Footcare info, specials & more!
Subscribe for FREE.

Foot.com Athlete Interview
Archives





TJ Tollakson, Professional Athlete

TJ Tollakson is a tri-athlete who has competed Olympic Distance and Half Ironman Distance races. Here he shares on techniques and skills necessary to perform at the highest level.

Full Story





Jim Gruenwald, Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestler

Greco-Roman wrestling is no picnic for any part of the body. Athletes in this sport risk injuries that can happen with any kind of hard training, but they also have to face an opponent who is, as Olympian Jim Gruenwald puts it, ?trying to beat you up.?
Full Story





Tony Stevens, Soccer Coach

Tony Stevens is not your everyday soccer coach. British by birth and currently coaching in Florida and at camps and clinics nationwide, he has become one of America’s finest practical youth coaches. Stevens is known for helping players develop both physically and mentally to fulfill their potential. His emphasis on technique gives players the skill necessary to perform at the highest level.

Full Story





Jen Rhines, Olympic Marathon Runner

In only the third marathon of Jen Rhines’ career, she took the bronze at the 2004 U.S. Olympic trials and found herself qualifying for the team and on the road to Athens. She had beaten her own personal record by 11 minutes, 19 seconds, bettering the Olympic “A” qualifying standard of 2:37.

Full Story





Kim Perkins, Champion Inline Skater

Ever heard of “lace bite,” or had a blister on your foot the size of a half dollar? For inline skaters, these and other foot problems are all in a day’s work. Does that stop them from participating in this exciting summer sport? Not for a minute.

Full Story





Nancy Burpee, Paralympic Swimming

Imagine pursuing a competitive swim career while battling a disease that causes the connective tissue throughout your body to progressively deteriorate. For Nancy Burpee, this is not a hypothetical situation. It’s her life.

Full Story





Napolean McCallum, NFL Oakland Raider, Running Back, Ret.

Most professional athletes have a single goal that starts in childhood – to train, work hard and follow their dreams of making it big in their chosen sport. For Napoleon McCallum, the dreams were not so single-minded, and not so simple. He played high school football while growing up in Ohio, but was not a standout player and thought the NFL was out of his reach. His hopes stretched beyond the field to dreams of being a fighter pilot and an astronaut someday.

Full Story





Brian Olson, Three-Time Olympian in Judo

Brian Olson is a three-time Olympian in Judo who has one goal for the Athens games: winning the gold medal. The short list of his accomplishments includes being the 2002 Hungarian Cup bronze medalist, the gold medal winner at the 2001 British Open, the seventh place finisher at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, bronze medalist at the 1997 World Judo Championships, a five-time U.S. National Champion and the 1999 Pan American Champion.

Full Story





Barry Zito, Cy Young Winner and Oakland A's Pitcher

Barry Zito, 26, is much more than one of the hottest pitchers in baseball and the 2002 Cy Young Award winner. He’s a budding musician who writes songs, a huge fan of Ben Folds and an actor who has appeared on JAG, the Chris Isaak Show and ARLISS. He has even performed with the Oakland Ballet.

Full Story





Carla Overbeck, Olympic Gold Women’s Soccer

The Dallas, Texas native and soccer defender/midfielder is one of the most capped players in the history of the U.S. Women’s National Team. As a college player, she helped the UNC Tar Heels win four consecutive NCAA championships from 1986-89. North Carolina did not lose a single game during her time there.

Full Story





Lyne Bessette, Olympic Cycling
Canadian cyclist Lyne Bessette is no stranger to the role of team leader. She has led her cycling teams to numerous victories, and is now the leader of the prestigious Quark Cycling Team.

Full Story





McKenzie Westmore - Actress/Personal Trainer
Westmore’s talents don’t stop with acting; she is a trained opera singer and equestrian, and a certified personal trainer. For any actor, staying in shape is critical to maintaining a successful career.

Full Story





George Thomas - Ultra Cycling
As a competitive cyclist, Thomas has completed the RAAM, the 3,000 mile transcontinental cycling journey, five times. Considered by exercise physiologists to be the most arduous competition in the world, the RAAM provides the ultimate test of a rider’s toughness, determination and resilience.

Full Story





Jean-Paul Des Pres - Personal Trainer
Jean-Paul Des Pres, MSW, Cert. PT., is a personal trainer who works with clients in the Boston area. He is certified by the American Council on Exercise, and is an award winning duo-athlete and official qualifier for the Hawaiian Iron Man Triathlon.

Full Story





Kolie Van Zyl - Tennis
Tennis pro Kolie Van Zyl started playing the game as a child growing up on a farm in South Africa. He picked it up from his siblings and by watching matches on TV. By age 9 he was hitting a ball against the walls, breaking several windows in the process.

Full Story





Steve Ilg - Yoga (two part interview)
Ilg is one of the country’s most highly sought-after professional trainers. He has coached hundreds of championship athletes and recently opened a High Performance Yoga Studio. Ilg is a frequent contributor to outdoor and health magazines and has appeared twice on the cover of Outside.
Part IPart II





Teri Smith - Adventure Racer
Oregon’s Teri Smith is the mother of two boys, a sports model for Sports Unlimited, an Atlas Snow-shoe racing team member…and oh yes, an adventure racer who does trail running, mountain biking, paddling, rappelling and basically anything a race director can dream up to challenge her and her teammates, often in far-flung, exotic locations..
Full Story





Sarah Ellerby - Women's Billiards
Ellerby’s goal to become the best female billiards player in the world brought her to a new home and stiffer competition in the U.S. in 2001. She earned four top 10 finishes in 2002, her rookie U.S. Women’s Professional Billiards Association (WPBA) season, and was ranked first in the Ladies’ Spirit Tour in 2002.
Full Story





