For John Bardis, the Chairman, President and CEO of MedAssets, headquartered in Alpharetta GA, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing will be one of the high points of his life. Not only because was able to attend, but he had the distinct honor of being the Team Leader of U.S. Greco-Roman Wrestling Team -- a sport he has loved all his life.

Bardis began wrestling at age 10, and went on to become a high school wrestler in Illinois, taking second in the Illinois State Championships, as well as capturing state freestyle and Greco-Roman titles. Bardis also captured a Junior National title in Greco-Roman.

Bardis began his college wrestling career at the Univ. of Wisconsin, where he competed as a freshman, then transferred to the Univ. of Arizona, where he became a WAC conference champion and wrestled at the NCAA Championships while completing a degree in business. In 1976, he won a Regional Olympic Trials event, and went on to place third at the Olympic Trials in Greco-Roman.

Throughout his adult life, Bardis has supported wrestling in many ways. He has helped sponsor a number of individual athletes who have competed at the national and Olympic levels. Bardis also organized and sponsored numerous activities for the wrestling community during the 1995 World Championships and the 1996 Olympics that were held in nearby Atlanta.

At the time this story was submitted, Adam Wheeler of U.S. Greco-Roman Team had won a Bronze Medal in the 96kg Class. In the FreeStyle category, Henry Cejudo won a Gold Medal in the 55kg Class.

Congrats to the team, the medalists and to Bardis.

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