Athletes Quotations | Page 5

The athletes coming out today are marking $350,000 to $650,000 plus a year, just from their apparel deals.

The athletes can be under cover if they're not competing, instead of having to stand there and get soaked.

The athletes are youngsters whose time is still to come.

The athletes are up for the challenge. They're focused and I think our confidence is riding high. With two weeks before conference I think they really want to put up a good showing. This will be a very good test for us to see where we are mentally. If we can go out and execute as well as we have this year I think we'll be happy with the results.

The athletes are still out competing the same as a Division I team, and I think we've done a good job of creating an atmosphere where they're responsible for their actions and their play.

The athletes are happy he's sticking around and that he'll be in that leadership role. It's going to be a smooth transition.

That was such a horrible, tragic moment. I thought it said a lot about Tony, the way he coaxed the team into playing. ... I know the players were shell-shocked. Athletes aren't prone to feeling mortal about themselves.

That was quite an inning with four doubles in a row. We're just blessed with some good athletes that like to swing the bat.

That was a good run by a sophomore. There were a lot good athletes on the track.

That was pretty good for one major mistake and without our top two athletes healthy.

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.

That's the single most important thing that you could say to us. For others to comment on the effort of our athletes is the biggest compliment we could have heard, today.

I was proud of my athletes in that I still think they competed very well. And that's the most important thing. The weather certainly affected times and distances, particularly in running events, but a lot of athletes placed high and did well.

I was most pleased with the team performance as a whole. There were lots of events were we had some relatively green athletes and some others where we didn't know where we would be considering it's the start of the year and all the bad weather. But, we really performed well. This was a really good opening meet for us.

I wasn't expecting to have 12 athletes in the finals. Especially Phinney, he went from hunting to helping the overall spirit of the team.

I wasn't there at the beginning of the year, but I think the problem here is that we have to get athletes to come out and play. We've been shorthanded and had to play the younger kids.

I was nervous two weeks ago. I was nervous in anticipation for our athletes to get that first game under their belts.

I was appalled by the lack ofÊintegrity of the Ohio State basketball program. I feel there's so many special provisions for athletes it makes one question if the degree is worth the paper it's written on.

I was appalled by the lack of integrity of the Ohio State basketball program. I feel there's so many special provisions for athletes it makes one question if the degree is worth the paper it's written on.

I would like more athletes to be involved, but it takes commitment. It is a club sport, but there are rules and regulations that must be followed.

I would like to thank Morgan State University for the opportunity to coach the men's basketball team for the last five years. In addition, I would like to thank all the past and present student athletes for their hard work and dedication.

Most of the coaches and some of the tech guys have been on the slope. It's a very challenging course for sure. Some of the athletes will be excited and others will be surprised.

Most of our athletes will be competing this weekend and the seven potential reserves have been spoken to by the chairman of selectors about the process that will take place over the next few days and what they can expect.

When the athletes come to the Olympic Games, it is rarely about the muscles anymore. It is all about the muscles between the ears.

We have our work cut out for us. We've done this for many years and used to go to Columbus to play bigger programs with a lot Division I athletes and always held our own. We'll see what happens.

We have one month in the fall when all the athletes do is weight train a few times each week.

We just beat a great basketball team. Forrest City is as good as anybody in the state. They've got three of the finest athletes we've seen in Weaver, Bowman and Stewart, but we've good some pretty good kids, too.

You can compare Aliquippa athletes to anyone in Quad-A. I think the athletes in AA are as good as anyone. They just have more numbers in Quad-A.

(White) has been on everyone and she's just getting better. She played JV ball last year. She waited her turn, and a lot of athletes don't do that.

We were underdogs going into the Ely game and they were underdogs going into the Boyd Anderson game, and we both came out on top. When you beat teams like that, you're doing something right. We might not have athletes like Boyd Anderson or Ely, but we find a way to win.

We are a young team. Our younger athletes need to step up and compete at a high level.

We hope to achieve better results in snow events, especially in free style skiing aerials and biathlon. It will also be the first time we send more athletes in snow events than on ice.

We hope he's OK. You don't wish this on anybody. ... The athletes are very unlucky and this is not funny for Austria. It's very sad that this happened.

We're a great team. We can play this game, and we've got a lot of naturally talented athletes who are ready to work to be better.

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 really worked hard tonight to share and distribute the ball. We have a lot of great athletes on this team ... a lot of great characters. And they just keep improving.

We got beat by a pretty good team. Ephrata has some great athletes with a lot of basketball talent.

