United States Olympic Committee YouTube Channel, presented by AT&T, announces Four New Original Content Series

Added by Gregg Snyder on June 13, 2012.

Alex Morgan, Team USA Soccer

Colorado Springs, Colo. – More than 85 U.S. Olympians, Paralympians, hopefuls and coaches are featured in one of the United States Olympic Committee’s new original content series airing on its YouTube channel, YouTube.com/TeamUSA presented by AT&T. The channel launched in May and already has 110,000 video views.

Four new series launched this week, joining those already featured on the site. The new original content includes the series “Qualified,” “Returning Veterans: London Bound,” “Olympic Coaching Tips” and “Gold Medal Moments.”

“Qualified”
Fans can follow the journey of 17 athletes aiming to qualify for the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams with an insider’s peek into their training, competitions and home-life. The athletes include wrestler Jordan Burroughs, runner Walter Dix, soccer player Alex Morgan, swimmer Dana Vollmer and boxer Rau’Shee Warren. Each athlete will be featured in 13 videos, each 4-5 minutes in length, and five behind-the scenes shorter videos, bringing the series total to almost 300 episodes, as well as athlete-shot video logs providing unique insight into their personalities and lifestyles. Not every athlete will qualify for the team, as the series explores how these elite athletes cope with the elation of success and the heartbreak of defeat.

“Returning Veterans: London Bound”
Five injured U.S. military veterans are featured in this series, highlighting the trials and tribulations of their journey to qualify for the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Team. The athletes include sitting volleyball player Kari Miller, shooter Josh Olson and runner Brandon Pelletier. Six video features of 4-5 minutes in length will focus on each athlete, with a total of 30 episodes.

“Olympic Coaching Tips”
Olympic coaches have reached the pinnacle of their careers, sharpening their expertise and coaching philosophies along the way. In “Olympic Coaching Tips,” these icons share their knowledge and insider’s tips with fans, focusing on a featured fundamental skill in each episode. Fifty episodes will feature elite coaches from 15 sports, along with illustrative graphics to guide the viewer. The coaches include Lee Bodimede (field hockey), George Dallam (triathlon), Terry Liskevych (volleyball), Jim Miller (cycling) and Matt Scoggin (diving).

“Gold Medal Moments”
This poignant look back at defining moments of past Olympic Games tells the backstory of 52 different gold medal-winning heroes. Each 4-5 minute episode focuses on a significant moment in Olympic history with archive Olympic footage, an interview with the athlete or coach, and amazing looks back at the inspiring moments in time. Examples include gymnast Mary Lou Retton’s perfect 10 at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games to capture gold in the all-around competition by just 0.05 points, becoming the first U.S. woman to claim the title; sprinter Michael Johnson’s dominating performance at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, winning the 200m final in his famous gold shoes in World Record time; and Muhammad Ali’s gold medal winning bout at the Rome 1960 Olympic Games as an amateur in the light heavyweight division.

Already featured on YouTube are four additional USOC series:

• “Raise our Flag, the Team Behind the Team”: U.S. athletes share stories about the people who have supported their Olympic and Paralympic dreams as a part of the USOC’s Raise our Flag campaign, set to fun and unique animation.
• “Road to London,” presented by Hilton HHonors: Fans can follow the making of the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams through this daily series featuring sit-down interviews, event coverage and behind-the-scenes footage.
• “Start Like a Champion with Summer Sanders,” presented by Kellogg’s: Olympic swimming champion Summer Sanders meets with USOC dieticians at the U.S. Olympic Training Center for healthy eating tips and ideas.
• “Team USA: Britain Bound”: Seven U.S. Olympic and Paralympic champions take the trip of a lifetime to prepare for the 2012 Games, touring Great Britain’s Olympic venues and iconic destinations.

“These inspiring series are another manifestation of our efforts to create compelling content for our fans while giving even more exposure to our talented athletes,” said Lisa Baird, USOC chief marketing officer. “Americans can check in to any one of our digital properties to find out what’s going on with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams. We look forward to working with YouTube to give Americans more behind-the-scenes access to our athletes in the years ahead.”

Earlier this year, the USOC announced a number of digital enhancements in time for what is being hailed as the first truly digital and social Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USOC re-launched its website (TeamUSA.org), allowing for more multimedia content and fan engagement, created the 2012 Team USA Road to London mobile and tablet applications, and launched its first-ever YouTube channel.