Chicagoland Olympic Biographies of the Jardin Olympico Gardens
| Women's Basketball |
 Candace Parker
Basketball - Forward/Center
23 years old
Naperville, Illinois
University of Tennessee
OLYMPIC HISTORY
Team Gold Medal - 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
Candace is an All-American basketball player for the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. She was drafted to the
team from Tennessee in 2008. She may be best known for being the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tourn.
game and the first woman to dunk twice in a college game —she set both milestones as a redshirt freshman
freshman on March 19, 2006. She also became only the second player to dunk in a WNBA game in 2008.
|
 Cappie Pondexter
Basketball - Guard
23 years old
Chicago, Illinois
Rutgers University
OLYMPIC HISTORY
Team Gold Medal - 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
Cappie is currently playing for the Phoenix Mercury in WNBA. She was born in Oceanside, California
and raised in Chicago, Illinois where she was a close friend of fellow basketball star Dee Brown. Pondexter
is known for her scrappy play quick crossovers and dealy midrange jumpshot. |
 Tamika Catchings
Basketball - Forward
29 years old
Chicago, Illinois
University of Tennessee
OLYMPIC HISTORY
Team Gold Medal - 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
Tamika plays for the Indiana Fever in the WNBA. She is a prolific scorer close to and far from
the basket, as well as a capable rebounder, ball handler and defender. After playing at Adlai E. Stevenson
High School (Lincolnshire, IL) and graduating from Duncanville High School, Tamika Catchings became
one of the stars of the University of Tennessee women's basketball team. In 2001, she was drafted by the
Indiana Fever. After sitting out her rookie year due to injury, she had an all-star rookie season in 2002.
|
| Soccer & Cycling |
 Brian McBride
Soccer - Forward
37 years old
Arlington Heights, Illinois
St. Louis University
OLYMPIC HISTORY
Competed for Team U.S.A. in the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games
Brian currently plays for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer. McBride played varsity soccer at Buffalo Grove H
High School, where he led the Bison to the Illinois state championship in 1988, his junior year.
In his four years in high school, he scored 80 goals, 33 as a senior.
McBride was also named an All-American by Parade Magazine. Later, as a professional, he signed a contract
with Nike with the condition that the boys' varsity soccer team receive new uniforms every two years
|
 Christian Vande Velde
Cycling
36 years old
Lemont, IL
OLYMPIC HISTORY
Competed for Team U.S.A in the 2008 Beijing
and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games
Christian currently rides for Garmin-Slipstream. Son of United States Bicycling Hall of Fame inductee John
Vande Velde, Christian became professional in 1998 for US Postal. He twice rode on the Tour de France team
that brought twice Lance Armstrong to victory in 1999 and 2001. Vande Velde finished in the 2008
Tour de France in fifth place |
| Swimming |
 Matthew Grevers
Swimming: Freestyle & Backstroke
24 years old
Lake Forest, IL
Northwestern University
OLYMPIC HISTORY
3 Medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
(2) Gold in the 4x100 m Freestyle & 4 x 100 m Medley
(1) Silver in the 100 m Backstroke
Matt still holds the top Illinois all-time High School Time in the 50 Yard Freestyle, the
100 Yard Backstroke and the 100 Yard Freestyle. In 2007 he won his third NCAA individual title
in the 200 m backstroke by over 2 seconds …NU's first 3 time NCAA individual champion since
1930. Matt attends Northwestern University where he is majoring in Communication Studies.
|
 Christine Magnuson
Swimming: Butterfly & Freestyle
24 years old
Tinley Park, IL
University of Tennessee
OLYMPIC HISTORY
2 Silver Medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
100 m Butterfly & 4x100 Medley Relay
Christine is a six-time High School All-American winning the state championship her junior
year in the 100y freestyle. While attending college in Tennessee, she won the 100y Butterfly
at both the SEC Championships and NCAA Championships. Christine was named the SEC
Female Swimmer of the Year and Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year. Christine's major
was in Exercise Science. |
| Wrestling |
 Thomas (TC) Dantzler
Greco Roman-Wrestling
38 years old
Harvey, Illinois
Northern Illinois University
OLYMPIC HISTORY
Competed for Team U.S.A. in the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games
At 37 TC Dantzler made his Olympic debut in 2008. TC resides in Colorado Springs, Co.
