Former Olympic Employee Brings Knowledge to Arkansas Classroom
By: Tyler Thomason, KNWA News
Updated: August 2, 2012
It's fair to say that Dr. Steve Dittmore has a pretty good idea of how things are happening in London right now.
"I've been able to work two different Olympic games: the 1996 Olympic games and the 2002 Olympic games in Salt Lake City."
He worked in the Olympic movement as a media relations professional.
"I've been to the IOC headquarters in Lausasnne, and been to a number of Olympic sites," Dittmore says.
Now Dr. Dittmore brings that Olympic experience to the classroom, teaching a grad class on various aspects of the games.
"How they're structured, how they're financed, who's responsible for what and being able to watch it with a richer, more deeper understanding," Dittmore describes.
Of course the timing couldn't be better for this five-week summer crash course.
"It makes it so much more real, so much more fun," says doctoral student Shannon McCarthy. "You can connect a lot of different things that you wouldn't necessarily think of if the Olympics weren't going on."
So what does this Olympic education include? Tests, pop quizzes and presentations, of course.
But Dr. Dittmore does make it fun.
"I did joke around last Friday and wore one of my old Olympic outfits."
Sports Management student Stephen McGowan describes it: "He came in the other day with his Atlanta jacket on that everybody in the Olympic committee had."
Aside from the antics, students realize this kind of class is a rarity.
"It's a class that doesn't come around a lot," says first-year grad student Daniel Bartlett. "You don't really want to pass up the opportunity to take it, especially with a professor like Dr. Dittmore, who's been there and has the experience."
Dittmore describes how the students are responding: "They've been talking to their friends as they've been watching the Olympics at night saying 'Hey, did you know this, did you know that,' and that's very rewarding to me to be able to share something that I'm very passionate about."
"I've been able to work two different Olympic games: the 1996 Olympic games and the 2002 Olympic games in Salt Lake City."
He worked in the Olympic movement as a media relations professional.
"I've been to the IOC headquarters in Lausasnne, and been to a number of Olympic sites," Dittmore says.
Now Dr. Dittmore brings that Olympic experience to the classroom, teaching a grad class on various aspects of the games.
"How they're structured, how they're financed, who's responsible for what and being able to watch it with a richer, more deeper understanding," Dittmore describes.
Of course the timing couldn't be better for this five-week summer crash course.
"It makes it so much more real, so much more fun," says doctoral student Shannon McCarthy. "You can connect a lot of different things that you wouldn't necessarily think of if the Olympics weren't going on."
So what does this Olympic education include? Tests, pop quizzes and presentations, of course.
But Dr. Dittmore does make it fun.
"I did joke around last Friday and wore one of my old Olympic outfits."
Sports Management student Stephen McGowan describes it: "He came in the other day with his Atlanta jacket on that everybody in the Olympic committee had."
Aside from the antics, students realize this kind of class is a rarity.
"It's a class that doesn't come around a lot," says first-year grad student Daniel Bartlett. "You don't really want to pass up the opportunity to take it, especially with a professor like Dr. Dittmore, who's been there and has the experience."
Dittmore describes how the students are responding: "They've been talking to their friends as they've been watching the Olympics at night saying 'Hey, did you know this, did you know that,' and that's very rewarding to me to be able to share something that I'm very passionate about."