Businesswoman and Supermodel Kathy Ireland
Kathy Ireland began her career as a supermodel and morphed into what the Associated Press and London Times call "a best friend to working mothers". Women all over America are embracing her clothing designs and other products.
Full Story





Olympian Hannah Hardaway - Freestyle Skiing
Hannah Hardaway’s star shines bright on the U.S. Ski team. She placed sixth in mogul skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, UT. After two seasons of knee problems, Hardaway broke through in 2000-2001 when she placed third in the year-end moguls standings.
Full Story





Ami Voutilainen - Snowboarding
For Finland native Ami Voutilainen, it’s all in a day’s work. Voutilainen has earned his reputation as one of the most respected snowboarders in the world. He placed second on the 1998 ESPN Freeride Tour, had five top ten finishes on the 1998 ISF Halfpipe World Cup circuit, and scored gold (Slopestyle) and silver (Halfpipe) medals at the 1999 Australian X Games.
Full Story





Carolyn Griffiths: Head Athletic Trainer, A.T.,C. - Phoenix Mercury, WNBA
One of the league’s original eight teams, the Phoenix Mercury, has relied on Carolyn Griffiths, its first and only Head Athletic Trainer for seven seasons. Basketball is a physically demanding sport, and Griffiths acts as a medical liaison with the team’s medical and organizational staff, focusing on injury prevention and management
Full Story





Tom Rothrock: Olympic Slalom Skier
Rothrock began skiing competitively at age 7, and in 1996 became the Slalom and Giant Slalom champion at the Western JI-II Junior Olympics. He has quickly ascended the professional ranks in alpine skiing, and at age 25 is considered one of the most talented young skiers in America.

Full Story





Alexandra Powe Allred: Women's Bobsled
Alexandra Powe Allred thrives on a challenge. At age 28, after having set aside earlier athletic pursuits for marriage and the birth of her first child, Powe Allred decided to find a sport that she could take to the highest levels. It was 1993, and she discovered that the U.S. was putting together a women’s bobsled team despite the reservations of officials who thought the sport was too dangerous for women. She went for it.

Full Story





Matt Anderson - Head Athletic Trainer, A.T.C. - AFL
Anderson oversees athletic training for the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League and the WNBA Phoenix Mercury. Born and raised in Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii, he spends the off-season speaking to schools, organizations and Phoenix Fire paramedics about athletic training.

Full Story






Jennifer Lawler-Martial Artist
Jennifer Lawler of Lawrence, Kansas, is a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She earned her black belt in 1994, when she was almost 29, and says she “wishes she'd learned to kick butt a lot sooner.”

Full Story






Christopher Drozd-Personal Trainer
Drozd has built his own life around a career as a personal trainer in L.A., specializing in Iron-distance triathlon and marathon conditioning, ski and snowboard fitness, golf fitness and figure/physique sculpting. His credentials include being a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Certified Triathlon Coach, Certified Spinning Instructor and Certified Personal Trainer.

Full Story






Chris Barnes-PBA Bowler
Barnes was a member of TEAM USA for four years, and was named the United States Olympic Committee's Athlete of the Year for Bowling in 1994, '96 and '97. He attended Wichita State University, and earned the title Collegiate Bowler of the Year in 1992.

Full Story






David Stremme-NASCAR
But David Stremme, a driver for Team Yellow, a NASCAR Busch Series racing team, proves that taking care of the feet is as important in racing as in any other sport.
Full Story






Karch Kiraly-Beach Volleyball
Karch Kiraly is the only player in Olympic volleyball history to win three Gold medals.
Full Story






Jenny Thompson-U.S. Olympian
Jenny Thompson is a 10-time Olympic medalist, the most medaled U.S. female Olympian, an 11-time World Championship Medalist.
Full Story






Carolyn Dorin-Ballard-Professional Women’s Bowling Champion
2001 Professional Women’s Bowling Association Player of the Year Carolyn Dorin-Ballard has been bowling since the tender age of six, devoting years of hard work to achieving success as a high school, college and professional bowler.
Full Story






Ian Adamson - Adventure Racing
Ian Adamson describes himself as a "Jack of all sports and master of none," but Racing the Planet says simply that he “just might own the most impressive multisport credentials on the planet.”
Full Story






Jessi Stensland - 2003 US Elite National Triathlon Team
Jessi Stensland is a member of the 2003 US Elite National Triathlon Team. She is focused on ITU World Cup circuit this season, and is training to qualify for the 2003 ITU World Championships. After that, her focus will be on the US Olympic Trials in 2004.
Full Story






Ryan Wellner - Lacrosse
A veteran of lacrosse camps and now Asst. Coach at Chaminade H.S., Wellner was formerly the Director of Lacrosse Operations for the National Lacrosse Leage. Faye Rapoport speaks to Ryan about choosing the right socks and footwear for this sport.
Full Story





Thomas Clifford - Martial Artist
Thomas Clifford has been training in martial arts for more than 20 years, and has traveled to China, Taiwan and Brazil to work with some of the world's greatest martial artists and teachers.
Full Story




Paul Martin -Iron Man Triathlete and World Champion Paralympic Cyclist
Paul Martin lost his left leg below the knee after a car accident at age 25, and went on to become a world-class athlete. He recently published his autobiography, "One Man's Leg."
Full Story

About Us Advisory Board Contact Us Become a Partner Privacy Policy Aetrex iStep Terms Sitemap Press Room