Champions In Life is a community outreach program of the USOC. The program is a powerful tool in shaping young lives and involves Olympians and Paralympians reaching out to today's youth with the message that positive choices equal positive results in sport and life. Topics usually center on staying in school, staying drug free, avoiding gangs and violence and being the best you can be.
Using a school assembly format, the program challenges middle and high school students to believe in themselves and follow the role models presented by the athletes as they share their stories and experiences on their path to becoming Olympians and Paralympians. Following the Champions In Life school program, youth are treated to a hands-on interactive demonstration of Olympic sports presented by the athletes. Sport demonstrations have included track & field, basketball, taekwondo, canoe/kayak, gymnastics, team handball, wrestling, judo, weightlifting, luge, badminton and roller skating. This unique experience further reinforces the Champions In Life message and the positive role that sport can play in one's life. Each program can operate as a stand-alone program or in conjunction with the other component.
The first Champions In Life program was held in 1990 in Washington, D.C. Since then, the program has been conducted in Phoenix, Ariz., Miami, Fla., New York, Boston, Mass., Indianapolis, Ind., Nashville, Tenn., Atlanta, Ga., Orlando, Fla., and Colorado Springs, Colo. Through the Champions in Life program, students across the U.S. learn how to achieve and learn new lessons in sport and life.
