S P O R T S N E W S lehman college athletics

Work and Fun at the Winter Olympics with CUNYAC’s Gregg Cohen

hile most of us watched the recent (CUNYAC), where he started Winter Olympics in the comfort of as an intern in 1995. As the Wour homes, scanning nightly for our Assistant to Zak Ivkovic, favorite competitions, CUNYAC’s Gregg Cohen CUNYAC’s Sports Informa- was experiencing the excitement firsthand as a tion Director, Gregg is press supervisor for the Salt Lake Olympics responsible for day-to-day and Organizing Committee. weekly news releases in all 22 Press supervisors served as liaisons between the CUNYAC sports. He is also the media and both male and female athletes. The editor and designer of specific sports Gregg covered were: Alpine Slalom, CUNYAC publications Alpine Giant Slalom, Half Pipe (a new including tournament snowboarding event) and Snowboard Giant programs, the CUNY Sports Slalom. Stationed at the media sub-center in Park newsletter and “Year In City, he was one of five press supervisors who Review.” headed a staff of 30 volunteers for the duration of He has been part of CUNY the Olympics. for over a decade, starting as a The supervisors arrived a week prior to the freshman student at Brooklyn games to get ready and they were at each of the College before transferring to events hours before and after they ended—so this Hunter to study communica- meant some long but action-filled days. Gregg Cohen with Women’s Aerials Gold Medalist tions and history. He is an Alisa Camplin from . She is her country’s Essentially, Gregg’s job was to answer press active member of both the first ever gold medalist in the Winter Games. questions about the events or athletes involved in ECAC and the national Sports them. If he didn’t have the answers, he deployed volunteers to do the necessary Information Association (CoSIDA). research. Gregg also facilitated photographers’ deadline-film requests in his added Though this was Gregg’s first Winter role as “chief of security.” Olympics, he served as Assistant Venue Press Gregg has returned to his regular job with the CUNY Athletics Conference Chief at the 1998 and was a Gregg does the Conga with “Powder,” one production assistant for NBC Sports for the of the official mascots of the 2002 games. 1996 summer Olympics in Atlanta. He was THE SIX MONTH MEMBERSHIPS also a media relations assistant for the Yankees during the baseball playoffs (1996-98), as well as assisting at the last few NCAA championships. NOW AVAILABLE! Aside from the feeling of being somewhat “disconnected from the world” while he was in Utah, Gregg says he loved his experience and claims he could “always identify a New Yorker on the street.” In any case, he definitely has the Olympic spirit and is currently involved in efforts to bring the 2012 Summer Olympics to . His only complaint about the recent games was all of the celebrity-conscious PE (autograph seeking) security personnel who somewhat hampered his own efforts. “So ATA LEHMAN COLLEGE we tried to make our space a refuge for both the media and the athletes from all the ASK ABOUT OUR NEXT APEX OPEN HOUSE! Security,” says Gregg. But a whole lot of searching and lines waiting to be searched was involved. USE ALL FACILITIES FREE FOR AN ENTIRE DAY X But it was worth it. Gregg called the closing ceremony “a blast, one great party with fireworks, a great concert and giant plastic snowballs tossed and rolled through the 4 RACQUETBALL 4 SWIM PROGRAMS stands.” 4 TENNIS COURTS 4 AEROBICS 4 OLYMPIC POOL 4 FREE WEIGHT ROOM 4 BASKETBALL 4 FITNESS CENTER WITH 4 VOLLEYBALL THE LATEST EQUIPMENT 4 INDOOR TRACK 4 EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGIST 4 SAUNAS ON STAFF For more information, call Dr. Martin Zwiren at 718-960-1117.

The APEX is located on the 37-acre tree-lined campus of Lehman College Gregg Cohen with, l-r: ’84 Gold Medalist Tamara McKinny, of The City University of New York, at 2002 Salt Lake Olympics President Mitt Romney, and Bedford Park Blvd & Goulden Avenue ’94 Gold Medalist Picabo Street. in the Northwest Bronx. Ask about our discounts for senior citizens. Sports News Editor: Emmy Perryman

Lehman College offers 90 undergraduate and graduate degree For more information about athletics at Lehman College, programs in the arts and sciences and professional studies. For information about enrolling or to arrange for a campus contact Eric Harrison, Sports Information tour, visit our web site at www.lehman.cuny.edu.’ Coordinator, at 718-960-1146. Visit our website at www.lehman.cuny.edu