Jim Scherr Quotations

Unfortunately in these Games, it was unrealistic for the team to achieve at that level.

With their population base and the methods they use to funnel athletes into programs, they are very close to where the Cubans, East Germans and Eastern Europeans used to be.

We feel that this is, without question, the most accomplished team and perhaps the strongest team that we've placed on the field of play in an Olympic Winter Games. Our expectations are very high.

We share the point of view offered by CAS in its decision, which is that Zach Lund is an honest athlete who was poorly served by the international anti-doping system.

We want to make sure to emphasize that the action of a few will reflect on the many.

Many people don't realize that women's wrestling is now an Olympic sport, ... It was a great experience for me to coach that team. It was an honor to be selected to do so.

I enjoy coaching, probably even more than competing, ... It is a nice feeling to help someone get better. It is especially a gratifying experience to work with these kids. They have been very enthusiastic and fun to work with today.

We're proud of her courage, her resiliency and the things she has overcome.

We take it seriously. It's our responsibility to help athletes in a performing role to respect our country.

We take full responsibility for any unpleasant episodes. We need to do a better job at making them understand how what they do affects the whole team and the country.

I think it's good. They're expressing themselves in their own individual ways. They're a reflection of who they are. Our athletes have the ability to express themselves freely.

It is a little bit our fault that this team has been viewed a little bit less than that because of the high expectations we all had.

I think we're again going to surprise the world.

I think we're going to again surprise the world with how the U.S. does. They view our performance in Salt Lake as an aberration. I think our athletes and our national governing bodies, both individually and collectively, are out to prove that their performance wasn't an aberration that we are collectively a winter sports power in the world.

I think we're going to again surprise the world with how the U.S. does.

Overall, we see this as a great performance, even if it has been viewed generally as a little less than that because of the high expectations we all had.

I'm hoping the county will follow the city's lead.

That's their choice. From my standpoint if I want to participate or not that's my choice too so I'm going to wait and see. I'm hopeful that the study will give everybody goals to achieve, ... I've seen many a plan for Downtown El Paso. The important ingredient is El Pasoans committed to investing in downtown, taking their money and investing it. I'm hopeful this study will give confidence to El Pasoans to invest in the heart of the city. There's a general consensus that the time is now.

That's the way it should be. The amount of time and energy we spend on that is a fraction of what it was in the past. Our job here is all about performance and making sure athletes are taken care of at the games.

We'll deal with USA Hockey and the NHL, not with the New Jersey police.

We do not believe that Zach Lund is a doper or a drug cheat. An athlete of his character and integrity deserved a better outcome.

We do have the power of recognition; they aren't an N.G.B. unless we say they are. And we control a certain portion of their funding.

We expect a difficult time in terms of the environment going in but clearly we've got some great athletes to face those challenges.

We're very pleased with where the U.S. team is and optimistic about what we can do the rest of the Games.

We know the Beijing Games will be like no other; we have a whole new platform and stage. For much of the population of China, our athletes will be the only representation they have of our society.

We got to meet and hang out with all the United States athletes because we all stayed at the same dorm. We got to know guys like Greg Louganis, Carl Lewis and Riddick Bowe, plus athletes from all over the world. It was fantastic experience.

We'll feel pretty good if we get north of the low-20 threshold.

We don't know if that's true or not, and we won't know until after the games are over. But we do know, on paper, this is our most accomplished team.

We as an Olympic committee have to do a better job of holding them accountable and providing resources.

We think there's an opportunity for a performance that could come close to or match what the athletes achieved in Salt Lake City. We hope they'll be able to achieve at that level. We'll tell you after the games how we did.

We had 34 podium finishes in Salt Lake City and 75 top-eight finishes. We expect this team to do very well. We're not going to predict how many medals we might win in these games.

We have serious concerns over the actions of this particular N.G.B..

There are a couple areas where we thought we'd perform better but we didn't. We just have to go back and work a little harder for Vancouver.

We will make sure our edicts are followed to the highest degree. And overall, we've had almost all our athletes and teams do that. It's unfortunate that a few athletes have colored the rest of the delegation.

Unfortunately a few can color the rest of the delegation, but that's life.

We wanted to take a step that really drove and emphasized performance.

This team has taken a bit of a hit because of their comportment.

This team has taken a bit of a hit because of the expectations of some high-profile athletes. It was a case of mismanaged expectations and some unforeseen circumstances. But we'd hope a few incidents would not overshadow what we view as a great performance by our team.

This team has a taken a hit in terms of its comportment here in Italy because of a couple of incidents involving some high-profile athletes.

TV ratings, particularly in the U.S. market, are critical to the long-term cause of the movement.

We will use a number of things that happened here to point out specifically to our next teams, case studies, if you will, how to react and how to present themselves in the games' environment.

