Monthly Archives: September 2023

Episcopal Academy graduate Ashley Sessa has envisioned herself becoming an Olympian with the U.S. womens national field hockey team since she was 14 years old. Thats the first time she made the junior national team.

Now, shes working toward making that dream a reality with the 2024 Paris Olympics on the horizon.

Sessa spent last year at North Carolina, where she helped the Tar Heels to an undefeated season and their 10th NCAA field hockey championship. She has a waiver from school this semester to train with the national team as it starts preparing for Olympic qualifiers.

I could have not taken the waiver and done school, Sessa told The Inquirer, then watch the team either qualify or not and try out for the Olympic team. But I dont want to just come for the good parts. I want to be there if we qualify or not. I want to put in the effort every day in practice.

I want to be with the team, train with them, and be with them through the good and bad. Thats what makes me feel accomplished.

Theres a limited number of waivers given out by the national team each year. National team head coach David Passmore approached Sessa last fall about the waiver.

Its up to you, she recounted him telling her. Its your education. Youre taking a year off, so no hard feelings if you dont want to take it.

It was a no-brainer, Sessa said, to take the opportunity. She also decided to enter her name into the transfer portal to have a fresh start when she rejoins a college program. So far, she has visited Maryland, Iowa, Michigan, and Penn State, all of which finished in the top 10 in the NCAAs RPI rankings last season.

READ MORE: Penn field hockey opened its season against two top-10 teams and learned a lot from the experience

I committed my freshman year of high school [to UNC], Sessa said. I definitely grew as a player. I know what I want now. I think getting more of a family vibe with my next school and finding a place where I feel like I belong. It was a hard decision at first. But I realized I grew as a person, and that place wasnt for me.

Sessa, a 5-foot-3 forward/midfielder, started every game in her freshman year at UNC and finished third in scoring with nine goals. When the season ended, she turned her focus to the FIH Pro League.

This past June, she traveled to Ireland and Belgium for league play. Team USA finished last among the nine countries competing.

However, facing countries like the Netherlands and Australia, which already have qualified for the 2024 Olympics, was eye-opening, Sessa said. She realized theres much more room for growth, which motivated her to continue training.

READ MORE: Young Olympic-level athletes are heading back to school. Heres how they balance homework, sports, and life.

Learning new tricks mentally, whether its how to handle the refs, how to handle a tight game, or, if youre playing someone not as good, how to not have your game level drop, Sessa said. I think getting that experience against the best players in the world, thats how Ive grown.

Then growing as a person, maturing, and having to travel a bunch. Figuring out how I live on my own at such a young age, thats something that Ive learned.

Sessa had a few weeks in July to spend time with her family and hold a few field hockey clinics near her hometown, Schwenksville. She then moved to live with a host family in Charlotte, N.C., where the national team will train until October.

From Oct. 20-Nov. 5, the national team will be in Santiago, Chile, for the 2023 Pan American Games. A win would secure a spot in Paris. A top-three finish would grant the U.S. a berth in an Olympic qualifying tournament, which will be in Spain and China.

The training has been demanding, with 6 a.m. wake-ups, lifting, and watching film, but the best part, Sessa said, is growing with her teammates.

Ive grown up playing against or with these girls, so Ive known them for a long time, she said. Getting to see people grow with skills, personality, maturity, I think is a spectacular thing to witness. I have a lot of trust and support with this team, and Im excited to see where we go from here.

Its not an easy feat to qualify for the Olympics the U.S. women last made the Games in 2016, finishing fifth, and their only medal, a bronze, came in 1984. Sessa, however, is committed to the process of getting there, whether its in 2024 or 2028, when the Olympics will be held in Los Angeles. The 2028 Games will be the first time the Summer Olympics are in the U.S. since 1996.

I dont just want to be there, I want to play a major role in it, Sessa said of qualifying the Olympics. I want to help the team win and grow as a player. I want to make a difference with the score line, but also I dont want to be selfish. I want to make other people look good.

The rest is here:

Episcopal Academy graduate Ashley Sessa has her sights set on the Olympics - The Philadelphia Inquirer

The names are what draws attention, as such a collection of names should. LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant thats enough star power to make a nation take notice. A basketball globe, even.

Certainly, thats enough firepower to put Dennis Schrder in his place.

To be clear, and unequivocal, whenever the NBA sends its best American players to compete against the rest of the world, the ones headed to the Hall of Fame or regulars on the All-NBA list, theyll be just fine. The day is coming when that wont be the case. But as good as the rest of the world has gotten, that day isnt here yet. Americas best is still preeminent, which is why America has won the last four Olympic gold medals.

