When the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games begin Aug. 8, two former Cornell student athletes will be in the thick of the action: Ken Jurkowski '03 and Jennifer Kaido '03 will compete as members of the U.S. Rowing Team.

Jurkowski earned a spot as the team's single sculler, while Kaido is part of the team's quadruple sculls crew.

A three-year national team member, Jurkowski has developed quite a resume since graduating from Cornell with a degree in biological engineering. He finished ninth in the single sculls at the 2008 FISA (the international rowing association) World Cup stop in Lucerne, Switzerland and won bronze in the eight at the 2006 FISA World Championships. Jurkowski finished ninth in the quadruple sculls at the 2005 FISA World Championships.

USRowing/Provided

Ken Jurkowski '03 will compete as the U.S. Rowing Team's single sculler.

Nationally, Jurkowski finished third in the double sculls at the second 2006 National Selection Regatta and won the single sculls at the first 2006 National Selection Regatta. In 2005 he placed third in the double sculls at the second National Selection Regatta and sixth the single sculls at the first selection regatta. Jurkowski narrowly missed an Olympic spot when he finished second in the double sculls at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and was third in the single sculls at the same event. He won the elite double sculls and finished second in the senior single sculls at the 2003 U.S. Rowing National Championships.

A native of New Fairfield, Conn., Jurkowski currently serves as a volunteer assistant coach for the women's rowing team at the University of Texas. He joined the Big Red team as a walk-on his freshman year and rowed all four seasons while at Cornell.

Athletic Communications/Provided

Jennifer Kaido '03 in action.

A three-time national team member, Kaido, of West Leyden, N.Y., was part of the silver-medal-winning women's quadruple sculls crew at the 2008 Rowing World Cup in Lucerne. She finished eighth in the double sculls at the 2007 FISA World Championships and fifth in the double sculls at the 2007 FISA World Cup stop in Lucerne. Kaido was part of the sixth-place boat in the quadruple sculls at the 2006 FISA World Championships and the fourth-place boat in the quadruple sculls at the 2006 FISA World Cup stop in Lucerne.

Nationally, Kaido won the double sculls at the second 2007 National Selection Regatta and finished third and second in the double sculls at the second and third 2006 National Selection Regattas, respectively. She placed fourth in the single sculls at the first 2006 National Selection Regatta and third in the four at the 2004 U.S. National Team Trials.

An animal science major at Cornell, she joined the Big Red rowing team as a senior after transferring from SUNY-Cobleskill, where she was named Female Athlete of the Year as a volleyball and track athlete in 2000-01.

Julie Greco is the associate director of Cornell Athletic Communications.