Local Viewing Guide: Wednesday
Wednesday, Aug 1, 2012 | Updated 8:01 AM CDT
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Sam Mikulak competes on the rings during day 1 of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials at HP Pavilion on June 28, 2012 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Event: Rowing Pair
Live Stream: Online coverage begins at 3:30 a.m.
Local to Watch: Sarah Zelenka
Buzz:Sarah Zelenka of Itasca, took home the gold in the eight and the four in women's rowing at the 2010 World Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Event: Quadruple Skulls Rowing
Live Stream: Online coverage begins at 3:30 a.m.
Local to Watch: Megan Kalmoe
Buzz: Megan Kalmoe and her partner Ellen Tomek won their Olympic ticket after the women's double sculls. The pair raced together in the 2008 Olympics and made it to the final double sculls, but placed fifth. Now Kalmoe, of St. Croix Falls, Wis., is back and ready to show what the last four years have taught her.
Event: Men’s Eight
Live Stream: Online coverage begins at 3:30 a.m.
Locals to Watch: Grant and Ross James
Buzz: The James twins are Dekalb natives and former University of Wisconsin rowers. The 2008 U.S. Men's eight rowing team featured the James brothers but did not qualify for the Olympic Games. This year, Grant James and Ross James are the only veterans left on the team.
Event: Swimming 800m free relay
Live Stream: Online coverage begins at 3:56 a.m. (prelims) | Finals begin at 1:26 p.m.
Local to Watch: Allison Schmitt
Buzz: Former Olympian Allison Schmitt, of Canton, Mich., won the bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her first place finish in the women's 200-meter freestyle at the swimming Olympic trials marked her return to the London Games.
Event: Windsurfing
Live Stream: Online coverage begins at 12 p.m. (Race 3); Race 4 to follow
Local to Watch: Robert Willis
Buzz: Bob Willis, of Chicago, Ill. began sailing at the age of eight. He is now reaching for one goal he has not yet achieved: an Olympic Gold at the 2012 Olympics. Bob secured his spot in the London Games at the 2011 World Championships and will be the only Olympic windsurfer in history not from California or Florida.
Event: Fencing Individual Sabre
Live Stream: Online coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. (Medal)
Local to Watch: Mariel Zagunis
Buzz: Mariel Zagunis is going into her third Olympic Games. The fencing champion won the gold in the 2004 Olympics, marking the first U.S. fencer to do so in 100 years. Zagunis, a University of Notre Dame alum, was recently named as the flag bearer for the 2012 U.S. team.
Event: Gymnastics Individual All-Around
Live Stream: Online Coverage begins at 10:26 a.m. | Multiple Feeds
Local to Watch: Sam Mikulak
Buzz: Sam Mikulak, of Ann Arbor, Mich., secured his spot after placing at the Visa Championships and succeeding during the trials, though an injury had many questioning his ability to perform.
Event: Water Polo
Live Stream: Online coverage begins at 12:20 p.m.
Locals to Watch: Melissa Seidemann, Betsey Armstrong
Buzz: Melissa Seidemann, born in Hoffman Estates, is a first-time Olympian with Team USA's Water Polo team. Armstrong, of Ann Arbor, Mich., qualified for the Olympic water polo team in the 2011 World League Super Final.
Event: Singles Tennis
Live Stream: Online coverage begins at 5:30 a.m. (Multiple Courts)
Local to Watch: Donald Young
Buzz: Donald Young of Chicago comes from a line of tennis athletes. His parents are both tennis teaching professionals and run South Fulton Tennis Center in College Park, Georgia. Starting tennis at age three, Young has consistently been a young legend in competitive tennis. He earned his slot on the six-person Olympic tennis team in the singles division.
Event: Women's Basketball
Live Stream: Online coverage begins at 4:15 p.m.
Locals to Watch: Seimone Augustus, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Sylvia Fowles, Maya Moore, Candace Parker and Lindsay Whalen.
Buzz: Minnesota Lynx Player Seimone Augustus was considered as a leading basketball star since she was 14 when she was dubbed “the next Michael Jordan.” She set the Lynx team record for points in a single season at 744 points and was one of the only WNBA players in history to average over 20 points per game in a single season. Swin Cash of the Chicago Sky team was on the 2004 Olympic Team that took home a gold medal. Although a back injury short-circuited her chance for the 2008 team, she made a promising comeback for the 2012 Olympic Games. Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings was named 2002 WNBA Rookie of the Year and attended Adlai Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire before moving to Texas. Sylvia Fowles, Chicago Sky center, makes her return to the Olympics after taking the gold with the women's team at the 2008 Beijing Games. The 6-foot-6 player dubbed "Baby Shaq" is tied as the tallest player on her team. Minnesota Lynx player Maya Moore is no stranger to winning. Having only lost 16 times in just under 10 years the basketball player has proven herself on the court. The Olympic team member will be part of an elite group of basketball athletes if she wins the gold, making her just one of seven having won in college championships, WNBA, FIBA world championship and the Olympics. LA Sparks forward Candace Parker, a Naperville native, was part of the 2008 women's team that took the gold at the Beijing Olympics. Lindsay Whalen, a Hutchinson Minnesota native and Minnesota Lynx basketball player, was first taken into consideration for the 2012 Olympic team in the fall of 2009.
