Just this morning, the Canadian men’s eight took the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Three Huskies were in the boat. Let’s meet them now!

Rob Gibson, Canada, ’09, Rowing

Rob Giblson, ’09, Canada, Rowing

Rob Gibson got his first taste of Olympic success in 2008, when, while still a UW undergrad,  he was a spare on the Canadian rowing team that won gold in Beijing. But the 2009 graduate is no one’s alternate this summer: Gibson, along with fellow Huskies Conlin McCabe and Will Crothers, took the silver medal as part of the Canadian men’s eight rowing team in London. While at UW, Gibson, along with Crothers, helped power the Huskies to national championships in 2007 and 2009. The Kingston, Ontario, native rowed as a junior with the undefeated varsity team that won gold medals at the Pac-10 Championships and the 2007 Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta. Citing the legacy of crew victories, the strong academics at Washington, the generally mild temperatures allowing for year-round rowing on multiple bodies of water, Gibson told the UW Daily, “Rowing at Washington really is the ideal location for a Canadian rower looking to take the next step.

Read more…

What’s going on with the Games? Well, on TV today…

• All sorts of rowing—qualifying heats and repecherges will be covered periodically all day. Look for Husky rowers on Team USA (Kalmoe, Martelli, Whipple) and Team Canada (Gibson, McCabe, Crothers, Jacob, Calder)
• The U.S. Women’s Volleyball team will be taking on Team Brazil to continue their quest for gold. Watch for UW superstars Tamari Miyashiro and Courtney Thompson.

Also, UW alumna Janine Sandell will be taking on Algeria with Team Great Britain. Team GB is fighting to stay in medal contention after a 0-3 loss to Russia on Saturday.

Tomorrow, Hope Solo and Team USA Soccer will be looking to follow up on Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Columbia with a match against North Korea.

Check your local listings, and good luck to all our Husky Olympians!

What events are you going to be watching?

Some of the 19 UW alumni heading to London for the 2012 Olympics knew each other while they were students. A few even competed together. Volleyball teammates Courtney Thompson, ’08 and Tamari Miyashiro, ’09 were only on the UW team together for a only single year (Miyashiro’s redshirt freshman year coincided with Thompson’s senior-year run for the 2005 NCAA championship—Thompson took some time off to compete professionally before returning for her degree. However, these three Olympians rowed together for most of their college careers, and are now teaming up to race for the gold.

Men’s Rowing

Giuseppe Lanzone, ’05, Rowing (Photo courtesy of US Rowing)

Giuseppe Lanzone, ’05, Rowing

Despite Giuseppe Lanzone’s hometown of La Punta, Peru, being a hotspot for rowing, Giuseppe Lanzone did not start rowing seriously until after he moved to Virginia at 14—he was more interested in surfing and sailing. Still, Lanzone was a quick study, in 2002 he helped the UW freshman eight take the gold medal at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship Regatta, and in 2003 he helped row the varsity eight to its first Pac-10 championship since 1997. In 2006, Lanzone became a U.S. citizen just weeks before rowing with Team USA’s men’s eight in the World Championships. Off the water, he’s been seen in the pages of GQ and has done modeling work for Polo, and currently appears showing off the Ralph-Lauren-designed Team USA uniforms.

Read more…

19 Olympians with ties to the UW will be heading to London this summer. In our continuing series, we introduce you to them. Here are your Husky Olympians!

Spikers

Courtney Thompson, ’08, Volleyball (photo courtesy of Team USA)

Courtney Thompson, ’08, Volleyball

Kent native Courtney Thompson knows something about winning. In 2005, she helped captain the UW volleyball team to its first NCAA championship. As starting setter in the European professional leagues, she took her team to victory in the national championships. But most impressive was her performance last April, when she led a floundering Puerto Rican civic team, the Cataño Lancheras, to victory against the heavily favored Caguas Creoles. The Creoles had been to the finals 20 times; they had not lost consecutive games in three years. In front of a crowd of 7,000 cheering fans, Thompson’s Lancheras swept the series, winning the small island city’s first professional sports championship of any description. After a four-day party in the streets of Cataño, Thompson headed back home to shoot for Olympic glory.

Thompson is also active in sports philanthropy, visiting hospitals with Team USA and holding free volleyball clinics to help the next generation of women athletes.

Read more…