic event. Rio outlasted finalist cities Chicago, Tokyo, and Madrid for the win.

Impossible is nothing.

Love it!!

Olympic Gymnast Shawn Johnson has another accolade to add to her resume – she was awarded the AAU Sullivan award this evening at the New York Athletic Club in New York City. (Photo – AAU Sullivan Award winner Shawn Johnson seen here with Mitchell Musso on the set of DWTS from Flickr)

There were five finalists for this year’s award – Shawn Johnson, fellow Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin, Volleyball player Cynthia Barboza, Basketball player Tyler Hansborough, and the members of the US men’s Olympic 4×100 swimming team.

The AAU Sullivan award is considered to be the Oscar’s of the sports world. It is used to recognize outstanding amateur athletes who show excellence in their sport, leadership, character and sportsmanship.

Congratulations Shawn!

From Universal Sports:

Torres, eight months removed from her performance in Beijing during which she won three silver medals, released her memoirs on Tuesday. “Age Is Just A Number,” which she co-wrote with New York Times Magazine contributing writer Elizabeth Weil, takes a walk through her entire swimming career — from when she was a teenager living in California and then as a student-athlete at the University of Florida, to her three comebacks as an adult.

She revisits past successes — setting world and American records, winning Olympic medals — and talks about the more difficult times in her life too. During her four years as a swimmer at Florida, she became bulimic. She’s dealt with two divorces, the death of her father and fertility problems. Michael Lohberg, the coach who guided Torres during her comeback for the Beijing Games, was stricken with a serious illness and was unable to travel to China for the Olympics.

Dara’s successes have obviously come at a price.  I think it takes a very special person to be able to face adversities in life and continue to follow and achieve their dreams. While Dara’s comeback was certainly not without controversy, her story is still remarkable and inspirational

Age is Just a Number is definitely going to be on my summer reading list!

Olympic gymnast, Alicia Sacramone, has been having way too much fun recently! Last month she got to drop the puck at a Boston Bruins NHL hockey game and this weekend she is at  the NBA All Star Game (Sunday, February 15 @ 8)  as a “reporter” offering an inside look into her Quest for G activities at the event. She’ll be hanging out with Dwyane Wade, interviewing the Jabbawockeez and reporting from the red carpet.

You can see some great behind the scenes footage of Quest for G – the Gatorade ad series she is in. Hear what Kevin Garnett, Derek Jeter and Usain Bolt have to say about recreating Monty Python and the Holy Grail at the Quest for the G site.

Also check out www.MissionG.com this weekend to see videos of Alicia at the event. For every person that visits the site this weekend, $1 will be donated to charity (up to $25K).

Alicia’s great personality and relaxed on screen attitude are sure to keep her quest for Hollywood going strong.

Photo (Flickr)

Last night ABC announced the next 13 contestants for their hit show Dancing with the Stars and on the list is none other than 17 year old Olympic gymnast, Shawn Johnson. Shawn is the youngest competitor to appear on the show and I wonder if she has the personality and dance ability to pull it off.

For more on the announcement:

• Shawn confirms her Dancing with the Stars appearance on her own site
• Gymnastics Coaching has a few words about her appearance and others (would Alicia have been a better choice – I tend to think Alicia or Nastia could rock on the show)
• International Gymnast has a complete write up and competitor list for Season 8.
• The official Dancing with the Stars announcement with competitor bios at ABC

I’m sure behind the scenes photos and video will start showing up soon so stay tuned! “Dancing With The Stars 8″ premieres March 9 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on ABC, and will run through May.

I tuned in to the US Figure Skating Championships over the weekend. With the 2010 Olympic Games right around the corner I wanted to see some of the faces to watch for myself.

Alissa Czisny was just the most gorgeous performer on the ice. Her costume was one of the most stunning outfits I have seen in ice skating in ages and I can’t help but think she looks a bit like Nancy Kerrigan with her long lines and huge smile. While she made a mistake in the long program, Alissa was clearly the winner in my eyes – others are not so sure.

Rachael Flatt may be very consistent and technically clean, but as far as I am concerned, her performances are a little bit… flat.  I have seen her skate a few times now and I just never get captivated by her performances. She definitely needs to learn to sell her routine to the judges and the crowd a bit more before taking to the ice in Vancouver.

Mirai Nagasu reminds me of so many upper level athletes in their teens. She has invested so much time in her sport and is now fighting her body (injuries, puberty, growing). Mirai was almost in tears as she took to the ice – seriously looking like she dreaded the moment. However, as she completed each move and landed each jump you could see her confidence and enjoyment return slowly. By the end of the performance she was smiling and truly happy with herself. I really like her skating and hope this was a the beginning of her return to the top.

Caroline Zhang is definitely one to watch! The 15 year old knows how to sell her skating and captivates you with her gorgeous dance, big jumps, and you can tell she is really into it.

Ashley Wagner was the winner of the long program and unfortunately I did not see her performance.

Top skaters Kimmie Meissner and Emily Hughes were out with injuries – hopefully they will be back in competition soon.

It will be interesting to see which of these seven women will be representing the United States in the 2010 Olympic Games. Who do you think will make it? Or is it too soon to predict?

Caroline Zhang photo Flickr