Natalie Williams had a dream of competing at the Summer Olympics, and encouragement from coaches and peers fueled that fiery passion for the three-sport standout at Taylorsville High in the late 1980s.
William went on to excel in basketball and volleyball at UCLA, earning All-American status several years in both sports. The quantity and quality of accolades were greater in volleyball, however, as the four-time All-American honor led the Bruins to two NCAA championships and earned national player-of-the-year recognition twice.
Making the host U.S. women's volleyball team for the 1996 Atlanta Games seemed to be a natural, given her collegiate achievements and her nation-team experience. Williams helped Team USA to silver and bronze medals in the World University Games (she even carried the torch in the latter) and she was a mem-
ber of the U.S. national team that won the silver medal in the 1993 NORECECA (Americas zone) championship.
One of the last two players cut from the women's national team going into the Atlanta Games, Williams suddenly found herself on the outside looking in as an Olympic spectator.
"The hardest thing was watching the opening ceremonies when the athletes were walking in," remembered Williams, who as a Taylorsville team member had been a participant in the U.S. Olympic basketball trials. "I was thinking, 'Dang, I could have been playing with the (U.S. women's) basketball team.' "
Williams brooded about the missed Olympic opportunity for about two weeks and then focused on a basketball career that would take her to all-star and all-league status first in the now-defunct American Basketball League and currently with the Utah Starzz of the WNBA.
For the past two years, she has been a member of the U.S. national team — in women's basketball and not volleyball, as she had dreamed as a teenager. She has been one of the stalwarts as the star-studded U.S. team has been practically unbeatable en route to 1998 World Championships.
Four years ago, Doug Mientkiewicz — a stellar collegiate player for Florida State — was tabbed for the U.S. baseball team to play in the Atlanta Games. Baseball in the Olympics was still an amateurs-only competition, and Mientkiewicz opted to turn down the Olympic invitation — against his mother's wishes — and instead sign a professional contract with the Minnesota Twins, the Salt Lake Buzz's parent organization.
Baseball at the Sydney Games is the first time professionals will be allowed to compete in the Olympics. And since major leaguers won't forgo the final month of the season to play, the U.S. team is composed of minor league stars. With his strong showing this season as the Buzz first baseman, Mientkiewicz joins catcher Marcus Jensen as one of two dozen pros selected to the U.S. Olympic team.
And then there's Denise Parker, Salt Lake's resident archer who expected a swan song on home soil for the Atlanta Games. She was a teen sensation at the 1988 Seoul Games, winning a bronze medal at the ripe age of 14 in her first Olympic outing. After struggling at the 1992 Barcelona Games, Parker eyed Atlanta as her best shot.
But she faltered well before the 1996 Olympics, not even qualifying through the U.S. Olympic Trials. "When I didn't make it (the '96 Olympics), it all threw me for a loop."
Frustrated, she shelved her bow for a time, only to return with a fresh, calm perspective to qualify for the 2000 Sydney Games. "It's an emotional relearning," she says of her comeback. "I'm taking it an Olympics at a time."
Following are thumbnail sketches of
U.S. Olympians from Utah or who have ties to the state. Also included is a list of other Olympians with local connections.
Aquatics - water polo
Courtney Young Johnson
Birthdate: May 7, 1974. Birthplace: Salt Lake City. Hometown: Salt Lake City. Current residence: Sunnyvale, Calif. Height: 5-4. Weight: 125. Position: Attacker, driver. Olympic experience: First Olympics. Local tie: A standout soccer player and swimmer at Skyline High School, where she graduated in 1992.
Notes: A runner-up in the state 4A 100 backstroke and member of several state-championship relay squads ... Played club water polo while at Skyline ... Went to the University of California to swim and play water polo ... Focused on the latter after her first year ... Married and also planning to graduate with a law degree from the University of California at Santa Clara ... Likens her position to that of a basketball point guard ... University of California female athlete of the year in 1996.
Archery
Denise Parker
Birthdate: Dec. 12, 1973. Birthplace: Salt Lake City. Hometown: Salt Lake City. Current residence: Salt Lake City. Height: 5-7. Weight: 125. Event: Women's individual and team archery. Olympic experience: Third Olympics. Won a team bronze medal and finished 21st in the individual event as a 14-year-old at the 1988 Seoul Games. Placed eighth in the individual and team events at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Local tie: Salt Lake native and resident who graduated from Bingham High and Westminster College.
Notes: Gave up the sport for a short period after failing to qualify for the 1996 Atlanta Games ... Returned in time to regain form and qualify for Sydney, finishing third at the U.S. Trials ... Holds five junior, five intermediate and nine ladies national outdoor records and nine national indoor records ... A three-time winner of the World Target Trials and a former junior world champion ... Has captured 10 Pam Am games medals from 1987 to 1999, including seven golds.
