San Antonio -- Terris Tiller, a Trinity alum and former Tiger student-athlete, painted a vivid picture of the intricacies of the Olympic Games Wednesday night.
 
Tiller, a 2000 Trinity grad and staff member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), made a presentation in the Fiesta Room titled "The Olympic Movement and the Modern World." It was the first lecture hosted by Trinity's new minor, sport management. The moderator was Jacob Tingle, instructor in business administration, and director of the sport management minor.
 
The presentation dealt with the 300-staff member USOC, headquartered in Colorado Springs, and its $120 million operating budget. Tiller spoke of the Olympic Training Center, where he is the multi-media coordinator, and the challenges Olympic athletes face each year.
 
In addition to competition in the arena of athletics, the U.S. is up against a growing trend of nations which spend massive amounts of money on winning medals. The USOC is completely privately funded, and relies on a 20 percent payment of Olympic broadcast rights, among other sources of revenue. Included in this revenue is sponsorship by major companies.
 
The task of the U.S. to maintain its rightful place in the world of Olympic sports is formidable, according to Tiller. Other nations are catching up, and government funds are spent to send athletes to the Olympics.
 
But, Tiller also said the USOC is totally committed to developing its pipeline of athletes, and maintaining the highest quality of standards.
 
Prior to a question-and-answer session, Tiller gave the attentive audience some avenues where people can become part of the Olympic movement. it involves volunteering at a number of training sites - the closest of which is in Kerrville, Texas - at the USA Shooting complex.
 
Tiller has competed in modern pentathlon, and was a three-time world team member. He also was the 2004 national champion.
 
He has worked for USOC at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympic Games.
 
While competing for the Trinity Tigers, Tiller was a four-year letter winner in cross country and track and field. He earned All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Track and Field honors seven times, and captured four conference championships.

Photos from the lecture