With less than 100 days until the opening of the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London, England, seven elite level former and current Gryphon athletes from across three athletic programs, are executing the final stages of their four- year, Olympic preparation training regiments. 

At this year's games, world-class athletes from across the globe will join together to compete in 26 sports for a spot atop the Olympic podium. Our very own Canadian Olympic team is coming off its third-best summer performance with 18 medals and will look to challenge last years' result with a top 12 finish this summer.

Former Gryphon varsity swimmer, Andrew Ford and U of G alumnus, Reid Coolsaet are both London bound in July, while Korey Jarvis (Elliot Lake, ON), Alex Genest (Lac-aux- Sables, QC), Genevieve Lalonde (Moncton, NB), Rachel Aubry (Ottawa), Ross Proudfoot (Sudbury, ON) and Kyle Boorsma (Guelph, ON) are working to obtain Olympic standards in their respective sports, with aspirations of medaling during upcoming Olympic Trails and heading for the Games.

The City of Guelph watched and avidly tweeted as Ford, a Guelph native, clinched his ticket to the games on April 1, 2012, capturing gold at the swimming trails held in Montreal, QC with a time of 2:01.18 in the 200 IM event.

"Andrew has to win," said long time coach Don Burton. "Andrew is a thinker, he likes to know why he's doing what he's doing and how he'll be better because of it." Andrew's holistic approach to the pool and his inner drive to succeed are what make him an exceptional athlete in the mind of his coach, and it's paid off in a big way.

Ford and Coach Burton have trained together for the past 10 years with Ford being a long time member of the Guelph Marlin Aquatic Club and 2010-2011 Gryphon Varsity swimmer. Last school year, Ford stepped away from his academic aspirations to solely focus on his Olympic dream. He is hoping to return to the University of Guelph to resume his studies in the fall.

What's next in Ford's Olympic journey?

He will spend the majority of his time in the Gryphon pool training and is scheduled to compete in a few swim meets before he leaves for Sardinia, Spain two and half weeks before the games commence.

Ford won't be the only former Gryphon athlete competing for gold this summer; Reid Coolsaet (Hamilton, ON), a 2002 B.Comm graduate, six-time All-Canadian and two- time U of G Male Athlete of the Year, will make up one third of the Canadian Olympic marathon team. Coolsaet currently trains out of Guelph's Speed River club, located in the U of G campus, and is considered the most successful running club in Canada, led by David Scott-Thomas, head coach of the Gryphon track and field and cross-country teams.

Scott-Thomas has been apart of the Gryphon track and cross-country program for close to 15 years and was himself a U of G graduate. Over the course of a decade and a half, Scott-Thomas has built the elite program from scratch.

"There are more than 30 national team athletes currently training at the University of Guelph," said Scott- Thomas. "It can be argued that we have the most talented and successful middle distance program in Canadian history."

Both Alex Genest and Genevieve Lalonde have an excellent chance at qualifying for the Canadian Olympic team, but the road to London is still a long one for this pair of Gryphons. Genest earned his 'A' standard last year, but must show he has maintained his fitness level by obtaining a 'B' standard or higher in any upcoming race, and then medal at the Calgary, AB trials from June 27-30.

Lalonde can earn her standard in two ways, either she breaks 'A' standard on her own, or if she breaks 'B' standard and no other Canadian female runner earns their 'A' standard, she will qualify to compete for her Olympic spot in Calgary as well.

"They both have good odds to make the Olympic team," said Scott-Thomas.

Currently, the Olympic hopefuls are training with Scott-Thomas 25-30 hours a week and are executing the final phase of a well developed and comprehensive four year, Olympic training regiment, that included a trip to London, England back in 2010 so the athletes could get a feel for the city. The athletes are working on getting acclimated to the high altitudes they will be met with at the Calgary trials by training at 7,000 feet above sea level in Arizona.

Other Gryphon Olympic hopefuls are veteran runner Rachel Aubry, All-Canadian Ross Proudfoot, and Gryphon alumnus and three-time U of G Athlete of the Year Kyle Boorsma

Korey Jarvis is another Gryphon chasing his Olympic dream this summer. Last September, Jarvis took a year off his post- secondary education at the University of Guelph to train for the games. Jarvis, a former Gryphon, is currently training out of the Guelph Wrestling Club. While he wore the red and gold for Guelph, he helped his team clinch their first OUA title since 1983 after earning a gold medal in the men's 90k event and then went on to win the CIS gold medal in the same event.

Last December, he qualified for the Greco-Roman Canadian National team in Winnipeg, MB, which propelled his Olympic aspirations up four years and put the 2012 summer games in sight.

"[Jarvis] had some great results this year," said Coach Doug Cox, who has trained Korey for the past seven years. "Korey is a competitor. Some athletes actually do better in training than in competition. Not Korey, he shows up for the big events."

To make it to London, Jarvis will have to earn international Olympic standards. To do this, he will compete in two competitions early this summer and will most likely have to finish within the top two. He has come very close to obtaining his standards already when he placed third in the Pan American Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament back in March.

If we do not see Jarvis at the 2012 games, be sure to watch for him at the 2016 games in Brazil.