Champaign, IL
Architect: Jeffery S. Poss, AIB
The Intentions of the Design
The Tribute to Olympic and Paralympic Athletes rises from an ordinary prairie landscape transformed by playing fields, gardens, and a community college campus. It honors the extraordinary achievements of Champaign County residents who have participated in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and its granite platform is inscribed with their names and the Olympic symbol of linked rings.
Visitors to the Tribute move from an approach walk to a series of intermediate platforms, marked by light bollards and granite aggregate, reflecting the plateaus achieved then surpassed as the athletes pursue their dreams. Then to the climactic, final, inscribed granite platform beyond the gateway–the smallest but grandest plateau–representing the pinnacle of achievement. Here they can view the surrounding countryside. It is this rising progression that is a metaphor for the path traveled by Olympians as they compete, and excel through discipline and desire. The steps connecting that platform to the ground suggest that the personal glory of achievement is transitory, and that the progress must begin again. The forced perspective of the approach walk and gateway gives the illusion of great depth, expressing the great endurance and long commitment required in the pursuit of excellence.
The Tribute is conceived as a strong geometric counterpoint to its naturalistic setting. It is embedded in and grows out of the soil of its place, a symbolic reminder of the Olympians’ bond with the community that honors them.
Athletes
Learn more about our local athletes in the Olympic & Paralympic Booklet!
| Name | Event | Year & Location |
|---|---|---|
| Arie, Mark P. | Trapshoot | 1920 Antwerp, Belgium |
| Ayars, Rebecca J. | Track & Field | 1956 Melbourne, Australia |
| Bailey, Chantal Dunn | Speedskating | 1994 Lillehamer, Norway |
| Bartsch-Hackley, Michelle | Volleyball | 2020 Tokyo, Japan |
| Blair, Bonnie | Speedskating | 1984 Sarajevo, Yugoslavia 1988 Calgary, Canada 1992 Albertville, France 1994 Lillehammer, Norway |
| Bleakney, Adam | Wheelchair Track | 2000 Sydney, Australia 2004 Athens, Greece 2008 Beijing, China 2012 London, England 2016 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (coach) 2020 Tokyo, Japan (Coach) |
| Bolin-Kelley, Diane | Gymnastics | 1968 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Brems, Karen | Cycling | 2000 Sidney, Australia |
| Broeren, Wayne Henry | Wheelchair Archery & Wheelchair Basketball | 1960 Rome, Italy |
| Capan, Roger | Speedskating | 1968 Grenoble, France |
| Cody-Morris, Ann | Wheelchair Track & Wheelchair Basketball | 1984 Stoke Mandville, England 1988 Seoul, South Korea 1992 Barcelona, Spain |
| Coleman, Phillip Y. | Track & Field-Steeplechase | 1956 Melbourne, Australia 160 Rome, Italy |
| Driscoll, Jean | Wheelchair Track | 1988 Seoul, South Korea 1992 Barcelona, Spain 1996 Atlanta, United States 2000 Sydney, Australia |
| Eddleman, Dwight | High Jump | 1948 London, England |
| Espeseth, Robert Jr | Rowing | 1976 Montreal, Canada 1980 Moscow, Russia 1984 Los Angeles, California 1988 Seoul, Korea |
| Fitch, Horatio M. | Track & Field | 1924 Paris, France |
| George, Joshua | Wheelchair Track | 2004 Athens, Greece 2008 Beijing, China 2012 London, United Kingdom 2016 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 2022 Tokyo, Japan |
| Goodknight, Terri | Wheelchair Track & Basketball | 1988 Seoul, South Korea 1992 Barcelona, Spain |
| Grossfeld, Abraham | Gymnastics | 1956 Melbourne, Australia 1960 Rome, Italy |
| Grossfeld, Muriel (Davis) | Gymnastics | 1956 Melbourne, Australia 1960 Rome, Italy 1964 Tokyo, Japan |
