My uncle was in the olympics a few years ago anyone remember Rick Oleksyk?
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Coach Rick Oleksyk, U.S. Olympic Handball TeamIn May 1995, Rick Oleksyk was appointed head coach of the United States Men's Handball Team. At the time, the team was ranked between 40th and 45th in the world. With the Atlanta Olympics just one year away, Mr. Oleksyk nevertheless managed to focus on the positive side, stating "I think we'll surprise a lot of people."
A year has since passed. The Olympics are but weeks away, and the United States Handball Team has already surprised a lot of people: at the end of June, it was ranked in the top 15 in the world.
Mr. Oleksyk was born on March 10, 1963, in Parma, Ohio. He attended St. Josaphat's Ukrainian Catholic School (primary). While in high school, he played baseball and basketball, and participated in track and field. He lettered in the former two.
In 1981, Mr. Oleksyk enrolled at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. In his freshman year he played baseball and basketball. A knee problem resulted in surgery, rehabilitation and conditioning in order to get back into shape.
While walking through the gym one day, he came across a handball team going through its paces on the court. Mr. Oleksyk picked up an unattended ball and threw it. The throw impressed a coach, and he asked Mr. Oleksyk to try the sport. Mr. Oleksyk did and became captivated by the game that is not widely known in North America. He also became a member of the West Point team, gaining a regular position towards the end of the season.
In his junior year, his first full year with the team, Mr. Oleksyk developed into the team's leading scorer. For his efforts he was recognized as the Collegiate Rookie of the Year. At the end of the season he was named to the U.S. junior team and competed at the 1984 World Junior Championships in Italy. While the American side placed 14th, Mr. Oleksyk was named to the World Junior Championship All-Tournament Team at the right-wing position.
In his senior year at West Point, as team captain Mr. Oleksyk led the academy to the NCAA championship and a second-place finish at the U.S. championship. He was honored that year as the collegiate MVP. He also represented the United States at the World University Games with the team placing seventh.
Upon graduation from West Point in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in political science and with the rank of second lieutenant, Mr. Oleksyk embarked on a career with the U.S. military. He served at Fort Bliss, Texas, and at Fort Carson, Col. In 1992 he left the Army with the rank of captain.
Military service did not impede Mr. Oleksyk's pursuit of handball. In 1985, he was named to the national team. Two years later, at the Pan-American Games, the underdog U.S. team surprised everyone by winning the gold medal in front of a partisan home crowd in Indianapolis.
Mr. Oleksyk recalled: "We played tremendously as a team. Individually we played as close to our potential as possible." The victory assured the team of a berth at the 1988 Olympics. Six weeks before the games, disaster struck as Mr. Oleksyk injured his hand and did not make the team (he was named an alternate).
That Olympic disappointment did not discourage Mr. Oleksyk. He was soon back in form. In 1989 he was named team captain and served in that capacity at the 1990 Goodwill Games (fourth- place finish) and the 1991 Pan-American Games (bronze medal). The American team failed to qualify for the 1992 Olympic Games, missing a berth by one spot. At the 1995 Pan-American Games the U.S. team placed fourth.
During his competitive career, Mr. Oleksyk played at the right-wing position, which suits him because of his quickness, good jumping ability, accurate throwing arm and the fact that he is left-handed. At 6 foot, 1 inch and 180 pounds he is highly competitive and determined, refusing to concede anything. These physical and mental traits made Mr. Oleksyk one of America's top handball players.
In May 1995, 32-year-old Mr. Oleksyk was named head coach of the U.S. Men's Handball Team. At the time, the U.S. Team Handball Federation gave Mr. Oleksyk, who was still a starter on the team, an opportunity to continue as a player. He nevertheless declined, suggesting that it would be impossible to do both jobs well.
Mr. Oleksyk's debut in coaching, in fact, had occurred a number of years earlier. In 1989, he coached the U.S. junior team; that same year, he was named assistant playing coach of the national team. Over the years, he played and studied under head coach Vojtec Mares, hired by the Americans after he led Czecho-Slovakia to fifth place at the 1988 Olympics. After Mr. Mares' resignation in 1995, a Spaniard was appointed interim coach. Two months later, the U.S. Team Handball Federation announced the appointment of Mr. Oleksyk as the head coach.
According to associate executive director of the federation Don O'Shea: "[Oleksyk] is a great analyst, not only of team play but individual play in the course of the game... He's got them uptempo, moving in a very positive direction." The players also liked the appointment, believing that an American coach would better understand American athletes.
Many would consider coaching a national and Olympic team a full-time job. For Mr. Oleksyk though, there is also a professional career. A graduate with an M.B.A. from the University of West Florida (1993), Mr. Oleksyk is currently employed as an assistant project manger with the marketing department of Kimberly-Clark. The company hired Mr. Oleksyk under the Olympic Jobs Opportunity Program, and fully supports his Olympic dream by providing time for training, travel and competition.
Mr. Oleksyk is a big promoter of team handball, a sport that he believes "encompasses the best of all the athleticisms." It has "the running and jumping of basketball, the throwing of baseball, the foot-work of soccer and the physical contact of [American] football. One has to be a well-rounded athlete to succeed in the sport."
Mr. Oleksyk considers the prospects for this relatively unknown sport to be good in the United States. To that members of the U.S. Handball Team taught the game to thousands of youngsters attending Atlanta's middle schools over the past year.
In one year, under the guidance of Mr. Oleksyk, the United States Handball Team has surprised a lot of people. The team has improved its world ranking by some 30 positions. In the month of May, it defeated the eighth-ranked team and tied the 11th. The U.S. team may yet again surprise in Atlanta.
Rick Oleksyk believes that he will have succeeded as a coach, if at the Olympics, "the [United States handball] team plays as close to its potential as possible." Interestingly, the last time this occurred was at the 1987 Pan-American Games where the Americans won the gold medal.:-)
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wow there was handball in the Olympic, How come I never saw that on tv?
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