July 28, 2008
Bowling
Green, Ky. - A Western Kentucky University group is nearing the starting blocks for its upcoming trip to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
A delegation of more than 40 students, faculty and friends of WKU will leave for China on Sunday (Aug. 3). The group will arrive in Shanghai on Monday (Aug. 4) and enjoy two days in this historic city including guided tours of Bund and Zhouzhuang, an ancient town surrounded with water and canals.
Adding to the cultural experience, the group will depart Shanghai to Beijing in time for the Olympics on China’s Super Train to view the countryside of China.
The group plans to provide updates during the trip online at http://www.wku.edu/olympics/.
Members of the WKU delegation making the trip to China include the following: Kelly Hargis of Alvaton, Ky.; Fred Gibson, Richard Dressler, Chris Dressler, Frank Kersting, Carol Kersting, Bob Logsdon and Tyler Spencer, all of Bowling Green, Ky.; Rachel Maloney, Gina Brown, Kristin Howard and Lauren Edsten, all of Louisville, Ky.; Tristan Hood of Ashland, Ky.; Emily Bickett of Whitesville, Ky.; Brian Soverns of Clarkson, Ky.; Craig Morehead of Connersville, Ind.; Evelyn Oregon of Chicago; Maggie Roe of London, Ky.; Robert Woodke and Lee Kersting, both of Tampa, Fla.; Allison Dial of Franklin, Tenn.; Beth Weimer of Sterling, Va.; Jennifer Hamblin of Charleston, S.C.; Matthew Love of Radcliff, Ky.; Drew Howard of Lexington, Ky.; Tyaan Porche of Pensacola, Fla.; Jane Seto of Bay Area, Calif.; Scott Lyons of Murray, Ky.; James Navalta of Laie, Hawaii; Corrie Ballard of Birmingham, Ala.; Mark Williams of Erie, Pa.; and Jenny Cao of Huai Nan, China.
WKU is partnering with Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina and the Capital Institute for Physical Education in Beijing for the trip. The group includes a mix of undergraduate and graduate students in exercise science, recreation and sports management.
While in Beijing the group will visit Beijing Sports University to take part in lectures on topics including “The Making of Chinese Top Athletes,” “Chinese Martial Arts and Traditional Medicine” and “Physical Education in Schools.” These lectures will be delivered by prominent Chinese professors including Dr. Wang Anli, dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation at Beijing Sport University; Dr. Teng Jian, president of World Jinjidao Federation and noted for research in the area of sport management and Olympic studies; and Dr. Zhang Jidong, an internationally recognized martial artist and has served as a kung fu adviser for various Hollywood action movies.
In addition, the group will be addressed by John Helmick, the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne Vice President since 2000. The WKU contingent also will have the opportunity to tour the Olympic Triathlon Venue prior to the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games.
The group will be attending Olympic events Aug. 11-13. Look for the WKU contingent at the men’s single kayak and canoe qualifying or women’s team handball matches Aug. 11 (Angola vs. Norway, Korea vs. Germany), women’s individual elimination match archery Aug. 12 and the semifinals of the men’s (77 kg) and women’s (69 kg) weightlifting competition Aug. 13.
A central component to the WKU Olympic dream has been the assistance from Zhiwei Pan, division chief for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. Pan is a graduate of Indiana University, but has a business partner who is a WKU alumnus in Bowling Green. Pan’s wife, Jenny Cao, has spent the last year at WKU as a visiting scholar.
Pan also helped WKU establish its partnership with Capital Institute for Physical Education in Beijing, as well as the Beijing Sport University.
In addition to the Olympics, the WKU group will experience various facets of Chinese culture. The schedule includes visits to such landmarks as the Great Wall, Ming Tombs and Summer Palace. In addition, while in Beijing the group will attend a Chinese acrobat show, the International Tea Show, and spend an evening at the Laoshe House for a traditional Chinese opera.
On the way back to Shanghai, the group will stop in the ancient town of Pingyao, which is a famous historical and cultural settlement in China. Inside this city, the streets, residential quarters with courtyards, and shops all preserve their ancient Ming and Qing styles.
The WKU group is scheduled to arrive back in Nashville on Aug. 17.
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Fred Gibson at (270) 745-6021 or (270) 535-8385.
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