Q&A with Steve Roush, U.S. Olympic Committee Chief of Sport Performance
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by Gary Abbott
TheMat.com interviewed Steve Roush, the Chief of Sport Performance at the U.S. Olympic Committee. Roush oversees the USOC divisions tasked with providing targeted resources and support to the National Governing Bodies, athletes and coaches in pursuit of sustained competitive excellence. He and his staff work closely with all of the Olympic sports organizations, including USA Wrestling, to create an environment where the United States can excel on the international sports scene
Roush joined the USOC in 2000, after a successful career as Assistant Executive Director for USA Swimming. During his tenure there, U.S. swimmers at the 2000 and 1996 Olympic Games won 33 and 26 medals, respectively. He is a former Assistant Coach for the University of Wisconsin and Northwestern University swim teams.
Roush provided extensive information on the overall U.S. Olympic effort, as well as specifics regarding the partnership that USA Wrestling and the USOC have developed to succeed in international wrestling.
TheMat.com: How does the U.S. Olympic Committee assess the overall performance of the U.S. Olympic Team at the Beijing Olympics and why?
Roush: The USOC felt that our athletes represented their country, their sports and their families with the true spirit of Olympism in all aspects of their performances in Beijing. The medal count was the best in the history of our organization but the manner in which our athletes conducted themselves exhibited how much respect they have for the Olympic principles. The fact that no athlete tested positive for performance enhancement substances while performing so well is a major reason why we view these as highly successful Olympic Games.
TheMat.com: What did we learn from the performance of China, which won the gold-medal count on their home turf? Do we expect China to continue to be that strong in future Olympics?
Roush: Since 2001, when Beijing was awarded the 2008 Olympic Games, China has invested large amount of resources in an effort to be viewed as a world power in Olympic Sport. China focused on improving in many multiple medal sports on the Olympic program. They went out and hired experts in the world of specific sports that they had not traditionally done well in at the Games. Project 119 was an effort by the Chinese Olympic Committee to win the medal count by developing medal opportunities in sports that possessed large number of medals. I view the success of the Chinese as an indicator that they are here to stay and that they will be able to build of their success in 2008 for many Games to come.
TheMat.com: What do you credit for the great success of the team sports on the U.S. Olympic Team?
Roush: One of the areas the USOC is most proud of our performances in Beijing are those of our team sports. Team sports are a significant part of the sport culture within the USA and for that reason the USOC continues to invest in those programs. While their achievements of reaching the podium only accounts for a single medal in the medal count, the fact remains that we have multiple Olympians returning to their hometowns with a medal around their necks to inspire the next generation of Olympians. I credit the abilities of the NGBs to incorporate their athlete development plans into existing programs from high schools to college to national teams in an effort to strengthen their pipeline as one of the main reasons Team USA continues to perform well in the team sports.
TheMat.com: In your mind, how important is a strong U.S. wrestling program to the success of the overall U.S. Olympic effort?
Roush: Wrestling is a sport that the USA has a great tradition of success in and remains a key for us to remain competitive with China and Russia. The multiple medal opportunities are a great way for our organization to invest into programs run by USA Wrestling that develop a pool of athletes pursuing those opportunities.
TheMat.com: What was your assessment of the U.S. wrestling effort at the Beijing Olympics?
Roush: I think the effort by the wrestlers was exemplary. However, the results were disappointing after the performances at World Championships over the 2005-08 quadrennium.
TheMat.com: How well do you believe USA Wrestling has done in working as a partner with the U.S. Olympic Committee to maximize our performance? What more can be done in the future?
Roush: USA Wrestling has been an exceptional partner in the effort of developing Olympic athletes with a focus on success at the Olympic Games. As we move forward I am hopeful that both organizations can work together to maximize performances by using the resources of each to impact those performances in the most effective and efficient manner. This is even more critical as we face a tough economical environment.
TheMat.com: Are you finding that more nations are investing more money into their Olympic programs like we have found in international wrestling?
Roush: The trend around the world is for National Olympic Committees to focus their limited resources on sports that they have a strong tradition in. That makes it difficult for an NOC like the USOC who supports a full array of Olympic sports to as high of level as possible to stay competitive with the far more focused approach other NOCs are implementing.
TheMat.com: Is there one aspect of the U.S. Olympic effort from Beijing that the U.S. Olympic Committee takes the most pride in?
Roush: Our top three goals, in priority order, for the USOC going into the Beijing Olympic Games was 1) a clean team, 2) Team USA behave in a manner that makes our country proud, and 3) perform at the highest level possible. I think the USOC is extremely proud on all three fronts.
TheMat.com: Prior to the Beijing Olympics, everybody expected a boost in performance from the Chinese team. Heading into the London Games, are we expecting a similar jump from Great Britain, or are their other factors we are expecting?