| Hedrick, Brad | Wheelchair Track & Basketball | 1980 Arnhem, Netherlands 1984 Stoke-Mandeville, England |
| Hedrick, Sharon | Wheelchair Track, Basketball, and Swimming | 1976 Ornskoldsvik, Sweden 1980 Arnheim, Netherlands 1984 Los Angeles, United States 1988 Seoul, South Korea 1992 Barcelona, Spain |
| Henriksen, Erik | Speedskating | 1980 Lake Placid, New York 1984 Sarajevo, Yugoslavia 1988 Calgary, Canada |
| Johnson, Harlan | Modern Pentathlon | 1952 Helsinki, Finland |
| Johnson, Mark | Wrestling | 1980 Moscow, USSR |
| Kuck, Jonathan | Speedskating | 2010 Vancouver, Canada |
| Laz, Donald R. | Pole Vault | 1952 Helsinki, Finland |
| Lewis-Smallwood, Gia | Discus Throw | 2012 London, United Kingdom |
| McFadden, Tatyana | Wheelchair Track & Nordic Skiing | 2004 Athens, Greece 2008 Beijing, China 2012 London, United Kingdom 2014 Sochi, Russia 2016 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 2022 Tokyo, Japan |
| McGill, Tyler | Swimming | 2012 London, England |
| McGrory, Amanda | Wheelchair Track | 2008 Beijing, China 2012 London, United Kingdom 2016 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 2020 Tokyo, Japan |
| Metheny, Linda | Gymnastics | 1964 Tokyo, Japan 1968 Mexico City, Mexico 1972 Munich, Germany |
| Millage, Nichole | Sitting Volleyball | 2008 Beijing, China 2012 London, England 2016 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 2020 Tokyo, Japan |
| Mulliken, William | Swimming | 1960 Rome, Italy |
| Mulvihill, Colleen | Gymnastics | 1968 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Murphy, Frank | Pole Vault | 1912 Stockholm, Sweden |
| Osborn, Harold | Track & Field | 1924 Paris, France 1928 Amsterdam, Holland |
| Olesen, Robert | Bobsled | 1998 Nagano, Japan |
| Pike, Aaron | Wheelchair Track & Nordic Skiing | 2012 London, England 2014 Sochi, Russia 2016 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 2018 Pyeongchang, South Korea 2022 Tokyo, Japan 2022 Beijing, China |
| Reutter, Katherine | Speedskating | 2010 Vancouver, Canada |
| Richards, Bob | Pole Vault | 1948 London, England 1952 Helsinki, Finland 1956 Melbourne, Australia |
| Ruddell, Jennifer | Wheelchair Basketball | 2004 Athens, Greece 2008 Beijing, China |
| Shine, Mike | Track & Field | 1976 Montreal, Canada |
| Siemann, Brian | Wheelchair Track | 2012 London, United Kingdom 2016 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 2020 Tokyo, Japan |
| Spring, Justin | Gynmastics | 2008 Beijing, China |
| Thies, Nancy | Gymnastics | 1972 Munich, Germany |
| Thompson, Gayle R. | Rowing | 1960 Rome, Italy |
| Wheeler, Stephanie | Wheelchair Basketball | 2004 Athens, Greece 2008 Beijing, China 2016 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (coach) |
| Whitman, Jack | Wheelchair Archery | 1960 Rome, Italy |
| Yoss, Barbara | Wheelchair Basketball | 1984 Sarajevo, Yugoslavia 1988 Calgary, Canada |
Policy for Inclusion of Area Athletes
Automatic Inclusion:
- Any athlete listed on the Olympic or Paralympic team roster, for any Olympiad, who designated a community in Champaign County as his/ her home town.
- Any athlete who participated in an Olympic or Paralympic demonstration or exhibition sport who designated a community in Champaign County as his/her hometown.
Other Inclusion Possibilities:
- A candidate who attended elementary or high school in Champaign County for five years or more.
- A candidate who moved to Champaign County within five years from the time he or she participated as an Olympic athlete and remained in residence for a period of fifteen years or more.
- Any unusual situations will be considered. Material to validate must be provided by the applying athlete or representative of the athlete.