We have a lot of good athletes here. In the past, we haven't done well against other teams, but now I think we have better athletes and better players and we're on point.

We had turnover within the coaching staff and within the personnel of the team which are negative signs, ... Some of our student athletes were having trouble succeeding academically, which is a bad trend. ... I think this coach will restore a lot of that discipline.

We had to work this year. Last year we had some pretty fast horses and any one of these athletes could win. But this year took more of a strategy, who?s gonna go when, who?s not. We need our best players at the end, but we also need them to be pressure ready.

We have a lot of schools coming out, which means a lot of kids. So far, we have 800 students signed up to compete. It would be great for all those athletes that the cheer squads support all year round to come out and support their spirit squads on Saturday.

We've got some athletes who can make plays. Denzel Gayden had an outstanding ballgame. Denzel flip flopped from defensive end to linebacker. Along with Ennis Sullivan and Chris Drummer, those three guys are seniors and guys that we'll depend on to lead us on defense.

We've got seven or eight athletes who can really put the ball in the basket. That's how we can be successful in games. We don't have to rely on just one or two players.

We've got a lot of weapons, to where a lot of teams won't be able to just isolate one or two of our players. When we run the floor, when we get it going, our athletes look pretty tough out there. It's a fun team to watch when they get to running the floor.

Using the training runs is a nice tool to show what the athletes can do on the track.

We've done all right in the first three. Now we hope to finish strong. I don't care what the sport is, tournament atmosphere is great. It's fun to be around athletes competing at a high level. Some of their energy rubs off on you as you go through the weekend.

We have had several sponsored athletes that train here as a direct result.

We have had a somewhat slow start with a lot of illness, but we have a solid turnout of over 50 kids. We have some experienced and talented athletes, but it is always a challenge to get the athletes in all the right events.

We have had an arduous four months where we've been tested under fire and we're looking forward to bringing this group of 20 athletes together to make the final push. As Americans we all know what the objective is and this group of athletes gives us the best chance of accomplishing that goal.

We have a lot of athletes walking the halls right now. The reasons they aren't playing are numerous. Some don't play strictly because they don't dedicate the time to get their grades. That comes first with me because that's their future. Eligibility requirements have gotten tougher.

We have a lot of athletes that tend to shine in big meets. We don't always get the prized athlete. Instead, we get kids that just work hard.

We have a lot of athletes back there. Our biggest goal this year is to get the backs to come up on the run. We didn't do that as good as we should have last year. This year, I think we will.

We have a lot of young swimmers on the men's side. Athletes take longer in men's swimming to make a difference, and this team will continue to grow as they gain experience.

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 know that we are the main athletes right now. We know that we are young and going to be on top for a while. We just go in, basically like we do every meet . . . we just focus on our own thing.

We have two outstanding coaches who will lead our team to success in an exciting and challenging competition. This meet will be a significant test for our team. Not only are we are facing our biggest rivals in their backyard, but this is also the last opportunity these athletes have to test themselves on a major international stage before the Beijing Olympics.

We can't accept the principle that Italian laws are not valid, because there are athletes from somewhere in the world who want to be free to take doping substances,

We have the winning spirit on the inside because we were brought up as winners. Some of these athletes that you get now just want to play. It has to be taught and instilled in them. That's basically what we had to do with this group. They're just now getting the concept of what it takes to win.

We have the athletes that can bang the shots. We just have to get more confident and we'll be alright.

We were still a little rusty, and with only a week's worth of practice, the timing and technique of some of the athletes was a little off. The running events went real well.

Today was a really hot day and Tyrone is a really tough course, so I'm real proud of our athletes the way they were able to compete under those conditions.

Trinity has great female athletes and LaGrange is very tough if they play to their potential. I think our team's success has come one game at a time.

Tricia commands the greatest respect at a national and international level in sport due to her vast experience and knowledge. She is widely respected as a loyal champion for athletes because she always places their needs first.

Today's decision opens up an opportunity for young athletes in the Marshall Islands to aspire to represent their country at the Olympic Games.

Those guys, they play hard no matter what the score is. They've got a lot of athletes and they keep on trying hard to come at you.

When I first came here, the wheelchair racing program was really in its fledgling stages, but by the time I left, we were a strong team with athletes from around the country and had begun to receive more support from the university. I continue to hear of both the success and struggles of the team and it makes me miss having such a strong community of athletes with disabilities all in one place.

We need to find athletes who are determined to play as a team and have positive attitudes. Hopefully these guys can see what we're trying to do.

We know they have good athletes at Bellows Falls and we tried to keep them with the ball on the left side of the court. They go to the right well.

