Off to Singapore

West Point boxing coach Ray Barone (and Tuxedo School Board member) is the U.S. boxing team coach at inaugural Youth Olympic Games, By Nancy Kriz TUXEDO - When the opening ceremonies to the first-ever Youth Olympic Games in Singapore begin tomorrow, the Town of Tuxedo will be represented among thousands of people from 205 countries worldwide. Marching in with the U.S. team will be Tuxedo resident Ray Barone, the longtime boxing coach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a member of the Tuxedo Board of Education. Barone, who coached Army to its third consecutive National Collegiate Boxing Association championship this past April, was selected to lead the team when USA Boxing - which oversees amateur level boxing nationwide - decided to participate in the games. One-man team Barone left Monday evening for Singapore, and will be on hand for the duration of the games, which run Aug. 14 to 26. The boxing competition begins Aug. 21, with finals taking place Aug. 25. The U.S. boxing team will only have one member: Joshua Temple of St. Louis, as Barone said two others didn’t qualify. Having a one-person team will be to Temple’s advantage, as he’ll get 100 percent of Barone’s coaching knowledge and expertise as both boxer and coach continue to prepare for competition. Already, the two spent time together at the recent USA Boxing National championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. Barone is looking forward to the competition and the expected cultural experiences to be gained at the games. But he also has his sights set on a gold medal. “To win a gold medal,” Barone said reflectively. “There would be nothing better than standing on the podium and hearing our national anthem played.” ‘We’ll eliminate walls’ Barone is no stranger to competition and is going into the games with the same commitment to winning as in other boxing matches. “We’re going into this the way you would with any national collegiate competition, though this is the biggest,” he said. “I’ve worked with some of the Olympic athletes at different competitions, but this is the first time ever on an Olympic level. I’ve done a lot of preparation. You’re representing your country and it’s important to get it right. In addition to being a coach and representing the Academy, I’m representing my country and good moral and ethical character.” Also on Barone’s agenda is to spend time with coaches from other boxing teams and share training techniques and methods. In particular, he’s looking forward to meeting coaches from the Cuban and Ukrainian teams. Barone said the Youth Olympic Games will mirror the format of the “regular” Olympic Games, including living in the Olympic Village, participating in opening and closing ceremonies and having the opportunity to take part in the pure fun stuff like pin trading. The expected camaraderie is important to Barone as well. “We’ll talk about sports and we’ll eliminate walls,” he added. While it may take awhile for the Youth Olympic Games movement to gain the same recognition as the regular Olympics, Paralympics or Special Olympics, Barone knows he’s being a part of something historically significant. “I live in Tuxedo,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve ever gone to an Olympics. Did you ever think a small town boy would ever get to that position?” At a glance: Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games Tuxedo resident Ray Barone will be joining: 3,600 young athletes between 14 and 18 years of age 5,000 young athletes and officials 205 National Olympic Committees 1,200 media representatives 20,000 local and international volunteers 370,000 spectators Source: www.singapore2010.sg

I live in Tuxedo. This is the first time I’ve ever gone to an Olympics. Did you ever think a small town boy would ever get to that position?” Tuxedo resident Ray Barone, the U.S. boxing coach for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, which open tomorrow in Singapore.

Watch it, get results
To watch the Singapore games, visit www.singapore2010.sg, and click “watch live.” That will direct viewers to www.youtholympicgames.org, the official Web casting platform. The competition schedule can be found at the Singapore 2010 Web site under “tickets.” During the games, competition results, as well as any changes to the competition schedule, will also be reflected on the Web site.

What are the Youth Olympics Games?
The ancient Olympic Games were a series of athletic competitions held for representatives of various city-states of ancient Greece held in honor of Zeus. The exact origins of the games are shrouded in myth and legend but records indicate that they began in 776 BC in Olympia in Greece. The next Olympic Games will be in 2012 in London and 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
However, the newest additions to the today’s Olympic movement are the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG), which are being held in Singapore beginning Aug. 14. They are an international multi-sport event which will now be held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consistent with the current Olympic Games format. The YOG will feature athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 and are a successor to the discontinued World Youth Games. In 2012, the winter YOG will be held in Innsbruck, Austria.
Also within the Olympic movement are the Paralympics Games, established in 1948, where athletes with physical disabilities compete. They are held at the same venue and immediately following their respective summer and winter Olympic Games. The Special Olympics are also an international organization and competition, established in 1968. They are held every two years, alternating between summer and winter games, for people who have intellectual disabilities.
Source: www.wikipedia.org compilations