London, home of the 2012 Summer Olympics

If you are like many college students (and people around the world!), you are probably planning to watch at least one Olympic sport when the 2012 Games in London start this week. But a few students are getting even more involved this year.

Some college students have spent years preparing for the Olympics to earn their chance to win a medal. Others have chosen to do some behind-the-scenes work. While most of us sit in front of the TV, here are a few students to watch for in the middle of the action!

Student Athletes Hope to Shine at the 2012 Olympics

Not surprisingly, there is a decent number of college students actually competing at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Just one of these young Olympians in college is Haley Ishimatsu, a diver from Duke University. She went to the Olympics in 2008 as well, so it is not shocking that she is considered one to watch this year.

Another diver who made the Olympics is Kristian Ipsen. He is a student at Stanford University, and he and his diving partner won the men’s synchronized 3-meter title at the trials. This student athlete previously won the NCAA title in the 3-meter dive, so he is no stranger to victory, despite this being his first Olympic Games.

Sam Mikulak is a male gymnast going to the University of Michigan. In fact, he is the first person from his college to join the Olympic men’s gymnastics team. Due to an ankle injury, he did not even end up competing on all events during the finals of the Olympic trials, but his performance on the pommel horse was enough to earn him an Olympic spot.

Another daredevil college student going to the Olympics is Alise Post, who does BMX Supercross Racing. She currently goes to the University of San Diego, which she chose over college in her birthplace of Minnesota because the warm California weather is more conducive to bike riding.

One Olympic athlete will just be entering college this fall at the University of Notre Dame. Lee Kiefer is on the fencing team and hopes to make her family proud since both her father and sister also have experience in this sport. She has won two world championship titles in fencing, so she is not new to high-profile competitions like the Olympics.

The Olympics: The Ultimate College Internship

Even college students without lifelong dreams of a gold medal are getting in on the Olympic action. In fact, 35 students from Ithaca College have been chosen to intern at NBC Sports, helping with media coverage of the event. Some will stay in New York, while others will head to London as part of this thrilling internship. But they will all make a difference in some way.

The jobs of these college interns range from finding the best footage to use for the broadcast of the Olympics, to assisting with press coverage.

Ithaca College is not the only school to send students to the Olympics for this exciting college internship. Several other colleges have done the same, so you should find out if your school also offers this opportunity if you think such an internship may be right for you — the next Olympics will be here before you know it!

Both the student athletes as well as the college students working behind the scenes should make the 2012 Olympics worth watching. Do you know of any interns or Olympic athletes from your college?

Bookmark & Share