Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Skier Mikaela Shiffrin, 20, born and raised in Colorado, is already an Olympic gold medalist and the youngest slalom champion in Olympic alpine skiing history. “I travel mostly for skiing and feel so lucky to get to do that,” she says. “In Europe, I will have a couple days off from training and my mom and I will just kind of pick up and go to Salzburg or Innsbruck. It’s fun to go into the city and enjoy the scenery.”
More famous than many of the celebrities with whom he is paired on “Dancing with the Stars,” professional dancer Derek Hough is a star in his own right. Hough, 29, has won an Emmy Award for his choreography on the series, as well as an unprecedented five Mirror Ball Trophies for his work on the show.
Bob Bowman is the coach of the most famous swimmer in the world: Michael Phelps. While he won’t confirm if Phelps will compete in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, he says the two enjoy competition of another kind: horseracing. “Michael and I own some horses (Water Cube, By a Hundredth),” says Bowman, who is based out of Baltimore. “These horses are amazing athletes in their own right.”
Julie Chu is the forward for the U.S. Women’s National Ice Hockey Team. A seasoned hockey veteran, the Harvard graduate is proud to be representing the United States at the Sochi Olympics, which will be her fourth Winter Games. Chu, 31 — who already has won a bronze and two silver medals — is hoping to win a gold medal this year.
Three-time Olympian Kikkan Randall is prepared to represent the United States for a fourth Olympics.
Beach volleyball player Sean Rosenthal has played in two Olympics so far and, if he gets his wish, he’ll be competing at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, too. “I hope to make the U.S. squad for a variety of reasons,” says the 33-year-old athlete, who’s based in California. “It’d be such an honor to get to represent the United States again. And, there’d be the added bonus of getting to play in Brazil, which has always shown an amazing amount of love for volleyball. The people are so enthusiastic about the sport, which makes it a lot of fun to play there.”
“I just got home from Japan, and it is by far one of the coolest places I’ve ever been to,” says U.S. speedskater Brittany Bowe. “The culture is so unique. We actually got to do a little bit of sightseeing on this trip and visit some of the temples. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. All the castles and architecture of Europe are beautiful. But then seeing Japan and its architecture is completely different and so special. Also, we went to Kazakhstan for a World Cup race and it was by far the coldest place I’ve ever been to so far. But it was a beautiful area. The buildings looked so cool and futuristic.”
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Jonny Moseley first saw snow when his family moved to Northern California. The mogul skier would go on to compete at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, where he won the first American gold of the Games. Since then, he’s hosted shows for MTV, was named one of People magazine’s most eligible bachelors, graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, got married and became a father. He has also added the title of “guru” to his resume. Moseley is one of ZOZI.com’s celebrity guides, who lead everyday folks on adventures.
The 2012 London Olympics is the fourth Olympics in which American swimmer Jason Lezak, has competed. He swam in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay preliminaries, which helped the United States reach the finals, where they won a silver medal. While this race wasn’t quite as exciting as the same race at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 — where Lezak swam the crucial anchor leg that helped propel the U.S. to a gold medal — the California-based athlete says every competition at the Games has been memorable in its own way. Lezak, 36, spoke from London, about how swimming has given him an opportunity to see the world.
A bronze medalist at the 2008 Olympics, swimmer Kim Vandenberg is hoping to be part of the United States contingent that will compete at the 2012 Olympic Games in London this summer. “You never know what can happen at the Olympic Trials,” says the 28-year-old Californian. “I’m more experienced than the last time and I feel well prepared. There’s definitely some nervousness when you compete, but since this is my second time trying to make the Olympic team, I know what to expect in terms of emotional requirements at trials. I’m looking forward to it and try to take things one day at a time.”