Zimmermann discovers new purpose after the Olympics

It’s been said that athletes die two deaths. The first occurs when their competitive careers end and the cheering stops, often at a relatively young age, and they are confronted with a frightening question: “Now what?” Iris Zimmermann’s first death, if you will, occurred in 2008 when the onetime Olympic fencer’s final attempt at making the U.S. team and pursuing an elusive medal ended on a gray, rainy February day in Gdansk, Poland.