About Me

I'm a computer networking consultant working in the Washington, DC metro area. In my spare time I enjoy learning about other cultures and languages, homebrewing, cooking, swimming, bowling, fishing, reading and listening to music. I work out at the National Capital YMCA and I'm considering joining a local curling club.  I enjoy hard science-fiction but I'm also a fan of Star Trek, Sailor Moon and James Bond. I love to travel and I am very fond of southern Italy and the Caribbean, especially the US Virgin Islands. I'll be visiting Amsterdam and Riga in the next few months and hopefully visit Athens in the fall. I sometimes spend my freetime playing in the Society for Creative Anachronism, an international organization of hobbists who study and recreate the European Middle Ages and early Rennaisance. These intrerests keep me pretty busy.

Rodney Mark Jones

This Month's Featured International Federation


World Curling Federation

It looks like the competition for the 2006 Winter Games host cities is beginning to heat up.

The Swedish Olympic Committee has denied Ostersund's application for another shot at hosting the Winter Games. The SOK members voted unanimously against pursuing a bid for the Winter Games of 2006 while public support is at such low levels following the bombings associated with Stockholm's bid for the 2004 Summer Games. They also stated that Ostersund appears to be no better prepared for this bid competition than it was for the 1998 Winter Games, despite spending upwards of $30 million on sports venues.

Ostersund has made nine previous unsuccessful attempts to bring the Winter Games to Sweden. But the small city in northern Sweden finished third in the race for the 1998 Winter Games and second in its attempt for the 1994 Winter Games. Still, the town seems to be determined to host the Games and is likely to try again for in the competition for the Winter Games of 2010.

Meanwhile, IOC President Juan Antonio Samarach has provided some encouragement to the organizers of the Finnish bid for the 2006 Winter Games during his recent visit to Stockholm for the meeting of the European Olympic Committees. The city of Helsinki has built a preliminary bid in which it will host the Games in cooperation with Lillehammer, Norway. The King of Norway has also expressed his support for the bid. The IOC President suggested that Sweden could participate as a third partner in the Helsinki bid. If Helsinki is successful in winning the right to host the Games it will be the first city in Olympic history to host both the Summer Games and the Winter Games.

Several other European cities have stated they will also be entering bids. A few of those are also likely to be joint bids between cities in different countries. IOC President Samarach has said he does not believe that a bid run-off, such as that used by the IOC in the selection of the 2004 Summer Games, will be necessary for 2006.

Visit USOC Online!

If you haven't yet visited the US Olympic Committee's web site, do yourself a favor and check it out. The new site has several features to help keep fans of the US Olympic Team informed. While you're at it, you may want to provide some financial support to USOC and subscribe to The Olympian magazine.

Pin Trading: The Other Sport

Pin trading has been a feature of the modern games since the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid. Collecting and trading pins is an inexpensive and fun hobby. Here are some links to a few pin dealers and collectors on the web:

  Wreckme's Olympic Pin Trader
  The Unofficial Pin Trading Page
  Midwest Pins
  Sunbeam's Pin Home Page
  Pettersen's Pin Pages
  Olympic Pins and Games
  Robbo's Collectors' Page
  Olympic Pin Collectors Web Ring

NOC Contact List

I have nearly completed compiling my National Olympic Committees contact list. It is still under construction but it will soon be available from the Quick Pick list. The list will include both traditional and (where available) electronic contacts for several dozen NOCs around the world. Pin collectors may find the list useful in tracking down some hard-to-find items for their collections. Fans can use the list to keep in touch with their favorite teams.

Support Your Sport!

I support the following national governing bodies:

  US Bobsled & Skeleton Association
  US Canoe and Kayak Team
  US Curling Association
  US Equestrian Team
  US Field Hockey Association
  USA Team Handball Federation
  US Luge Association
  USA Shooting
  US Ski & Snowboarding Association
  US Speedskating
  USA Track & Field
  USA Volleyball