But its clear USA needs its best, or least a few of its best, to survive the gauntlet that has become international basketball. Typically, the U.S. mens basketball team doesnt send its best to the FIBA World Cup, which NBA stars treat more like the regular season with the Summer Olympics being the playoffs. Even before this latest black eye on American hoops, the elites of the modern era were looking to Paris as their platform. Stephen Curry, who because of injuries has yet to play in the Summer Games. LeBron, who has been off the world stage for more than a decade. And Durant, who loves the Olympic stage.

And its Paris. What better locale for one last mission together?

But something about losing on the international stage always galvanizes the best players. The ensuing shame walk the players take always provokes an Avengers-style collaboration. We saw it with The Dream Team. We saw it with The Redeem Team. And now, after USA finished fourth in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, NBA stars are uniting like Autobots who got the signal.

Jayson Tatum. Devin Booker. Damian Lillard. Kyrie Irving. DeAaron Fox. This would be a legit All-NBA contingency.

But the real specialty of The Supreme Team being formed behind the scenes, what makes this potential collection unique from the other superstar revenge tours, is the chemistry already in place among them. This could be as much of a ready-made cohesive team as the U.S. has ever put together in the NBA era.

This is important because what America needs more than ever is a team. Not just for 2024, but as an ethos moving forward.

The massive disadvantage America is always charged with overcoming is the familiarity other nations have after years of playing together. The steady growth of international play over these last three decades means Team USA cant just overwhelm Team Kumbaya with athleticism anymore. Thats been true for a while now. Beating these other countries that boast NBA talent and experience together requires a steadily increasing talent quotient.

Its not enough to just have more talent. The U.S. needs a sensibly constructed roster ready. The U.S. needs a bent, a style of play and prototype roles. The U.S. needs enough engrained camaraderie to know how to push one anothers buttons, how to play off each other and maximize their individual strengths, and the connectedness to navigate rough patches and opponents playing out of their minds.

The team America might be taking to Paris isnt the usual sudden meshing of unfamiliar names. This roster has some kumbaya of its own to go with its ridiculous levels of talent.

LeBron, Curry, Durant, Anthony Davis, Draymond Green and Irving have shared thousands of minutes on courts together. Against each other. With each other.

Durant, Tatum, Green and Lillard all won gold together inTokyo.

Booker and Durant will have a season playing together.

But even more important is how they play. Just looking at the six who reportedly are committed James, Curry, Durant, Davis, Tatum and Green they have shooting, size, defensive acumen, a floor general and players who can thrive off the ball.

Obviously, they can create shots. But the greater value in international play is the ability to counter zones, adjust to physicality and manufacture offense on cold nights.

Add in Booker, Fox and either Lillard or Irving, and the second unit has all three levels of scoring covered with a variety of size, speed and craftiness. It should be noted all of them are accustomed to doing their thing against traps, fouls and even officials necessary in the international game.

Of the four guards considering joining the 2024 contingent Booker, Fox, Lillard and Irving only three make sense. One of those spots should go to a big man or at least a stout defender. USA will need size. Booker and Fox feel like they should be locks as players who are young enough to carry the torch moving forward. So either Lillard or Irving.

GO DEEPER

Why Team USA not winning the FIBA World Cup was not a total loss

America has a few options for the backup big man. It might be prudent to get a true big body. Brook Lopez comes to mind, as does Andre Drummond. If they go undersized big, it should be someone with a proven track record for being able to bang, rebound against bigger players and do the dirty work. Such as Bam Adebayo, who won a gold medal being that guy in 2021. Or three-time NBA champion Kevon Looney, whos become one of the best dirty-work centers in the NBA. Or Robert Williams, whose paint presence could come in more than handy.

It might be worth the investment to give that spot to Jaren Jackson Jr. He was the starting big for the fourth-place squad. But he could use experience, and certainly, life would be different for him on a team like this. Heres an intriguing name for now and the future: Evan Mobley. Hes a highly skilled 7-footer who is a good defender and rebounder, though he could use some bulk.

Anthony Edwards deserves a spot on this team. Mikal Bridges made a great case as well. They could benefit from playing with and learning from international professionals like Durant, LeBron and Green, on the short list of players with multiple NBA titles and multiple gold medals.

But Id be willing to put Bridges on ice to see if Kawhi Leonard or Jimmy Butler are interested. Bridges wasnt quite the defensive stopper America needed. The U.S. could use an upgrade.

