The

countdown has begun. In less than a year, olympic

athletes from all over the world will converge in

Australia for the 2000 Olympics. Perhaps none more

excited than the 69 Olympic hopefuls employed by the Home

Depot. Georgia has 10 athletes in the program and one of

them is from this neck of the woods, Ebo Elder, a boxer

from Newnan.

Throught

the Olympic Job Opportunities Program (OJOP) and the

Career Opportunities Program (COP), the athletes get full

time wages and benefits through employment at the Home

Depot, as well as getting time off for training and

competition.

Other

athletes from the Atlanta are Kevin Braunskill, a

sprinter, Kimberly Carson, 100M Hurdles, Garrett Hines,

Bobsled, and Derek Mills, 400M. Jacob Hudson is a boxing

hopeful from Augusta, Nancy Johnson from Columbus is in

the shooting competition, and Joe Russell of Duluth is in

the weightlifting.

The Home

Depot began it's support of Olympic Athletes in 1992.

Currently, they are supporting, American, anadian, and

Puerto Rican hopefuls through the Winter Games in 2002.