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 get up and down the floor. We've got some very good athletes for our level. We've got great size. We have the best point guard in the country.

We get to hang out with some of the other athletes in the lounge. We talk to them and find out about their sports. It's good getting to know them and their experience.

We get a couple of days at the Athletes Village at the start and a few days after the curling, so it should be an enjoyable time.

We can be happy and proud. We started well and finished strongly, our athletes showing great character.

We came to play tonight. We were missing shots and free throws early and we were still only eight points down, We just made plays down the stretch. Coaches coach, but athletes win games.

We have an obligation to spend this money, whatever it takes, so we can have a fair and open forum for our athletes and coaches to air their grievances. Will it set the program back? Who knows? But it's what we have to do.

We have a very, very young team with some good senior leaders. I thought coming into today that we could finish in the high forties, but we performed above what I thought we were capable of and that's a testament to the athletes on this team.

We have athletes who get in the same spot on the field (and) freeze. An athlete such as Carson Palmer, who has to sit in there, it reminds me of Joe Namath. There is always the psychological aspect of keeping that foot planted and throwing over that front foot and worrying about getting hit on. It's real.

We have athletes and good heart. They are really together.

We are concentrating on one meet at a time. We have some tough races in the next five weeks, and we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves. The enthusiasm on this team is outstanding, and if the coaches and athletes can continue that positive attitude for the rest of the season, I'm confident that we will achieve success as individuals and as a team.

Those guys are good athletes out there. They're one of the best teams in the country. They are there for a reason. Hitters are hitters. No matter what level you're at, if you leave it up, they're going to hit it. If you get it down, they're not.

Unified Sports is a part of the National Games that teams Special Olympics athletes with partners without disabilities.

We'll literally have the world's best athletes here in Osaka. This will be a good opportunity for young Japanese athletes to see what the world is like.

We don't have guys go to college to play ball. We have good athletes who buy into what we're doing and play hard. You have a couple good players and a bunch of guys that accept their roles, you can have a pretty good team every year.

We're not talking about wholesale problems here. We're talking about a small percentage of athletes not meeting the guidelines set forth.

We are planning to implement a new scoring system, according to which, athletes have to compete in more matches to add their points. This will cut down the number of walkovers.

To black athletes, he was an icon. Everybody looked up to him. It's Dave Winfield, Andre Dawson and Kirby Puckett for black athletes (to look up to). It's tough to swallow.

When youre on the runway getting ready to go on the Coliseum field, you think about all the big events that have been held there, all the great athletes who have competed there,

Where ever he's been, he's a winner. He's a wonderful young man with a lot of great experience. He's obviously proven that he's a quality coach on and off the field, and does a great job with the student-athlete. He makes baseball fun. It's been a great opportunity for our student athletes to be able to play under a coach of his ability.

We played a pretty good game. We played consistent, and we did a great job shooting. Hughes Springs has some great athletes on their team, but we came out ready to play and we led the whole way.

We probably have a different viewpoint. But the one thing we have in common is that we were all athletes being thrown into this mess together.

We pledge to do our best to win medals while making efforts to deepen exchanges with athletes of other countries and contribute to world peace.

When a new coach comes in, it takes a while. You're not going to win right off the bat. A lot of your older (assistant) coaches are excellent teachers and now they're retiring. A lot of the younger coaches are having trouble relating to athletes today. You have to be on a level above your kids, and you have to be a disciplinarian.

We don't have a lot of secrets left, so everybody's got to step up. I think we have enough weapons that they can't key on one kid to shut us down. It's pretty much my best athletes against your best athletes.

We're logistically challenged in recruiting, and sometimes we're a little late on guys, and we don't get the best athletes in America. So our walk-on program has to strengthen the efforts we have with scholarship players. Local kids are sometimes overlooked because they're not as fast or as big or as strong, and they come in here with the attitude of, 'I'm good enough to play.' If they prove it, we give them a scholarship.

We had some guys before who weren't team players. The 53 guys we kept may not have been the best 53 athletes but we're the best 53 team players.

There is a tremendous challenge for this football team this week as we head down to Atlanta. We know that they are an outstanding football team. They are well coached. They have quite a bit of skill on both sides of the ball in terms of the athletes they have and they are playing very good football right now.

This squad is loaded with really great athletes and I really think they're going to make some noise in the league.

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We do a good job of taking what the defense is giving us. In the second half we defended better, but we still had a tough time rebounding the ball, but that's a credit to Belleville East. They have good athletes and they were trying hard to win.

We were again a little short-handed this week, but our athletes who were there performed very well.