The distinct way these stars play is what American basketball needs on display. Their example of versatility, their unique cohesion and their vast experience are answers to the rest of the worlds strength over America. The flaws of the World Cup team, aside from its size, was the inability of the players to find other ways to be effective when their main way didnt work. And the struggles of the teams defense point directly to the waning cohesiveness. Certainly, they got along fine. But defense requires more than that. And they didnt have the luxury of time to develop chemistry on that end.

The homeland is down on the pros after the U.S. lost three of its last four games. The reputation of hoop in the States must be avenged after losses to Lithuania, Germany and Canada.

Cue the explosions in the background. Cue the dramatic music. Queue the closeup shops of serious stares and shiny uniforms. Que the Zack Snyder-style of super-fast- to super-slow-motion cinematography. Cue the confident strut of basketballs American heroes.

USA basketball needs a team. This one sounds supreme.

(Photo of LeBron James and Stephen Curry: Noah Graham / NBAE via Getty Images)

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Thompson: To rule the Olympics, Team USA needs to call in The Avengers - The Athletic

It's been a humbling couple of weeks for the United States as its team at the FIBA World Cup lost to Lithuania, Germany and Canada to finish 4th in the tournament. However, the defeat has come just in time to reignite LeBron James' passion for the playing in the Olympics as a new report from The Athletic shares that he's already committed to joining the 2024 Olympic team in Paris.

Previously, King James played on USA's basketball team at the Olympics twice, earning gold medals in 2008 and 2012. He now looks to earn a third gold and has made progress in recruiting supporting talent. According to The Athletic's report, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum, Draymond Green and Steph Curry are all prepared to commit to the team. On top of this, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker, De'Aaron Fox and Kyrie Irving are said to have serious interest in joining.

Should even a handful of these players attend, Team USA will be the team to beat next year. Stay tuned for updates as Olympic preparations continue.

For more of the latest updates regarding King James, his Nike LeBron 4 silhouette is gearing up for another reissue -- taking on the all-black "Anthracite" colorway once again.

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LeBron James to Lead Superstar Roster for the 2024 Olympics - Yahoo Life

The 2024 Paris Olympics start in 319 days, and LeBron James wants to be part of it.

According to Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, the 38-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star has a "strong" interest in playing for Team USA during next year's Summer Olympics, and he doesn't want to do it alone. He's reportedly so interested in suiting up for Team USA next year that he's contacted a handful of fellow NBA stars to recruit them to play with him.

James apparently did not start thinking about the Olympics just because Team USA only placed fourth in the FIBA World Cup after losing to Canada on Sunday. The timing is purely coincidental, as James has reportedly been thinking about this for some time.

While this may have been on James' mind for a bit, the Team USA's current roster may have influenced him somewhat. Currently, there is no one on Team USA with prior Olympics experience. And there are just three All-Stars on the entire team. Prior experience and All-Star appearances don't guarantee success, but Team USA is currently missing some of the star power that indicates they're ready to take on all comers.

James seems intent on fixing that before the 2024 Paris Olympics. Here's a list of the players he's reportedly spoken to about playing in the Olympics.

All five of those players are reportedly also ready to commit to playing on Team USA in Paris alongside James. According to Charania and Vardon, Devin Booker of the Suns, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks, and De'Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings also have interest in playing, but were not contacted by James.

All but one person on that list has some level of Olympic experience. Durant has played in the last three Olympics and was MVP of the 2020 team. Green has played in the last two Olympics. Davis won gold with Team USA in 2012, and Tatum did the same in 2020. Curry is the only one who hasn't played in an Olympics, but he won World Cups with Team USA in 2010 and 2014.

James will be 39 when the Olympics begin, and he and several other possible Team USA stars are reportedly looking at the Paris Games as a "last dance" with USA Basketball. James has played in three Olympics, most recently in London in 2012, and has won two gold medals and a bronze.

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LeBron James reportedly wants to play in one more Olympics, and he's already recruiting - Yahoo Sports

After failing to medal during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Team USA could bring a squad of superstars (including LeBron James) to the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

According to Shams Charania and Joe Vardon ofThe Athletic, despite a fourth-place finish in the Philipines, the future could be brighter for Team USA next year. The two insiders reported that LeBron James is ready to commit for next summer and is recruiting various other top players from around the league to join him.

Based on the reporting we have seen so far, these are the other stars who could potentially team up with James in Paris when the Olympics begin in July 2024.