with his wife and 3 children. In Harvey, IL. TC attended Thornwood High School and was runner - up
in the 1988 state wrestling tournament. He also lettered in football, baseball and track while
attending Thornwood. TC is founder and President of TC logiQ a Software Development company
which specializes in employee/volunteer background checks for its clients. |
 Larry Langowski
Freestyle Wrestling
24 years old
Chicago, Illinois
Northwestern University, Illinois
OLYMPIC HISTORY
Competed for Mexico in the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games
Larry's mother is a Mexican immigrant, which is how he chose to compete for Mexico in the
Olympic Games. He won a silver medal at the 18th Mexican Senior Olympic Festival in Mexico City,
a Fourth-place finish at Junior Pan American Wrestling Championships in Maracaibo, Venezuela
First-place finish at Olympic Elite Junior National Wrestling Championships in Culiacan, Mexico.
Larry has a double major in economics and psychology at Northwestern and he also volunteers
his time as a wrestling coach for Gordon Tech, where he went to High School. |
| Volleyball |
 Tom Hoff
Indoor Vollyball
37 years old
Park Ridge, Illinois
Ohio State & Long Beach State
OLYMPIC HISTORY
Team Gold Medal - 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
Also competed for Team USA in the 2004 Games
in Athens and the 2000 Games in Sydney
Tom is a three - time Olympian and captain of the 2008 U.S. Volleyball team. He attended
Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Illinois. His first two-years of college he competed
for Ohio State before transferring to Long Beach State. Tom is married and has three daughters.
In addition to indoor volleyball, Tom also has played on the Bud Light Pro Beach Tour.
|
 Sean Rooney
Indoor Vollyball
26 years old
Wheaton, Illinois
Pepperdine University
OLYMPIC HISTORY
Team Gold Medal - 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
At age 25 Sean was the youngest player on the men's volleyball team. He attended Wheaton
Warrenville South Hight School and was named the 2001 Illinois State Player of the Year and
lead the team to a state championship. Sean attended Pepperdine University in California
where he graduated in 2005 with a degree in Business Administration. In 2005 he lead the
Pepperdine Waves to a NCAA championship and is a four time AVCA All - American. By
the end of his career, he ranked second nationally amoung NCAA players in points per game.
|
| Softball & Track |
 Jennie Finch
Women's Softball - Pitcher
28 years old
La Mirada, California
Arizonia University
OLYMPIC HISTORY
Team Silver Medal - 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
Team Gold Medal - 2004 Athens Games
Jennie has been playing softball since she was five years old and pitching since she was eight.
She pitches for the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fastpitch softball league. Jennie was
named the NPF's Co-Pitcher of the Year in 2005, sharing the award with teammate Lauren Bay.
Arguably the most recognizable softball player in the world, Jennie went 2-0 for the United States
softball team in 2004, helping it win the gold medal in Athens. She is married to MLB pitcher
Casey Daigle and they have one son.
|
 Jorge Torres
Men's Track & Field
21 years old
Wheeling, Illinois
Colorado University
OLYMPIC HISTORY
Member of Team U.S.A. in 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games
As the son of Mixican immigrants, Jorge set the goal of reaching the Olympics since the 7th grade.
Jorge accomplishments include a third place finish at the 2008 Olympic Trials in 10,000m;
2006 USA Outdoor 10,000m champion; 2002 NCAA XC champion; 2005 and 2008 USA Cross Country
12km runner-up; 2002 NCAA Outdoor 5,000m runner-up; third at 2003 USA Outdoor 5,000m.
Jorge is a Mexican professional footballer, playing as a defender for Atlas.
|
| Rowing & Diving |
 Jamie Schroeder
Rowing
28 years old
Wilmette, Illinois
Stanford University
OLYMPIC HISTORY
Beijing 2008 Results: 5th, Quad Scull (3)
Athens 2004 Results: 10th, Coxless Four (2)
Jamie was educated at The American Boychoir School '95 Choate Rosemary Hall, Connecticut
and Stanford University from where he has a SBC and an Msc in Bioengineering. He has since
enrolled at Christ Church, Oxford where he is studying cardiac energetics for a Doctorate in the
department of Physiology at Oxford.
|
 Christina Loukas
Diving
24 years old
Riverwoods, Illinois
Indiana University
OLYMPIC HISTORY
Beijing 2008 Results
Women's 3m Springboard - 9th
Christina attends Indiana University, and redshirted the 2007-08 season in order to focus on training
for the Olympics. Christina who is majoring in exercise science with minors in psychology and
coaching, took classes part time and plans to graduate in May 2009 after diving in her final year
at Indiana University.
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