Yale and the Olympic Ideal

Natalia Babonyova, undersized Slovak forward with a propensity for gritty play, is a Yale graduate. She was living in Whitby Ontario when she learned that the goalie Zuzanna Tomcikova had carried the Slovak women;s team on her back through the vigorous qualifying rounds.

Babyonova batttled for 50 minutes against Russia on Saturday Night, before eventually falling 4-2. Despite being 0-4 in the tourney, she is grateful for every second in Vancouver. "You see these crowds salute us after every game, it's all you can do to keep from crying, " she said post game. She adores Zuzanna, and will fight to the end to avoid last place when they China in their finale, savoring every precious Olympic second.