Roush: Leading into the Beijing Olympics, Great Britain was trending towards significant improvement in their performances across several sports. Their performances in Beijing were a dramatic improvement over Athens fueled by the significant increase in resources provided by the UK Sports Lottery. I anticipate further improvements as we head towards London as they have increased that level of support that provided for the Beijing performances.
TheMat.com: How important is investing in international relations to the success of U.S. athletes and teams at the Olympic level?
Roush: The investment in international relations by the USOC is a priority as we move forward. Supporting the NGBs in their efforts to gain influence within their international federation is critical. So many critical decisions regarding the field of play are made within the committees of the IFs and it is vital that the US have voice and vote when these discussions are taking place.
TheMat.com: How successful has the Olympic Training Center program been to the performance of U.S. athletes and what is the future of the Olympic Training Centers?
Roush: We have seen a trend in OTC usage towards more elite/national team level athletes training at the training centers. The international trend towards more centralization of training by many sports is consistent with what we are experiencing in the US.
TheMat.com: Can we look forward to seeing more Olympic sports on television through an Olympic network program through the USOC?
Roush: I think one of the true benefactors from an Olympic Network is the athletes and NGBs having their content shown on a regular basis in our country. The strong interest in viewership during the 2008 Olympic Games has shown that there is an audience for Olympic sports in the US.
TheMat.com: How is the Chicago 2016 bid going at this time, and what can each Olympic sport do to help support this bid?
Roush: The Chicago 2016 bid came out of the Beijing Olympics with very good momentum and continues to build interest as we head towards the vote in Copenhagen on October 2, 2009. It is vital for NGBs to work through their International Federations in making the bid as attractive as possible to their leaders. The NGBs need to work with the USOC and Chicago 2016 to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to network with IF leadership on the advantages of having the Olympic Games in Chicago in 2016.
TheMat.com: Will the U.S. Olympic Committee be doing things differently in how they work with national governing bodies including USA Wrestling moving into the London Olympic Quadrennium?
Roush: The USOC will continue to work with national governing bodies in the area of athlete development, business development and organizational development as we head towards London. It will be important that we take lessons learned in the past quadrennium and apply them into more effective support systems for the athletes and NGBs.
TheMat.com: What is your perspective on government funding? Do you forsee this as a future option?
Roush: The USOC has been successful in obtaining government funding for our Paralympic efforts in the past few years. I foresee opportunities for Olympic sports to pursue governmental funding for efforts in grassroots development before elite level programming. Finding ways to support governmental initiatives such as fighting childhood obesity with participation in sports programs are a key to getting financial support. I can see this type of support allowing NGBs to find resources to support their developmental programs thus freeing up some resources to support elite-level programming.
Roush joined the USOC in 2000, after a successful career as Assistant Executive Director for USA Swimming. During his tenure there, U.S. swimmers at the 2000 and 1996 Olympic Games won 33 and 26 medals, respectively. He is a former Assistant Coach for the University of Wisconsin and Northwestern University swim teams.
Roush provided extensive information on the overall U.S. Olympic effort, as well as specifics regarding the partnership that USA Wrestling and the USOC have developed to succeed in international wrestling.
TheMat.com: How does the U.S. Olympic Committee assess the overall performance of the U.S. Olympic Team at the Beijing Olympics and why?
Roush: The USOC felt that our athletes represented their country, their sports and their families with the true spirit of Olympism in all aspects of their performances in Beijing. The medal count was the best in the history of our organization but the manner in which our athletes conducted themselves exhibited how much respect they have for the Olympic principles. The fact that no athlete tested positive for performance enhancement substances while performing so well is a major reason why we view these as highly successful Olympic Games.
TheMat.com: What did we learn from the performance of China, which won the gold-medal count on their home turf? Do we expect China to continue to be that strong in future Olympics?
Roush: Since 2001, when Beijing was awarded the 2008 Olympic Games, China has invested large amount of resources in an effort to be viewed as a world power in Olympic Sport. China focused on improving in many multiple medal sports on the Olympic program. They went out and hired experts in the world of specific sports that they had not traditionally done well in at the Games. Project 119 was an effort by the Chinese Olympic Committee to win the medal count by developing medal opportunities in sports that possessed large number of medals. I view the success of the Chinese as an indicator that they are here to stay and that they will be able to build of their success in 2008 for many Games to come.
TheMat.com: What do you credit for the great success of the team sports on the U.S. Olympic Team?
Roush: One of the areas the USOC is most proud of our performances in Beijing are those of our team sports. Team sports are a significant part of the sport culture within the USA and for that reason the USOC continues to invest in those programs. While their achievements of reaching the podium only accounts for a single medal in the medal count, the fact remains that we have multiple Olympians returning to their hometowns with a medal around their necks to inspire the next generation of Olympians. I credit the abilities of the NGBs to incorporate their athlete development plans into existing programs from high schools to college to national teams in an effort to strengthen their pipeline as one of the main reasons Team USA continues to perform well in the team sports.