Of course, lots can change between now and then. But in a perfect world, the 12-man roster would likely look a bit like this:

POSITION:Wing

AGE: 39.6

EXPERIENCE: 2012 (Olympics Gold), 2008 (Olympics Gold), 2007 (Americas Gold), 2006 (World Cup Bronze), 2004 (Olympics Bronze)

Despite not playing for Team USA in more than a decade, LeBron James reportedly has significant interest in playing in the Olympics next year. His interest was not related to whether Team USA won or lost at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

POSITION:Guard

AGE: 36.4

EXPERIENCE:2014 (World Cup Gold), 2010 (World Cup Gold), 2007 (U19 World Cup Silver)

Curry is reportedly viewing next summer as a last dance with UA Basketball, per The Athletic, and has spoken to James and Durant about teaming up in Paris. Curry has never played in the Olympics but has twice won the gold medal at the World Cup.

POSITION:Forward

AGE: 35.8

EXPERIENCE:2020 (Olympics Gold), 2016 (Olympics Gold), 2012 (Olympics Gold), 2010 (World Cup Gold)

Durant, who has reportedly had conversations with James and Curry about playing for Team USA at the Olympics, has a decorated background with the national team. He won FIBA World Cup MVP in 2010 and he is a three-time Olympic gold medalist.

POSITION:Big

AGE: 31.4

EXPERIENCE:2014 (World Cup Gold), 2012 (Olympics Gold)

Although he has not played for Team USA in nearly a decade, Davis won a gold medal with James at the Olympics in 2012 and gold alongside Curry at the World Cup in 2014. He would help provide the size in the frontcourt that Team USA needed at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The big man led all players in the regular season and postseason for rebounds per game.

POSITION:Forward

AGE: 26.4

EXPERIENCE:2020 (Olympics Gold), 2019 (World Cup), 2015 (U19 World Cup Gold), 2014 (U17 World Cup Gold), 2013 (U16 Americas Gold)

Among all of the candidates for Team USA next summer, Tatum is one of the youngest and also one of the most decorated players mentioned. After he won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, he said he would like to play for Team USA again.

POSITION:Big

AGE: 34.4

EXPERIENCE:2020 (Olympics Gold), 2016 (Olympics Gold)

Green, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, would immediately help Team USA tremendously on the defensive end of the floor. He brings experience playing for head coach Steve Kerr, who could utilize him in his small-ball lineups that did not work as well during the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

POSITION:Wing

AGE: 27.7

EXPERIENCE: 2020 (Olympics Gold)

While he isnt mentioned as one of the players who has spoken directly to LeBron James about playing for Team USA, perThe Athletic, three-time All-Star Devin Booker reportedly has a serious interest in committing to play in the Olympics in Paris as well.

POSITION:Guard

AGE: 34.0

EXPERIENCE:2020 (Olympics Gold)

Lillard, like Booker, reportedlyhas a serious interest in committing to play in the Olympics in Paris as well. The seven-time All-Star is easily one of the best pure scorers in the world and so long as he is healthy, his offensive spark would help Team USA. Another name to consider in the backcourt is Tyrese Haliburton. He had the highest plus-minus of anyone on his team during the tournament.

POSITION:Big

AGE: 27.0

EXPERIENCE:2020 (Olympics Gold)

Team USA decided to switch everything when defending the pick and roll and there is perhaps no better player for that style of play than Bam Adebayo. He has experience playing for Team USA assistant coach Erik Spoelstra on the Miami Heat. Adebayo is widely considered a strong candidate to play in Paris.

POSITION:Wing

AGE: 22.9

EXPERIENCE:2023 (World Cup)

Team USAs leading scorer at the World Cup was Anthony Edwards, who is clearly an emerging superstar. He said he would love to join the team for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

POSITION:Big

AGE: 30.4

EXPERIENCE:N/A

If we are talking about the best-case scenario for next summer, there is no bigger swing factor in the 2024 Olympics than Joel Embiid. The NBAs reigning MVP is eligible to play for Team USA or Team France during the Olympics. Team USA managing director Grant Hill said Embiid knows our desire to have him on the team.

Originally posted here:

USA Basketball: LeBron James leads projected roster for 2024 Olympics - For The Win

At least one sportsbook seems to think the rumors that LeBron James is recruiting NBA All-Stars to play for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics are true.

BetOnline has odds for which players will don the stars & stripes next summer and try to help Team USA win its fifth consecutive gold medal at the Olympics. To no one's surprise, James and Steph Curry lead the way with -1500 odds, with Kevin Durant not far behind at -1000.