Athletics
Amy Christensen Palmer
Birthdate: April 20, 1975. Birthplace: Tooele. Hometown: Grantsville. Current residence: Grantsville. Height: 5-11. Weight: 220. Event: Women's hammer throw. Olympic experience: First Olympics. Local tie: State champion and record holder in the discus, javelin and shot put at Grantsville High School who went on to star at BYU in the throwing events. A current Utah resident.
Notes: Won 10 state high school event titles at Grantsville ... Won six outdoor and indoor WAC titles in shot put and discus from 1994 to 1996 ... An all-state volleyball player in high school as well ... Placed second at U.S. Olympic Trials this summer ... Placed fifth in the shot put at the 1996 U.S. Trials ... Graduated from BYU in 1998.
Jason Pyrah
Birthdate: April 6, 1969. Birthplace: Springfield, Mo. Hometown: Orem. Current residence: Orem. Height: 5-4. Weight: 140. Event: Men's 1,500 meters. Olympic experience: Second Olympics; placed ninth in his heat at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Local tie: Former BYU All-American runner and current Utah resident.
Notes: The U.S. Indoor mile champion in both 1997 and 2000 ... Personal records all came in 1996 - 3:35.21 in the 1,500 meters, 3:55.14 in the mile and 1:46.75 in the 800 ... Married three months ago ... Placed second in the 2000 Olympic Trials, earning him a return trip to the Summer Games ... A returned LDS Church missionary, having served 1989-90 in Bolivia ... Graduated from BYU in 1993; is working on an advanced degree.
Baseball
Marcus Jensen
Birthdate: Dec. 14, 1972. Birthplace: Oakland, Calif. Current residence: Scottsdale, Ariz. Height: 6-4. Weight: 204. Bats: Switch hitter. Throws: Right. Position: Catcher. Olympic experience: First Olympics. Local tie: Plays for the Salt Lake Buzz.
Notes: A member of the 1999 Pan American baseball team that placed second and allowed the United States to qualify for the Sydney Games ... Led the Pan An team in home runs (3) and RBI (9) ... Opened the 2000 season as the starting catcher for the Minnesota Twins before being sent to Salt Lake ... Expected to share catching duties with former World Series MVP Pat Borders ... Has played in the Giants, Tigers, Brewers and Cardinals organizations.
Doug Mientkiewicz
Birthdate: June 19, 1974. Birthplace: Toledo, Ohio. Current residence: Fort Myers, Fla. Height: 6-2. Weight. 193. Bats: Left. Throws: Right. Position: First base. Olympic experience: First Olympics. Local tie: Plays for the Salt Lake Buzz.
Notes: Spent all of 1999 with the Minnesota Twins and has starred for the Buzz this season, hitting .331 with 17 home runs and 92 RBI at the time of this late-August selection to the U.S. Olympic team ... Expected to be the starting first baseman in Sydney ... A fifth-round pick out of Florida State by the Twins in 1995.
Basketball
Natalie Williams
Birthdate: Nov. 30, 1970. Birthplace: Long Beach, Calif. Hometown: Taylorsville. Current residence: Holladay. Height: 6-2. Weight: 177. Position: Forward. Olympic experience: First Olympics. Local tie: Starred in volleyball, basketball and track at Taylorsville High; a WNBA All-Star with the Utah Starzz. A current Utah resident.
Notes: Disappointed in not making the U.S. volleyball team four years ago but realizes she has a great chance to medal in basketball in Sydney ... Recently named first-team all-WNBA ... A national-team member for two years, with 11 of the 12 U.S. team members having at least one season together under their belts ... Leading rebounder and second-leading scorer for the United States in the 1998 World Championships, where the Americans ran off a perfect 9-0 record ... Expected to give the U.S. team a strong rebounding presence in Sydney.
Cycling - track
Chris Witty
Birthdate: June 23, 1975. Birthplace: Waukesha, Wis. Hometown: West Allis, Wis. Current residence: Park City. Height: 5-6. Weight: 145. Event: Women's track time trials. Olympic experience: First Summer Olympics. Won the silver medal in the 1,000 meters and the bronze in the 1,500 meters in the women's speedskating competition at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. Local tie: Currently resides in Park City and is training for the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games.
Notes: Witty is only the ninth American ever to participate in both the Summer and Winter Olympics... If she medals, she would be only the second to win a medal in both the Summer and Winter Games... Has been training this fall in Calgary for upcoming World Cup speedskating season... Was a national champion in the time trial event in 1996 and 1998... Placed second in the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer... Finished in the top seven twice in World Cup time trials competition this summer.