TheMat.com: In your mind, how important is a strong U.S. wrestling program to the success of the overall U.S. Olympic effort?
Roush: Wrestling is a sport that the USA has a great tradition of success in and remains a key for us to remain competitive with China and Russia. The multiple medal opportunities are a great way for our organization to invest into programs run by USA Wrestling that develop a pool of athletes pursuing those opportunities.
TheMat.com: What was your assessment of the U.S. wrestling effort at the Beijing Olympics?
Roush: I think the effort by the wrestlers was exemplary. However, the results were disappointing after the performances at World Championships over the 2005-08 quadrennium.
TheMat.com: How well do you believe USA Wrestling has done in working as a partner with the U.S. Olympic Committee to maximize our performance? What more can be done in the future?
Roush: USA Wrestling has been an exceptional partner in the effort of developing Olympic athletes with a focus on success at the Olympic Games. As we move forward I am hopeful that both organizations can work together to maximize performances by using the resources of each to impact those performances in the most effective and efficient manner. This is even more critical as we face a tough economical environment.
TheMat.com: Are you finding that more nations are investing more money into their Olympic programs like we have found in international wrestling?
Roush: The trend around the world is for National Olympic Committees to focus their limited resources on sports that they have a strong tradition in. That makes it difficult for an NOC like the USOC who supports a full array of Olympic sports to as high of level as possible to stay competitive with the far more focused approach other NOCs are implementing.
TheMat.com: Is there one aspect of the U.S. Olympic effort from Beijing that the U.S. Olympic Committee takes the most pride in?
Roush: Our top three goals, in priority order, for the USOC going into the Beijing Olympic Games was 1) a clean team, 2) Team USA behave in a manner that makes our country proud, and 3) perform at the highest level possible. I think the USOC is extremely proud on all three fronts.
TheMat.com: Prior to the Beijing Olympics, everybody expected a boost in performance from the Chinese team. Heading into the London Games, are we expecting a similar jump from Great Britain, or are their other factors we are expecting?
Roush: Leading into the Beijing Olympics, Great Britain was trending towards significant improvement in their performances across several sports. Their performances in Beijing were a dramatic improvement over Athens fueled by the significant increase in resources provided by the UK Sports Lottery. I anticipate further improvements as we head towards London as they have increased that level of support that provided for the Beijing performances.
TheMat.com: How important is investing in international relations to the success of U.S. athletes and teams at the Olympic level?
Roush: The investment in international relations by the USOC is a priority as we move forward. Supporting the NGBs in their efforts to gain influence within their international federation is critical. So many critical decisions regarding the field of play are made within the committees of the IFs and it is vital that the US have voice and vote when these discussions are taking place.
TheMat.com: How successful has the Olympic Training Center program been to the performance of U.S. athletes and what is the future of the Olympic Training Centers?
Roush: We have seen a trend in OTC usage towards more elite/national team level athletes training at the training centers. The international trend towards more centralization of training by many sports is consistent with what we are experiencing in the US.
TheMat.com: Can we look forward to seeing more Olympic sports on television through an Olympic network program through the USOC?
Roush: I think one of the true benefactors from an Olympic Network is the athletes and NGBs having their content shown on a regular basis in our country. The strong interest in viewership during the 2008 Olympic Games has shown that there is an audience for Olympic sports in the US.
TheMat.com: How is the Chicago 2016 bid going at this time, and what can each Olympic sport do to help support this bid?
Roush: The Chicago 2016 bid came out of the Beijing Olympics with very good momentum and continues to build interest as we head towards the vote in Copenhagen on October 2, 2009. It is vital for NGBs to work through their International Federations in making the bid as attractive as possible to their leaders. The NGBs need to work with the USOC and Chicago 2016 to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to network with IF leadership on the advantages of having the Olympic Games in Chicago in 2016.
TheMat.com: Will the U.S. Olympic Committee be doing things differently in how they work with national governing bodies including USA Wrestling moving into the London Olympic Quadrennium?
Roush: The USOC will continue to work with national governing bodies in the area of athlete development, business development and organizational development as we head towards London. It will be important that we take lessons learned in the past quadrennium and apply them into more effective support systems for the athletes and NGBs.
TheMat.com: What is your perspective on government funding? Do you forsee this as a future option?
Roush: The USOC has been successful in obtaining government funding for our Paralympic efforts in the past few years. I foresee opportunities for Olympic sports to pursue governmental funding for efforts in grassroots development before elite level programming. Finding ways to support governmental initiatives such as fighting childhood obesity with participation in sports programs are a key to getting financial support. I can see this type of support allowing NGBs to find resources to support their developmental programs thus freeing up some resources to support elite-level programming.
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