Olympian

<p>Melissa Stockwell inspires us to embrace change and find motivation in adversity, as she shares her astonishing journey of leadership, perseverance, gratitude and competitive success.</p><p>At first glance Melissa Stockwell may appear to be the quintessential Mid-western All-American girl, but she is far more.

<p>The most recognized male figure skating star in the world, Scott Hamilton has won 70 titles, awards and honors including an Emmy Award nomination, induction into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame and a privileged member of the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.</p>

<p>Leadership expert Jim Craig is best remembered for his outstanding goaltending in the "Miracle on Ice" during the 1980 winter Olympics. In what has been labeled the greatest sports moment of the 20th century, the United States hockey team beat the heavily favored Russians and went on to win the Olympic gold medal. The legendary tale of the team led by Jim Craig was immortalized in the Disney feature film "Miracle".</p>

<p>Millions of Americans remember Mike Eruzione as the captain of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team that beat the odds to win the gold medal in Lake Placid. It was his decisive winning goal that beat the Soviet team and stunned the world.</p>

<p>Oprah Winfrey calls Amy Purdy her inspiration. As a young girl, Purdy dreamed of sailing through fresh powder restrained only by a snowboard attached to two feet. Above all, she dreamed of freedom, of the chance to craft a personal narrative of her own choosing.

<p>A champion on and off the court, Martina Navratilova is not only a tennis legend, but an inspirational leader and sports speaker who demonstrates wit, candor, and sheer motivation.

<p>No obstacle is too big to overcome for Jim Abbott.  After being born with only one hand, the pursuit to making it to the major leagues did not deter him. As the first baseball player to win the Sullivan Award as the nation&#39;s outstanding amateur athlete in 1987, Abbott went on to represent Team USA and became the first American pitcher in 25 years to beat a Cuban team on Cuban soil.

<p>Dara Torres is arguably the fastest female swimmer in America. She entered her first international swimming competition at age 14 and competed in her first Olympics a few years later in 1984. </p><p>At the Beijing Games in 2008, Torres became the oldest swimmer to compete in the Olympics.

<p>Amy Van Dyken is a 6-time Olympic gold medal champion swimmer who made history as the most successful athlete at the ’96 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia and the first American female athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympic games.</p>

<p>Van Dyken began swimming at age six in an effort to relieve childhood asthma, through which she developed a strong "will to win." That strength made her a star in the ‘96 Games, despite competing with about 65% of normal lung capacity.</p>

<p>Since she was a little girl, Shawn Johnson East dreamed of competing for the United States in the Olympics. By 2008, when she was named to the US Olympics Gymnastics Team, she was already a two-time National Champion, and a World AA Champion.</p>

<p>At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Johnson East helped establish the United States as one of the most talented teams in the world, winning the individual gold medal in the balance beam, and three silver medals in the individual all-around, floor exercise, and team categories.</p>