James has not played in the Olympics nor for Team USA since 2012. He turns 39 this December, meaning next summer's Games will likely be his last chance to play for his country. He's surely not going to waste that opportunity, hence why he's reportedly assembling a superteam.

Curry has never played in the Olympics and has limited time with Team USA in general. He emerged as a key player for America during the 2014 FIBA World Cup, which was the last time he represented the United States.

With the reports that Team USA will bring its very best to Paris next summer, sportsbooks quickly acted and established the United States as the clear frontrunner to win gold. Since NBA players were allowed to play in the Olympics in 1992, the United States has medaled every time and won gold in seven of the eight editions of the Games.

Other players favored to play for Team USA include Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, Draymond Green and Anthony Davis. The Americans were favored to win the 2023 FIBA World Cup but were upset in the semifinals by the eventual champions Germany.

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LeBron James, Stephen Curry favorites to play for Team USA in 2024 Olympics - ClutchPoints

The three Abrahamic religions share the story of Jacobs wonderful dream (Genesis 28). As Desmond Tutu tells it in his Children of God Storybook Bible, following a fight with his brother Esau, Jacob fled into the desert to hide. One night, as he slept, he dreamed of a ladder reaching to the sky with angels going up and down. Then God stood beside him and said, I will be with you and protect you and keep you safe. When Jacob woke up, he realized God is in this place, and I did not know it. So he took a stone and blessed it with oil and said, This is Beth El, the house of God and the gate to heaven.

My adult son David, who is intellectually disabled, has played Special Olympics sports for fifteen years. Basketball, softball, on occasion track and field or bocce ball, most recently volleyball. I have attended more practices, games and tournamentslocal, regional and state-widethan I can count.

Over the years I have experienced Special Olympics as Beth Elthe house of God. Like Jacob, I see God in this placewhich I did not initially expect.

Many people have heard of an incident that happened at a 1976 track-and-field event in Spokane, Washington. A Special Olympics contestant stumbled and fell during the 100-yard dash, and one or two other athletes turned back. They helped the runner to his feet and walked across the finish line together. I regularly see similar moments of grace at Special Olympics events.

The basketball game is nearly done. One player, severely autistic, runs up and down the court at random or stands alone stimming. All the other players are actively involved in shooting, passing and dribblingexcept one. Then his team gets the ball, and the woman holding it stops the game. Approaching the young man, she calls Michael, come and play. Taking him by the hand, she leads him to the basket, places the ball in his hands and urges him to shoot. He does. Both teams and the crowd of parents go wild with applause and cheersand tears. This is a holy momentBeth El, Gods Kingdom of inclusive love is in this place.

Its the opening ceremonies for the statewide Special Olympics basketball tournament. A disabled athlete enters the darkened arena carrying the torchshe is circled by five uniformed police officers who run with her. The torch is passed to other runners, but the officers stay close by, accompanying them around the perimeter to the lighting of the flame. I wipe away tears and contemplate the Special Olympics logo, depicting five figures in a unifying circle. I am seeing the reality of how the world is meant to be: the weakest and most vulnerable surrounded and assisted by the strongest and most powerful. Beth El on a Friday night in Bloomington, Illinois.

David is up to bat. Truth be told, hes one of the poorer players with an uneven batting record. Then Nate walks up to the chain-link fence behind home plate. Hes one of the best players, often delivering home runs. The contrast between Nate and David is striking, but there he is cheering David on. Hey man, you can do it! he shouts. The ball is low, but David swings and misses. Rats! Nate is undeterred: Watch for your pitch! he encourages. You can do it. This is, once again, Beth El.

The difference between proficiency and deficiency evaporatesthere are simply two team members, two equal persons, two fellow human beings, two friends. A snatch of scripture floats through my mind: there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

The next ball is in the strike zone: David hits it square, drops his bat and makes it to first. Yay!

Many Special Olympics events take place on Sunday mornings, making them for me a particularly poignant experience of koinoniacommunion, sharing, fellowship. At competitions there is very little us-versus-them animosity. Of course we hope our team wins, but each side cheers the successes of the rival team and laments with good try when things go wrong. Athletes, parents and family, coaches and refereeswere one community, all in this together.

This is Gods Dream, Desmond Tutu says: God dreams about people sharing. God dreams about people caring. God dreams that we reach out and hold one anothers hands and play one anothers games and laugh with one anothers hearts. God dreams that everyone of us will see that we are all brothers and sisters. We are family because we are all Gods children.

