Mel on Mickey D's Cups

Has there ever been a US weightlifter on a Wheaties box? Not yet.

Comments

Michelle said…
whoa, that's cool. weird, but cool.
8:11 AM
Anonymous said…
Congrats to Melanie on her sponsorships. I have mixed feelings about this because it's really too bad that athletes have to look to corporate sponsors like McDonald's for money. I wish that the government sponsored people like Melanie.

I'd hate for some young person to make a connection between drinking soda from a McDonald's cup to being Olympic in nature ("eat and drink McDonald's food and you can be just like her!").

I'm wishing Melanie the best! Good luck!

Alex
12:12 PM
Anonymous said…
Very cool for her but I too am a bit torn. Reminds me of the Saturday Night Live skit where John Belushi eats "Little Chocolate Donuts" to win Olympic events. Every single things McDonalds serves is garbage. Mixed feelings.
6:14 PM
Tracy Fober said…
Keep in mind that Mel isn't under any obligation to eat the food herself or feed it to her family. I believe she has to make two personal appearances and that's it. Believe me, if Whole Foods or Trader Joe's came knocking at her door with a similar offer, she'd be all over it as she juices daily, eats all organic and keeps a gluten free household due to Drew's autism. But they haven't.

This is a financial opportunity of a lifetime few weightlifters get. The $500 a month they get from USAW is a drop in the bucket to the training, travel, coaching and medical care expenses they incur, if they are not resident athletes at the OTC.

Now, also think about child care (3 kids under 7)--to have a few hours a week to yourself to keep your marriage together--and the thousands of dollars in one-on-one therapy and support services a special needs child may need for the rest of his adult life.

An apt in Beijing for the family to accompany an athlete runs up to $500 per day during the Olympics; airfare is $1300-$1800 each for mom, mother-in-law, son, husband, personal coach. Plus you have to pay for the room and board for your personal coach for the two week training camp prior to the competition as USAW is only paying for 5 days.

Every penny helps. And this athlete relishes every opportunity to break the stereotype of the female weightlifter. So, she takes the good with the less than optimal and does the best she can with it.
5:24 AM
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