Geographist

Simone Manuel Born: August 2, 1996 Sport: Swimming (7 world records, 6-time individual NCAA National Champion, 2-time team NCAA National Champion, 7-time Olympic medalist: 2 Gold, 4 Silver, 1 Bronze) The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics wrapped up today, and it was a very successful event for the host nation of Italy, while also being record-setting for Team USA and the overall medal count winner, Norway.  Among the highlights were United States gold medals over Canada in men's and women's hockey, with the guys becoming Olympic champions on the 46th anniversary of the famed Miracle on Ice game in Lake Placid, NY, over a heavily-favored Soviet team.  Shout out to the only Texan included on either winning roster: Hannah Bilka of Coppell, TX!  At my house we celebrated the winter Olympic spirit by watching both Cool Runnings and Miracle .  But in keeping with our focus on Houston-based Olympians we'll turn the spotlight this week to a recent champion who is still act...

Mary Lou Retton Born: January 24, 1968 Sport: Gymnastics (5-time Olympic medalist: 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze, Hall of Fame)  On February 1 of last year I celebrated reaching 200k views on this website.  Last October the counter hit 300k.  And now, just four months later, it's notched another milestone at 400,000.  That's such an incredible thing to realize, and I am continually humbled and grateful for each individual who takes the time to check out what's going on here.  I can't believe this modest blog is starting the countdown to half a million!  It's very cool - thank you to all you readers out there!  This week, as the Milan Cortina games move into the second half of their schedule, we're going to look at the story of an Olympian who adopted Houston as her home and became one of the city's most decorated athletes in a very short time.  And that gymnast, Mary Lou Retton, also happened to go to the same church I did for a period of time and at...

Chad Hedrick Born: April 17, 1977 Sport: Speed Skating (52-time Inline World Champion, 9 straight World Overall championships, 5-time Olympic medalist: 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze, 18 world records combined in roller skating and ice skating, Hall of Fame) Last week I brought up the Olympics and pointed out that Houstonians typically handle the warm-weather events during the summer games better than those freezing temps of the winter games.  But contrary to popular opinion, there has been at least one shining example of success on the ice that has originated here.  It is interesting that his journey to Olympic gold actually began with his natural family surroundings, despite the climate being vastly different.  So this week let's take a dive into the story of Chad Hedrick, a talented and versatile athlete that not only reached the pinnacle of two different sports, but did it in two different thermostat settings.  And, to my knowledge, he remains the only person from th...

Carl Lewis Born: July 1, 1961 Sport: Track & Field (6-time All-American, 10 Olympic Medals - 9 Gold & 1 Silver, 10 World Championship Medals - 8 Gold & 2 Bronze, IOC Sportsman of the Century, Hall of Fame)  This week marks the beginning of the 2026 Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy.  The United States competitors have traditionally performed better at the summer games than the winter version of the international competition, and Houston's geography has contributed to an even more exaggerated leaning towards success in the warm-weather events.  So while snow and ice will take center stage for the duration of February, we'll take a look at the Houston sports figures that left their mark, despite being summer athletes.  To kick off this world-class group who made Space City proud, we'll look at the life and story of one of history's greatest track competitors, and probably the first Olympian I can remember cheering for - Carl Lewis.  The UH campus at th...