ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
The Airman spoke of his upcoming adventure with enthusiasm.
This 2007 Air Force Male Athlete of the Year went from initially failing his first junior enlisted physical fitness test to setting his sights overseas to the Olympics, where his is slated to aid the athletes participating in the 103rd Olympic Games.
1st Lt. Kenneth K. Corigliano, of the 89th Operation Support Squadron, is scheduled to serve as a volunteer liaison for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China beginning Tuesday.
"It feels incredible. I'm glad to be representing my country," said Lieutenant Corigliano.
As a volunteer liaison at the Olympics, Lieutenant Corigliano's responsibilities include assisting athletes from the U.S. and other countries with any coaching or support they need.
He exclaimed, "I will be working directly with the teams. Whatever they need, I'm there."
The lieutenant is especially looking forward to working with athletes competing in the triathlon, a sport that he has competed in here.
Personal desires that the lieutenant wishes to fulfill while in Beijing is to run the triathlon track and swim in the Ming Tomb reservoir where the swimming portion of the triathlon is held. He also wants to swim in the Olympic swimming pool.
"The U.S. Olympian Mark Phelps will be swimming in the that pool during the games and he could win a record number of medals. To me, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Lieutenant Corigliano.
In addition to being able to provide assistance to these amazing athletes, the lieutenant also intends to bring something back to the states upon his return: a better understanding of how elite athletes train.
"What I want to do is go there and absorb as much as I can. I want to see how the coaches and trainers maximize the performance of the athletes. When I return I want to share what I've learned with other Air Force members," said Lieutenant Corigliano.
"I want to go there to watch what they do and how they do it. I want to see how are they are engineering these human beings to be the best at their sport, because we (Air Force Airmen) are part of the best Air Force in the world and we need to be the strongest warriors as well," said Lieutenant Corigliano.
"While for some it may seem hard to believe that you can improve the physical limits of the human body, coaches and athletes are constantly analyzing the critical zones of success in each sport and focusing on improving efficiency in these areas," said Cyle Sage, Lieutenant Corigliano's former swim and cross country coach at his alma mata, Saint Leo University.
"Ken has an exceptional ability to do this," Mr. Sage continued.
"I want to dine with them in the Olympic Village and observe their nutritional habits, how they work under certain environmental conditions, and their training regimen. I also want to pick the brains of their coaches and trainers. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see how all this training comes together for these athletes."
The lieutenant intends to take all of the knowledge he gains and share it with Air Force medical and physiological specialists whose mission is the betterment of the Air Force physical fitness program. He wishes to do this because he wants to bring our Airmen to the next level of physical readiness.
Like well-engineered Olympic athletes, Lieutenant Corigliano believes that as the best fighting force in the world, we should be physically prepared for any challenge, anytime, anywhere.