We don't want to second-guess what people do. But at certain points, if certain behavior becomes a distraction to teammates or reflects poorly on the entire U.S. Olympic team, we want to step in and take some action.

We should have given him the support earlier. We're doing it now.

Don't wait for someone else to fix your property. Be part of the leadership team and build El Paso ... take your money, build what you got and be proud of it. Make it what it can be,

Equally troubling is the manner by which this matter, and others, has been handled by the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, which long ago could have taken steps to address and correct this situation. As a result, America's skeleton athletes have had to deal with an unnecessary distraction during their preparation for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games, and that is unacceptable.

The wrestling world and the state of South Dakota can be very proud of what Jim has accomplished in his life; I know I am. There aren't many jobs in the sports world as powerful as the one he has. And to have someone in that job who comes from a wrestling background is great. He is dealing with some of the most influential business and sports leaders in the world on a weekly basis.

So overall these Games have seen both mismanaged expectations and some unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances.

Prior to Salt Lake, we were an afterthought as a winter sport nation. We had won a few medals, the highest being 13. But we really weren't considered one of the powers in the Winter Olympic Games.

As a result, America's skeleton athletes have had to deal with an unnecessary distraction during their preparation for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games, and that is unacceptable.

That was absolutely improper and something we have taken great measures to have our athletes not do,

The United States Olympic Committee is pleased to work with Visa to provide the U.S. delegation of athletes, coaches and staff with a tool that will simplify all their financial transactions and needs during the Olympic Winter Games. These easy-to-use cards provide tremendous advantages. We are thrilled U.S. Team Olympic sponsors, Visa and Bank of America, have come together to provide these cards to athletes and operational staff during a busy time.

This has been an incredible performance. It's probably our fault that it's been viewed a little less than that.

They have a very defined strategy for success at these games. They'll focus on sports where they've traditionally been strong, then they'll look to pick up opportunities in sports where they can, and maybe take a few medals from us in track and field and swimming. If you look at it, it's a very cost-effective, smart strategy.

They have a very defined strategy for success at these games.

They didn't mean any disrespect. They were excited but I think those athletes would do things differently now.

They are competitive individuals and they realize what the consequences of bad behavior might be.

There were stories about how we used to wait days at the Winter Olympics between winning medals. We're optimistic that those days are behind us now.

They represent the country. If someone says he skis wasted, yes, we will step in at some point in time and we would be concerned.

They're both very competitive individuals. It's an individual sport that seldom comes together as a team. We just want to make certain that they understand our position and, in moving forward, understand how their actions are viewed by others.

It was a tough Games. Overall, this has been a great performance. We didn't achieve our total capability because of the high expectations coming in. It's a little bit our fault.

It's a case of mismanaged expectations and unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances.

It nice to know that people aren't laughing at us when we show up any more.

It's more of a direct competition and direct threat. While we have to learn how to compete for medals in those sports where we don't normally contend, such as the Nordic areas, we certainly have to take very seriously those threats to our current medals.

It's unpredictable. They compete on snow and ice and anything can happen. But we feel good about it.

It's unfortunate that a few colored the rest of the delegation. We will be making some significant adjustments going into Beijing and Vancouver.

That's something we were concerned about. There was such a lull after Athens.

It's certainly the most significant challenge we've faced in a very long time as an Olympic movement in the United States.

It will be the largest Olympic sports competition in the history of the world.

I'm disappointed in ourselves and our own expectations that we came into the games with, which may not have been realistic.

In Beijing, China's public will have the opportunity to experience firsthand our country through the conduct of our delegation at those Games. So their behavior and how they conduct themselves will be exceptionally important.

In Salt Lake City we were on our home soil, very friendly environment, same time zone, home-cooked meals, competing in front of friends and family. We expect a more difficult time here, but we clearly have a great group of athletes.

In Salt Lake City, we had a wonderful opportunity to participate on our home soil. We had a home crowd and a friendly environment. We were in the same time zone or similar time zone to where the athletes trained. You're eating home-cooked meals with friends and family. And I think familiarity with the venues helped as well.

I'll give you the Al Davis line: Just win, baby.

I know Bode. He's a good kid. He's a great athlete and we're just excited to see what he does.

Clearly, we didn't achieve to the level of our expectations coming to the Games, which were very high coming out of Salt Lake and were high because of the quality efforts of the athletes throughout this four-year period.

His appointment to the Olympic team is our issue.

Chip's considerable experience working with leaders of government and business throughout Asia and the Pacific Rim will be especially valuable as we prepare for the Beijing Games.

I don't think there will be disruption of the Games because of this, but you never know, so it is something we monitor very carefully.

The host country of one Games to the next Games generally drops about 40 percent from one games to the next. So if you can do the math, from 34, we would be expected to be a little bit lower.

The Chinese public will have the chance to view our country through the conduct of our athletes.