Volleyball - indoor
Logan Tom
Birthdate: May 25, 1981. Birthplace: Napa, Calif. Hometown: Salt Lake City. Current residence: Colorado Springs. Height: 6-1. Position: Outside hitter. Olympic experience: First Olympics. Local tie: Starred at Highland High School, where she was named the national high school player of the year in 1998.
Notes: Dubbed "The Future" of U.S. women's volleyball team... First invited to participate with the national team back in 1996... Turned down a chance to join the national team to years ago to focus on her senior year at Highland... An explosive jumper and hard-hitting attacker... Starred at Stanford last year and became only the fourth freshman ever to earn first-team All-American honors... Helped the Cardinal team reach the NCAA finals last fall... Expected to be a force on the U.S. women's team for a number of years... Youngest member of the national team.
Charlene Johnson Tagaloa
Birthdate: Aug. 30, 1973. Birthplace: Phoenix. Hometown: Las Vegas. Current residence: Colorado Springs. Height: 5-10. Position: Setter. Olympic experience: First Olympics. Local tie: Played at Pleasant Grove High for her senior prep season, then was a two-year All-American at BYU in the mid-1990s.
Notes: One of only two married players on the U.S. women's team and is the only mom, with a 7-year-old son Kaipo ... Guided BYU to three WAC championships in the Cougars' first-ever NCAA semifinal appearance ... Has been a starting setter on the U.S. team for two years, but coaches were always seeing if any newcomers could unseat her ... Helped the U.S. qualify for the Sydney Games as the starting setter at the NIKE Americas' Volleyball Challenge this year, and earned best-setter honors at the four-team event.
Ryan Millar
Birthdate: Jan. 22, 1978. Birthplace: San Dimas, Calif. Hometown: Palmdale, Calif. Current residence: Colorado Springs. Height: 6-7. Position: Middle blocker. Olympic experience: First Olympics. Local tie: A three-year All-American at BYU, who led the Cougars to the 1999 NCAA title.
Notes: Had played in the national program before his senior season at BYU ... Didn't turn many heads that time, but made his presence known after graduating from BYU ... Powerful middle blocker for the Americans, with coaches and teammates mindful of his strong, confident play ... Not only logging considerable playing time but has been a starter this year as well ... Recorded 108 kills, 32 blocks, nine aces and a .437 hitting percentage in World League play ... One of only five players to earn AVCA first-team All-American honors three times.
Others
Rulon Gardner, a native of Afton, Wyo., who won an NJCAA championship while wrestling for Ricks College in the early 1990s, is the American wrestling in the Greco-Roman heavyweight class. After upsetting favored Matt Ghaffari in the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer, Gardner moves on to Sydney to wrestle in the Greco-Roman heavyweight division, which has been ruled by Alexander Karelin, who is unbeaten in major international competition and has amassed nine world championships and three Olympic gold medals.
Former BYU assistant volleyball coach Rod Browning is an assistant with the U.S. men's indoor volleyball team, while L. Jay Sylvester, a former BYU discus thrower and Olympic medalist, is assisting with the U.S. track team in the throwing events.
Foreign Olympians
Aquatics - swimming: Arunas Savickas, a former three-time All-American at BYU and holder of several national records in his native Lithuania, is expected to compete in Sydney.
Athletics: Several athletes who competed in Utah as collegians are slated to compete, including BYU's Leonard Myles-Mills of Ghana in the men's sprints, BYU's Maggie Chan of Hong Kong in the women's middle or long distances, BYU's Marsha Mark of Trinidad in the women's heptathlete and Utah State's Ladonna Antoine of Canada in the women's 400 meters and 400-meter relay.
Former BYU sprinter Frankie Fredericks, who won two silver medals in both the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Games in the 100 and 200 meters, has been injured but is considering making a late push to qualify again for Namibia.
Basketball: Margo Dydek, the Utah Starzz's 7-foot-2 shot-blocking center, will look to take the Polish women's teams to new heights in Sydney. Poland and the United States are in the same preliminary pool in the women's tournament, resulting in a matchup of Starzz teammates Dydek and Williams.
Also, Utah Valley State College point guard Paul Henare is on the New Zealand roster for the men's tournament. New Zealand is scheduled to face the United States in pool play, meaning Henare will face the likes of Gary Payton, Jason Kidd and the rest of the NBA-caliber U.S. team.
Weightlifting: Finland's Karoliina Lundahl, who won the gold in the 1999 Women's World Championships in the 75-kilogram class, is a former BYU shot putter.