Athletes take Aspen stage at ‘Project Play’

ASPEN – The Aspen Institute’s “Project Play: Reimagining Youth Sports in America” summit continues from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday with a conversation with Olympic and Paralympic athletes.The panel will include the following athletes:• Gary Hall Jr. – Hall sits on the board of directors for the National Youth Sports Health & Safety Institute. His athletic career includes 10 Olympic medals (1996, 2000 and 2004) and induction into the Swimming Olympic Hall of Fame. In 2012, he was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, Hall is an advocate for diabetes care.• Nancy Hogshead-Makar – Hogshead-Makar is a four-time Olympic medalist in swimming who went undefeated in dual meets in high school and college. She is a lawyer and advocate for girls and women in sports, has been interviewed on “60 Minutes” and has made appearances on Fox News, CNN, ESPN, National Public Radio and MSNBC.• Jackie Joyner-Kersee – Known as the “First Lady of the Heptathlon,” Joyner-Kersee is a six-time Olympic medalist in the heptathlon.• Michelle Kwan – Kwan is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, winning five world championships, nine U.S. championships and two Olympic medals.• Sarah Reinertsen – Reinertsen is a Paralympian, Ironman athlete and “Amazing Race” competitor. In 2005, she became the first woman to finish an Ironman on a prosthetic leg. In 2006, she earned an ESPN ESPY award for best female athlete with a disability.The event, which is open to the public, will take place in Paepcke Auditorium. Tickets, which are $10 in advance and $15 the day of the event, are available at http://www.aspenshowtix.com or by calling 970-920-5770.