Comments on: How Media Training Could Have Saved Five Olympic Athletes

By: allenmireles

allenmireles — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 01:08:20 +0000

@magriebler Thanks for the comment. I think this year’s Olympic games and the social media fallout clearly highlight the need for specific coaching on what to do and what NOT to do. Sadly, going forward, we may discover we need to coach more than Olympians and celebrities.

By: allenmireles

allenmireles — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 01:05:21 +0000

@KDillabough You make such valid points. Thanks for the comments. Sadly, moving forward, this training may need to be part of more than just celebrities and Olympians.

By: KDillabough

KDillabough — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 21:32:55 +0000

We spent as much time working with athletes on their role as ambassadors of the sport and representatives of our country, emphasizing the importance of knowing…what you say…every single word…will be scrutinized, digested and shared. Think before you speak. Know that you carry the weight of your country on your shoulders. Think…would your parents be proud of what you said? Just my 2cents, from my experience as a Chef de Mission for many world class events, and coach of an Olympian.

By: magriebler

magriebler — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 20:08:08 +0000

I have a soft spot in my heart for those young Olympic athletes who are pushed into the limelight after growing up in gyms and training centers. (I’m not talking about people like Ryan Lotche, who actively sought media attention prior to the London games.) I can’t imagine how steep the learning curve is once you’re wearing a gold medal and everyone is talking more about your hair than your work on the uneven bars.

So I think you’re right on target with the need for media training and plenty of rehearsing (including brainstorming responses to potential worst-case scenarios). From the interviews I watched, the women on the gymnastics team had been coached on their sound bites, but may not have been inoculated against a very basic truth: people can be incredibly nasty. (Gabby Douglas seemed to literally lose her footing in the individual events after all the online chatter about her hair.) Perhaps most important, this is one time in life when you are NOT what you read.

That said, the women have been nicely coached on how to handle the brouhaha over McKayla Maroney’s expression on the podium. Here’s a link to their appearance on David Letterman: http://huff.to/NDGhkJ

And I agree with Letterman that the only person who hadn’t impressed McKayla was McKayla herself.

By: ginidietrich

ginidietrich — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 19:22:24 +0000

@allenmireles xoxo

By: allenmireles

allenmireles — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 19:04:43 +0000

@ginidietrich Are you KIDDING? So much better. Really.

By: ginidietrich

ginidietrich — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:52:16 +0000

@allenmireles I hope you don’t mind I changed it!

By: allenmireles

allenmireles — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:42:00 +0000

@ginidietrich Much better headline than the one I thought of, lol