Team Qwest, a program "that made it possible" for seven track and field athletes with Olympic potential to work for Qwest "while pursuing" their athletic careers, "will be dropped by the down-sizing" company, according to John Meyer of the DENVER POST. Qwest spokesperson Dave Goldberg said that "continuing to support the track club was contrary to the company's focus on service improvement." Team Qwest Coordinator Mike Gilbert said that four of seven athletes in the program "have left the company," and that only discus- thrower Anthony Washington, high-jumper Matt Hemingway, and 200-meter sprinter Kevin Little "remain employees." Gilbert: "I wish we would have gotten a chance to sell the program to Qwest. Not one athlete, nor myself, ever got the chance to talk to anyone from Qwest" (DENVER POST, 12/12). DID GREENE DEAL HURT PROGRAM? Hurdler Maurice Mitchell, who was laid off in the cuts, blamed Qwest's endorsement deal with sprinter Maurice Greene: "The whole program was based on the fact that we are educated people who happen to do sports. Now it's come 180 [degrees]. They're giving the money to the Maurice Greenes of the world, who may or may not be educated, who are filthy rich already. We're active in the community, we worked for US West and Qwest, we're good role models. I don't know how much of a role model Greene would be." The program was created 11 years ago by US West, which merged with Qwest (DENVER POST, 12/12).
