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Sooners Missing Out on Olympic Dream
Published: 8/1/2012 10:35 AM
Last Modified: 8/1/2012 10:35 AM

At least two Oklahoma athletes, who should be in the Olympics, are sitting at home watching the Olympics this week.
OU All-America softball pitcher Keilani Ricketts and catcher Jessica Shults would have been almost assured of a spot on the U.S. team if softball was an Olympic sport.
Softball was dropped as an Olympic in 2008 and the sport is trying to regain a spot in the 2020 Olympics.
“It is sad to watch because Keilani and Jessica would probably be on the team and it breaks my heart that softball isn’t in the Olympics,” said OU coach Patty Gasso.
Ricketts and Shults led the Sooners to the national championship game this year.
“It is the ultimate dream of any athlete to be in the Olympics,” said Gasso. “Such a small percentage of athletes get a chance to be in the Olympics.
“So, it is sad for me to know those two will not have that chance until at least 2020. Who knows what they will be doing in 2020?”
It is believed softball was dropped from the Olympics because not enough countries play the sport.
“I’m waiting on that call to go to Germany or where ever to help,” said Gasso. “We need to help these other countries in softball.
“I really don’t know the dynamics of what happened. I really don’t know what happened.”



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Klein's Korner

Tulsa World senior sports columnist John Klein is in his fourth decade of covering sports. He started his newspaper career at The Daily Ardmoreite in 1977 and moved to the Tulsa World in 1978. He served 10 years as sports editor for the Tulsa World before being named to his current position in 2005. He also spent five years as the Southwest Conference beat writer for the Houston Post. He has won many writing awards and is a former Oklahoma Sports Writer of the Year.

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