Meet the A-Team:  Lucy and Gavin

Cuban Ronald Girones (Blue) struggles with the US Michael Eldred in the men’s Judo -73kg bronze medal fight, during the Guadalajara 2011 XVI Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, on October 28, 2011. Girones won a bronze medal. (RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images)

Yesterday marked the closing of one journey for Olympic hopeful Michael Eldred. Michael has been commuting to EBJI and IC from Idaho for the past four years in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Unfortunately, the decision making match was not in his cards.

According to NBC Universal Sports (MIAMI – May 8, 2012):
The World Cup Miami and back-to-back U.S. Open this weekend are the setting for the “Hour of Power,” a fight-off between Nick Delpopolo, 73 kg (NYAC/Jason Morris Judo, Scotia, NY), and Michael Eldred, 73 kg (Western Idaho Judo Institute, Fruitland, ID) for the last undecided spot on the U.S. Olympic Judo Team.

Both Delpopolo and Eldred qualified for the team but Olympic rules allow each nation to send but one judo fighter per division. USA Judo created the Hour of Power to make that decision. Delpopolo is ranked higher internationally, so if he wins one match, he gets the spot on the team. If Eldred wins the first match, they go two-out-of-three. Each match is five minutes with a three-minute golden-score overtime.

“This is the definition of intense,” said Jose H. Rodriguez, USA Judo’s CEO, “a fight for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Judo Team.” The Hour of Power is scheduled for 2 p.m., Saturday, May 12, at the Doral Resort and Spa.

Michael won his crucial first match, allowing him to fight the “best out of three” event for the Olympic team spot. He then lost the first of three to Nick, won the second, but ultimately losing a very controversial final match – thus losing his place on the U.S. Olympic Team for 2012.

Michael is a class act and will continue to follow his dream into 2016.  Congratulations Mike – your effort and courage is inspirational!

If you want lots of downtime, IS is the place to be on Mondays and Wednesdays.

From  MailOnline.com

Jessica Ennis has revealed her focus on Olympic glory in London will necessitate being ‘rude’ to friends and family.

Ennis is desperate to win gold on home soil this summer, especially after losing her world heptathlon and pentathlon titles in the space of seven months.

The 26-year-old had enjoyed a long unbeaten run until finishing second behind Russia’s Tatyana Chernova in Daegu last year, while even a personal best was not enough to retain her World Indoor title in Istanbul, where Olympic champion Nataliya Dobrynska returned to form with a new world record.

And that means Ennis will be more focused than ever when she competes in London in August, where her parents, sister and fiance Andy will be in attendance.

‘If I step out into the stadium I don’t look for my family and friends and if I do catch their eye I completely ignore them,’ said Ennis, speaking at the launch of Jaguar’s Academy for Sport, of which she is an ambassador.

‘I want to stay so focused so I blank them out and probably come across as quite rude.

‘It can be a distraction, you just have to blank them out. You don’t want any other thoughts creeping into your head, anything that just slightly distracts you is a big negative.

‘I don’t even know where they are sat most of the time, but they’ll just catch your eye and I’m like, ‘Damn, I don’t want to see them!’ They know the deal, that I’m trying to compete and it’s not about waving to the crowd and smiling to my family so they understand.’

Ennis is relishing the pressure of competing in a home Games as Britain’s athletes look to meet their target of eight medals, one of them gold.

But she admits it is a good idea for the team to escape the hype at home by spending time in a holding camp in Montegordo in Portugal immediately before the Games.

‘I think the holding camp is a great idea,’ the Sheffield athlete added. ‘It’s a great set up in Montegordo. It will be great just to get away out of the country, you are not switching your TV and seeing everything and you escape from it a bit.

‘That will be the only time I get away before the Games.’

Taking the Saturday Core class out of their element.

The Chinese Weightlifting Team is the one to watch this summer. Their light and middle weight athletes (men and women) are already setting world records at the Chinese Olympic Team trails!