Olympic Champion Sets Generous Example

Joey Cheek became a household name during the Winter Olympics in Torino, bringing home gold and silver medals for speed skating.

Cheek's performance was a bright spot for the U.S. team, which was distracted by an ongoing feud between skaters Chad Hedrick and Shani Davis. Speaking to co-anchor Harry Smith Tuesday on The Early Show, Cheek said the Hedrick-Davis situation was tense — but that it did have a silver lining.

"We're all very, very serious competitors," he said. "We've spent 10, 15, 20 years of our life getting ready for this. So, obviously, tensions are high at the Olympics. The media picked it up and ran with it. If we get more eyeballs watching speed skating for something negative and they see the sport and love the sport, it's a positive thing for us."

One of Cheek's great inspirations as a skater was Johann Olav Koss of Norway. Cheek calls Koss "a hero of the sport, regardless of his athletic performance. He is an amazing humanitarian."

Koss made headlines for donating much of his winnings to charity and became a model for Cheek's own beliefs. Cheek donated $40,000 in Olympic winnings to a non-governmental humanitarian organization founded by Koss, called Right to Play, which promotes healthy living for children in war-torn Africa.

"I did it out loud like that so that I could try to encourage others to donate and step up and really donate with me," he explained. "We raised more than half a million dollars."

Cheek plans to visit Africa himself next month and then, perhaps, turn his attention to the next big challenge: college. Although he was turned down by Harvard, his Olympic fame has helped catch the attention of other eager admissions offices.

"I've gotten e-mails from universities and alumni at various universities that seem excited to have me," he told Smith. "I'm sure I'll land at a great university."

For more information about Right to Play, click here.