On May 9, the USA Wrestling Olympic coaches committee selected James (JJ) Johnson as the USA Wrestling Olympic Coach for the 2012 Olympics. Congratulations JJ!

Besides being a Team Mannatech athlete, JJ is a man of many talents. He’s an elite sports trainer for dozens of Olympians, professional athletes and young people; a skillful public and motivational speaker; and a three-time USA national wrestling champion.

JJ was the USA Wrestling World Team Coach in 2011 at the World Championships in Istanbul; he’s a two-time Pan American Gold Medalist, a National Association for Health and Fitness Board Member, a member of the North Carolina Wrestling Hall of Fame, and he’s been part of the USA National Wrestling Team for 12 years.

As a regular part of his hectic schedule training athletes, serving on committees and speaking to groups of all ages and sizes, JJ always stresses the importance of grassroots efforts that can provide discipline, exposure and opportunities to future athletes. He’s a talented man with a heart for helping others.

Our 2012 USA Wrestling Olympic Team will be well-coached and ready to win!

Congratulations to Clarissa Chun, Justin Lester and Spenser Mango for making the U.S. Olympic team!

With her recent win in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Clarissa Chun is the first woman wrestler in U.S. history to make two Olympic teams. Besides competing on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team where she took 5th place, some of her other accolades include the 2008 World Championships in Tokyo, the 2006 U.S. Nationals Freestyle Championship, third place in the 2005 U.S. World Team Trials, 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials runner-up, four-time U.S. Nationals runner-up and four-time U.S. World Team Trials runner-up. She is truly a gifted wrestler and a winner. You’ll want to keep your eye on her.

Justin Lester was named 2011 Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. At the 2011 World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey in September, he placed fifth in the 66 kg/145.5 lbs. weight class. His performance there qualified the U.S. to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games. A competitive wrestler since the age of eight (originally under the name Harry), Justin has a long string of wrestling championships in his portfolio. Among them: Four career U.S. Open Titles, a gold medal at the 2011 Granma Cup in Cuba, a silver medal at the 2011 New York AC International, two World bronze medals (2007, 2006), a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Games, and a bronze medal at the 2005 University World Games. He has several other wins under his belt as well. Justin will be a real medal contender in London this year.

Wrestling in the Greco-Roman 55 kg/121 lbs. weight class, Spenser Mango “plowed through his competition in the Olympic Team Trials, and, according to NBCOlympics.com, finished as “the tournament’s most impressive wrestler.” A Beijing Olympian, Spenser has been the top American in his weight class and represented the U.S. at each of the past three World Championships. With the additional training opportunities Spenser has received since joining the Army’s World Class Athlete Program in 2010, this rock-solid 121-lb sergeant just might bring home the gold for the U.S. Wrestling team in the 2012 Olympics.

We’re going to have quite a team this year.

Jason’s story is a true testament to the strength of the human spirit. His personal challenges began at the age of twelve with a bicycle accident that left him with 21 broken bones and a collapsed lung. He also lost the use of his right arm, which became partially paralyzed. While he was still in the hospital recovering, his father and sole guardian, died of a heart attack.

Despite the trauma he experienced, Jason went on to continue playing baseball and football throughout high school and college. He also added running and biathlon races to his sports portfolio. In 2004, Jason discovered the Ironman World Championships, and he realized that this was his life’s calling. He hired a coach to teach him how to swim and began training vigorously. With the intense training schedule , amazingly Jason began to notice that he was slowly regaining movement in his right arm. But his aspirations didn’t stop there. In 2008, Jason became the first challenged athlete to complete the Ultraman World Championships.

Jason hasn’t stopped since then. He has continued to compete and bring home awards in multiple events every year. To read more about Jason and his NEVER STOP Foundation, which uses athletics to teach young people how to think more creatively about their lives and turn their dreams into reality, check out his personal website: JasonPLester.com

#1 Seed & #5 ranked MSU (27–3) vs. #8 Seed St. MARY’S (19–9): The Mustangs eliminated the Rattlers, 62–54

From the MustangGram newsletter, we learned:

Close games are won normally by teams holding the edge in key statistical areas. In this game the Mustangs dominated the statistical trend areas. They led in points in the paint, 40–28; points off turnovers, 20–13; points off the fast break, 8–4; and points off the bench, 35–9. Somehow, the Rattlers managed to counter these four areas defying the basketball gods.

What they could not counter was the fifth statistical area — second chance points. MSU’s 16–4 edge in that most important trend area shows heart, or as Coach Nelson Haggerty says, “A team’s ability to get after it.”

An interesting note to the story: Mannatech sent a season’s supply of EM•PACT^® drink mix to MSU. According to Butch Johnson, they have been using this product the entire season.

Go Mustangs! We are proud of you and your achievements.

Read more about Christal here.

In May, it was back to Grand Island with Ace once more, this time for a Morgan breed show. Barbara and Ace competed in both riding classes as well as driving classes, receiving pins in all classes—50% of which were first place ribbons!

From there, it was on to Elk River, Minnesota, where Barbara and Dexter achieved the Carriage Association of America’s Level 1 Proficiency certificate.

In June, Ace and Dexter paired up in Ames, Iowa, for their last competition as a team, at the Skunk River Horse Driving Trial’s top level offered (Intermediate). The duo beat 39 other competitors to win the Pair Horse division with the best dressage, cones and obstacles.

In August, Barbara’s granddaughter, Abigail, competed in BITS (Best of Iowa in Traces) Summer Carriage Classic, where they were Junior Champions and did well in the Open Division.

From there it was on to the Nebraska State Fair back in Grand Island, Nebraska, where Abigail and Ace were Reserve Youth Champion, riding and driving. Barbara and Ace were Grand Champion, driving winners. Of the six classes the pair participated in, they brought home six blue ribbons—a clean sweep!

Said Barbara, “2011 has been a very good competition year for my horses and me.”

Learn more about Barbara Simmons and the sport of combined driving here.

Jerry Northwood, who will be 75 years old at the end of the year, recently won his 10th World Racquetball Championship at the 6th annual International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Senior Doubles Championships in Santa Fe, N.M.  Northwood won titles in the 70-plus men’s and the 65-plus mixed doubles divisions.

“These last two championships were without a doubt the most satisfying, and to win two world titles in the same tournament was commendable,” Northwood said.

The veteran racquetball player, who’s been competing for 30 years, only lost two games in a combined 20 matches.

Don’t miss the rebroadcast of the 2011 U.S. Open World Martial Arts Championships this Friday, 8/19 on ESPN2. See Team Mannatech athletes in action! usopen-karate.com

July, 2011,  The American Power Boat Association held their 2011 Summer Nationals at Waterford, Michigan. After two qualifying heats, seventy three year old Mario Maraldo took first place. Mario is the oldest Grand Prix class driver currently driving and the oldest to ever win the title of Grand Prix class APBA Summer Nationals winner.  Mario replied, “Thank you Mannatech for keeping me healthy enough to do this!”  Read more…