Jul 25, 2008 5:20 pm US/Pacific
SJ A Gathering Point For Past, Present Olympians
SAN JOSE (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
The first reunion of American Olympians began Friday in downtown San Jose, the same day that Olympians competing in the 2008 games began receiving gear and undergoing medical testing at San Jose State University.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was on hand to greet some of the 600 Olympic athletes and coaches expected to pass through SJSU on their way to the games in Beijing.
All of the nation's athletes will be stopping through the university for one or two days before heading to China, where the Summer Olympics start on August 8.
The school is being used as a processing center to give out uniforms, take official photos, size for Olympic rings and to brief the athletes on what to expect in Beijing.
Schwarzenegger, a former Mr. Olympia body builder, shook hands with athletes and wished them good luck, and handed out a few off-the cuff remarks.
"There's no one that can appreciate more the kind of effort that goes into being where you are today," the governor said to a crowd that included the U.S. mens rowing team.
"I know very well the kind of work that goes in. Some of these athletes have talked about six, seven hours of training a day and that doesn't even include the shower."
Meanwhie, at the reunion downtown, throngs of Olympians from past games listened as Willie Banks, three-time Olympian and president of the U.S. Olympians Association declared that he was "excited to be here" for such a historic event.
Olympians from all over the nation, who competed in sports ranging from rowing to volleyball to handball, came to reunite with each other and "promote the Olympian way of life."
The reunion was organized in order to create a more cohesive Olympic community, said Cindy Stinger, member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and organizer of the reunion.
Stinger said that when she began working for the Alumni Association of the committee the one thing everyone wanted was a reunion for all Olympians, and it is an "incredible honor" to be helping achieve that goal.
Richard Fosbury, former Olympic high jumper who revolutionized the sport with his famous "Fosbury Flop" jump, said the reunion comes at a perfect time, so Olympians from former games can come see the national team off as they head to Beijing.
The reunion was to continue throughout the weekend with a barbecue picnic, a salute to the 1968 Olympic team on its 40th anniversary and other events.
"We're here and we're ready to have a party in San Jose," Stinger said of the Olympians converging on San Jose.
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