It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when Jamie Schroeder’s Olympic dream began.
Certainly not as a pensive young boy who was more interested in picking flowers in the outfield than chasing down fly balls.
Not as a 7th grader, when Schroeder’s elegant singing voice allowed him to leave north suburban Wilmette and see the world as a member of the prestigious American Boychoir School.
And definitely not during his first year of college, when Schroeder majored in music and kept active by tossing Frisbees and dabbling in wind surfing.
It wasn’t even the first day he went to a Northwestern crew meeting to see if he might have an interest in rowing.
“I remember just seeing the precision, and seeing it was absolutely spectacular,” said Schroeder, 22. “But it never even occurred to me that there was a U.S. rowing team. It was just so far out of my league.”
Turned out it wasn’t. Three years after taking up rowing, Schroeder was named to the U.S. Olympic rowing team last month, and in a few days will begin an improbable experience in Athens.
“The real shock didn’t really happen as I was named to the team,” Schroeder said. “It was the year before that it was even in the realm of possibility that I could try out for this team being so new to the sport.”
After that first crew meeting in Evanston, it didn’t take much time for Schroeder to realize his 6-foot-8 frame adapted perfectly to rowing. He spent the summer of 2001 working out at the New York Athletic Club, and the coaches there convinced him he had the potential to go far.
He transferred to Stanford in the fall of 2001 to be a part of its highly-regarded rowing team and spent two seasons, on scholarship, as a member of the Cardinal rowing team. With encouragement from his coach, Schroeder decided to take a year off from school to train for the Olympics.
“It’s been an incredible year,” Schroeder said. “It’s been kind of like an enormous summer vacation. I’m working hard physically, but I haven’t had to do any critical thinking, anything beyond just learning how to row better.”
This is a long way from the days when Schroeder says he was “non-athletic” and “uncoordinated.” And this isn’t just a case of false modesty. When Jamie’s mother, Carol, tells friends he is off to the Olympics, the response is always the same.
“They can’t believe it,” she said.
Neither can his 14-year-old brother, Chip, one of Jamie’s three siblings.
“It’s pretty amazing since his whole transformation,” said Chip Schroeder, who also has taken up rowing. “I couldn’t really believe it. He turned from kind of a musical kid to an Olympian.”
The Schroeder family will be in Athens to support Jamie, who doesn’t know what his chances for winning a medal are. He’ll compete in the men’s four with three teammates has been training with for only a few weeks.
At 22, Jamie is the youngest male rower on the 45-person U.S. rowing team, and his three rowing mates are the oldest, including two who came in fifth at Sydney in 2000.
“It will really come down to how the four of us … come together as a boat,” Schroeder said.
Medal or not, Schroeder will return to Stanford next month to continue working toward a degree in bioengineering. He hasn’t decided what he’ll do after college, but his transformation over the last few years has been huge. He began college as a non-athletic music major and is finishing as a world-class athlete and bioengineer-in-training.
“I see the end in sight,” Schroeder said. “The regatta will be over in just over two weeks, and then it’s back to school. Then this whole crazy year, this whole roller-coaster ride will be over.”
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Game faces
Illinois is well-represented at the Summer Games, with local athletes competing in at least six events for the U.S. team. Some local athletes are competing for other nations too.
–REDEYE
Tom Hoff, 31
Event: Men’s volleyball
Illinois connection:
Grew up in Park Ridge and attended Maine South High School.
Olympic experience: 2000
Career highlights: U.S. national team member since 1997; played two years at Ohio State before transferring to Long Beach State, where he became a two-time All-American.
Ogonna Nnamani, 21
Event: Women’s
volleyball
Illinois connection: Born in Bloomington and raised in Normal. Currently attending Stanford University.
Olympic experience: None.
Career highlights: Joined the U.S. women’s national training team in May 2002; earned a bronze medal at the 2003 Pan American Games; three-time All-American at Stanford.
Kevin Barnett, 30
Event: Men’s volleyball
Illinois connection: Grew up in Naperville and attended Naperville North High School.
Olympic experience: 2000
Career highlights: Member of U.S. national team since 1997; MVP of the 1998 U.S. national team; played professionally in Belgium, Austria and Italy.
Ilija Lupulesku, 36
Event: Men’s table tennis
Illinois connection: Lives in Chicago.
Olympic experience: 1988; 1992; 1996; 2000.
Career highlights: Won a silver medal in doubles for his native country Yugoslavia at the Seoul Olympics in 1988; has competed in every Olympic table tennis tournament.
John Magera, 34
Event: Archery
Illinois connection: Lives in downstate Carterville, 320 miles south of Chicago.
Olympic experience: None.
Career highlights: Learned the Olympic-style bow just over one year ago; competed in only four tournaments before placing third at the Olympic trials to earn a trip to Athens.
Martin Boonzaayer, 33
Event: Men’s judo (heavyweight division)
Illinois connection: Lives in Hoffman Estates and works out at Cohen’s Judo Club in Buffalo Grove.
Olympic experience: 2000.
Career highlights: Three-time national champion; finished second at 1997 Mr. America bodybuilding competition.
Yolanda Griffith, 34
Event: Women’s basketball Illinois connection: Grew up in Chicago and graduated from Carver High School.
Olympic experience: 2000. Won a gold medal.
Career highlights: 1999 WNBA Most Valuable Player.
Dwyane Wade, 22
Event: Men’s basketball
Illinois connection: Born in Chicago and graduated from Richards High School in Oak Lawn.
Olympic experience: None.
Career highlights: Led Marquette to 2003 NCAA Final Four; averaged 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists during rookie season with Miami Heat.
