Janice Lloyd Senior Assignment Editor, Sports Janice Lloyd is a founder of USA TODAY, starting in the sports department in August 1982. Prior to that she worked at the Wilmington News Journal (Delaware). She also worked in the news department for USA TODAY and edited at USA WEEKEND, a Sunday magazine published by Gannett. She returned to the sports department in 1988 as cover story editor. In her current position, she oversees the editors for colleges, Olympics, soccer and outdoor sports. The Torino Games were the 9th Olympics for which she's coordinated coverage. A 1971 graduate of the University of Delaware, she majored in English. Interview Activities

Q: How many Olympic Games have you been involved with?

A: Athens will be the 8th Olympics I've overseen.

Q: What has been your biggest challenge?

A: In 1992, the first year I was the Olympic editor, both the winter and summer Olympics were held. That's the last time that happened. They're spaced two years apart now. But Albertville was in February -- and Barcelona was in July. I learned about pacing that year and on how little sleep I can manage. Let me explain. You don't get very much shuteye when you're on the road covering an Olympics. You work on local time, which that year was six hours ahead of the U.S., to keep up with the news at the Olympics and to communicate with your reporters. Then I worked on eastern time to coordinate cover and edit stories because that's when the newspaper was being put together back in the USA. I'd get about three hours of sleep a night. After you do that for about 18 days, you learn a lot about yourself and your temperament. Fortunately, I thrive on that, but it was an eye opener for me that year. Just when we were getting rested up from Albertville, we were off and running to cover the Summer Olympic Trials and then we went to Barcelona in early July. That was my first summer Olympics - and those Games are gigantic compared to the Winter Games. I'm a vet now. I know I'm going to work round the clock and be tired for a couple months afterwards, but it's a total labor of love. I don't want to miss any of it.

Q: What do you anticipate will be the biggest challenge to the Sports staff as a whole in Athens?

A: Usually, it's something basic such as remembering to stop working long enough to get some sleep or finding time to eat dinner. Beyond that, I think a big challenge could be trying to deal with the heat. What generally happens, though, is the staff gets completely absorbed by the events and loves the challenges imposed by different cultures and countries. That's why we're in this business. We love to tell stories. The bigger the news, the better it is for journalists.

Q: How does the importance of the cultural aspects of the Olympics compare to that of the sports events and the athletes?

A: Greece is the Olympic's home, but it's much, much more than that. Greece was so far ahead of the rest of the world. The Greeks loved sport, loved to celebrate and bring people together, and loved to debate and think. The Greeks gave us a lot, not to mention one of the biggest institutions we cherish - democracy. So yes, maybe for once-- the sports events and the athletes will pale when compared to the cultural and historical sides of this city and country.

Q: What has been your most memorable experience?

A: I've had many great Olympic moments, but currently, one stands head and shoulders above the others. I went to Opening Ceremonies at the Salt Lake City Olympics to coordinate our coverage of a live edition we were handing out to spectators as they left Opening Ceremonies. The deadlines were tighter than they've ever been because we had to give production time to print the papers - and then get them to the stadium in time. Anyway, we were under a lot of pressure also because security was very tight. This was the first Olympics after Sept. 11 and the attacks. People had wondered back in September if the USA should even have the Olympics because we were so vulnerable as a country. What I remember the most about that night is this: I was in a press room at the top of the stadium with about 200 other journalists from around the world. They were writing stories on deadlines also. There was lots of nervous chatter, tvs were on broadcasting the opening ceremonies, journalists were banging away on laptops -- and then everything suddenly stopped. It was quiet. The Olympians were carrying the damaged flag from the World Trade Center into the stadium. There was a moment of silence. Some journalists bowed their heads. Some cried. Some just stared in awe. And then everyone went back to work. That memory still brings tears to my eyes.

Q: What excites you most about the upcoming Olympic Games?

A: Having the Olympics return to their home, Greece, is spectacular. The marathon will be run from Marathon, the site of the original marathon. It doesn't get any better than that.

Q: What will be your role in the Athen's Olympic Games?

A: I'll be one of several editors trying to make the best news decisions of the day. We have to supply stories to our website, for international and domestic editions. For the website, the stories are filed immediately. Between the start of international edition and the close of domestic edition we have 12-14 hours of editing. It seems like it's nonstop. I stay for the most part in the main press center. We talk to reporters. We talk among ourselves. We discuss what's the big story. It's great. We don't see many events at the venues, but we have live feeds from all the venues and get to watch those. It's really fun to see the live action simultaneously from different venues.

Q: In your opinion, what are the three most important things that students of the Olympics can take away from following the Games?

A: 1. To set high goals and to strive to be your best. Surround yourself with people who can make you a winner.

2. To befriend people from other countries and find the good in everyone regardless of race, nationality or religion.

3. To know that the biggest prize of all is being humble and thanking your parents, your coaches and your country for giving you opportunities to excel.

Q: How will security at the Olympic venues and village affect the coverage of the events, if at all?

A: Not at all.

Q: How do you believe current global issues will impact the games, if at all?

A: I think once everyone gets to Athens and the Opening Ceremonies are held then the global issues will fade into the background. That's my hope anyway.

Q: What will be some of the new and more interesting events to watch out for this year?

A: The marathon will be incredible -- since the start is in Marathon, the site of the first marathon. The shot put will be held in Olympia, the original site of the Games. This venue is so rich in history. The road cycling will be raced through the city of Athens, where you'll be able to see the Acropolis and the other ancient monuments. Archery will be held in the original Olympic Stadium. Weightlifting will be the favorite sport of the Greeks because their athletes are world champions in several classes. The Greek spectators will be cheering wildly as their athletes compete. Women's wrestling, one of the original sports for men, is new. From the American spectators standpoint, look to see how many medals swimmer Michael Phelps can win, which medal the U.S. women's gymnastic team can win, how well the men's dream team can do in basketball, who will win the gold in baseball since the USA won't be there to defend it's title, whether the American women's soccer team can win gold after losing at the World Cup. The storylines go on and on. These will be great competitions. Many countries will be watching to see how the Chinese compete at these Games since the next Summer Olympics is in Beijing. The upcoming host country usually performs very well. Some think the Chinese could knock the USA out of first place - if not in Athens, then certainly in Beijing in 2008.

Q: What new techniques, technologies or systems are you using to improve coverage of the games and how will you implement them?

A: (I don't think things have changed much. We have the same laptops, we use cell phones, digital cameras)