This is the Beth El blessing I receive so often at Special Olympics. Its also the Beth El challengeto show Gods faithful love to everyone, without exception.

We are made for the togetherness which Special Olympics exemplifies. Its Beth El, a parable of ubi caritaswhere true love is, God is there.

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Special Olympics as Beth-el - The Reformed Journal Blog - Reformed Journal

Armed with a glass of red wine and a giant baguette, Peyton Manning is ready for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The 47-year-old former NFL star and his selection of famous French treats teamed up with NBC Universal to promote the network's coverage of the 2024 Olympic Games, which begin July 26 in Paris, France.

As Manning rides into view on a giant baguette to open the spot, he welcomes viewers to Paris, "home to French bread, wine, and now, the Olympics," he announces.

The spot then takes Manning into a conference room, where the beloved athlete tries to sell a table of marketing executives on his carb-filled idea of riding a flying baguette to promote the games.

The big flying baguette blimp doesn't go over well with the fictional marketing team, though, and Manning's appearance in the spot ends with him saying, "Remind me never to pitch bread stuff again," on a phone call after the meeting.

Manning tells PEOPLE that he's "excited" for the Paris Olympics.

I have always been a big fan of the Olympics andwe root hard for Team USA competing against the best in the world.

The 2024 Games will be the third time Paris has hosted the Olympics, along with the 1900 and 1924 editions. That ties the city with London for the most as a Summer Games host.

Since he retired from the NFL, Manning has enjoyed exploring opportunities in the entertainment industry.

Never miss a story sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Manning's NBC promo comes during the same week as another hilarious campaign starring the former football player.

To promote the third season of ManningCast, co-hosted with his brother Eli, the Mannings held auditions for a third host slot on their popular series, meeting with celebrities likeDJ KhaledandLil Wayneand star athletes likeMike TysonandLSU's Olivia Dunne.

When the fictionalized auditions go poorly, Tom Brady (who will experience his first NFL season post-retirement this year) is shown seated in the audition waiting room with an adorable golden retriever.

"No, I didn't get theManningCastjob," Brady, 45, says on a phone call before ominous music begins. "I guess I'll just come back and play football again."

Originally posted here:

Watch Peyton Manning Prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics with a ... - PEOPLE

In a sport where athletes hang by boulders at impossible inclines and scale 15-metre walls in less than five seconds, every kilo matters.

Or so it seems, at least, to sport climbers who are looking for quick gains.

Less labour intensive or time consuming than training, cutting down on meals is often hailed as the ultimate shortcut to get faster on a climbing wall. Entering a gym with rail-thin climbers, where a starved frame leads to compliments rather than concern, endorses that attitude.

It is an environment that Garnbret, who got started in the sport at age seven, knows all too well.

Five days before the start of the 2023 IFSC Sport Climbing World Championships with all eyes on the then six-time world champion Garnbret made an Instagram post that sent ripples across the sports community.

A black and white photograph of the Olympic champion, it featured this raw caption: Do we want to raise the next generation of skeletons? Lets not look away.

In the text that accompanied the post, Garnbret detailed the problem of eating disorders in sport climbing and called for more awareness and action.

"This was a very, very sensitive topic, so it was very important to choose the right words," she told Olympics.com. "I didn't want to call out any names or [be] offensive. I just wanted to share my thoughts on it, so not being disrespectful in any way.

"I also have friends who were in this kind of position and I saw what was happening to them, and I just don't want any other person to go through something like that."

Eating disorders are common among elite as well as amateur sport climbers, and more and more of them are now starting to share their stories.

One athlete recalled the pride he mistakenly felt when his extreme weight loss earned him the monicker "Auschwitz Boy", while other climbers have opened up about their self-destructive patterns of starving, bingeing and then punishing themselves with excessive exercise.

"It starts off with how we talk about food. We have to talk about food as fuel and not a bad thing," Garnbret said. "We cannot close our eyes that climbing is a sport related to weight, so we have to fight gravity. And of course you want to be light, but not too light, and there's a thin line between being too light.

"We as a society, first, we need to openly talk about it. We need to talk about how we define what fit means, does it mean this or that. And we have to openly talk about it. Also coaches have to be really educated on that because you have coaches that are actually saying to their athletes that they need to be skinnier, but this is not sustainable and this is not the way to go. So first, we need to create a healthy environment that you can thrive in and that's the most important thing."

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Exclusive - Olympic champion Janja Garnbret speaks out on eating ... - Olympics