The Competition

The last couple days since the competition have gone by so fast that I suddenly realized I had not posted a blog about the competition. For those of you back at home, I gather the TV coverage was not great (and in the middle of the night) so you probably don’t have much of an idea what my Olympic debut was like from an athletic point of view.

To say I got off to a bad start in the competition is an understatement. Shooting is the first, and my worst event, and I have historically struggled in it. This year has been a banner year for me in the event, and I felt that I was ready to for a good shoot. During the first shot, I was too aggressive on the trigger and pulled the shot clear into the four ring (4 out of 10). It was so unnerving that I had trouble getting focused on shot two which came shortly thereafter. Another bad shot (6) ended any realistic chances I had for a medal in the first two minutes of my 10 hour competition. But this is the Olympics and you just don’t give up—I certainly didn’t, as my last 18 shots were fine and I pulled together an impressive comeback.

Coming into fencing after a devastating shoot is tough. You know you are behind the eight ball and the fight becomes dissociating yourself from the overall results and focusing on the bout at hand. The first half of fencing was okay for me. I had some great touches and was fencing average against a tough group. Toward the end of my fence, I dropped a few extra bouts that cost me pretty badly. I can’t remember ever being as devastated in a competition as I was walking out of the fencing venue that morning. It was not about having a bad competition, it was feeling that I had come in with such great preparation and not performed to the level I could.

The swim offered me a chance at redemption. I came out of a swimming background and swam at the Air Force Academy in college. I had to dig down pretty deep to find the motivation to swim, but I knew it was an event in which I would shine. I have been working on my swimming since qualifying for the Olympics last year and I wanted to see the fruits of my labor, even if it would not produce a medal. Wearing the new Speedo LZR suits (same design as the US Swim Team), I nailed a best time in the event by nearly two seconds… finally something to boost my spirits.

Riding was next and it proved to shake up the standings big time. In a rainy stadium filled with nearly 35,000 (extremely loud) people, the horses and riders had huge problems getting around the course. The course was as high as any course I have ridden, and the refs went out and checked a few of the jumps because they looked too high (somewhere around 5 of the jumps maxed out at 4 feet high and 4 feet in depth). My ride was fairly good and moved me up about 7 places as some of the top athletes moved to the back of the competition.

All summer I trained for the running course that was conducted at the Olympic test event. It was more or less straight with gentle turns and perfect for me. My coaches and I anticipated hot and humid weather so I trained all summer in long sleeve shirts and sometimes long pants in Colorado’s 95 degree heat to prepare. But like so much that day, the running also changed and my preparations were diminished. It was cool and rainy (which I usually like), but more importantly the course had eight 180 degree turns per 1000 meter lap. This has the effect of nearly leveling the playing field as the good and the bad runners all have to nearly stop at every corner. Fortunately, I was far enough back that I was not going to lose a medal or a top ten finish due to poor course design. So I put together my best effort in the event and ran up to 22nd place.

Afterward, I finally had a chance to meet up with my family in the stands. My intentions to quietly slip in behind them to say hi were interrupted when some in the crowd realized I was an athlete. After nearly 30 minutes of signing autographs and taking pictures with those in the stadium, I finally got to see my family.

It was an emotional roller coaster to go through that day. After shooting and fencing, I was so disappointed in myself I could barely text my wife to tell her I was okay. But the crowd of people who mobbed me after the competition ecstatic about meeting an Olympian reminded me that there is a lot to be said for just being in the competition.

Meeting with my family and friends afterward was also a big boost. I remember a Hallmark ad that ran during the Olympics a while ago. It showed an athlete’s parents giving her two cards before she competed. One was titled “If you win” the other “If you don’t win.” She opens both cards and they are the same. Both say “We are so proud of you.” That’s kind of what it felt like. I may not have been too proud of my performance, but my friends and family didn’t care. They came to support me regardless of the outcome. They would have liked for me to have a great competition, but they were just as happy to see me participate and finish the day. It was a welcome ending to one of the most difficult and devastating days of my athletic career.

So I came into this competition with high but realistic expectations. They didn’t pan out this time, but at the end of the day I can look back and say I did everything I could to be ready for the Olympics. There was not a workout I missed, a sacrifice I didn’t make, or a preparation I could have done better to be ready for this day. When you prepare like that, you just give yourself higher odds of succeeding, you don’t guarantee it. On four of five days, I think I would have had an outstanding competition given my preparation, but that one in five day still lingers and can come out at the least opportune time.

So my performance was not what I expected or hoped for, but I can now say I competed in the Olympics. Sometimes you have to walk away and hold your head high realizing that your only accomplishment was representing your country, your family, and your friends with dignity an pride despite all else. But maybe that is the most important thing anyway…

Two Days!!!

For a long time, people have been asking me if I am getting excited to compete in the Olympics. Surprisingly, I really did not feel much excitement until recently, even at Opening Ceremonies. Perhaps it was traveling half way around the world, dealing with new and different training environments, or the fact that it still seemed so far away; but I never felt that excited.

All that is changing now. The past week has afforded me the opportunity to really get ready for my competition. As training has gotten easier, I have had more time to watch my friends compete both live and on TV (I am watching my triathlon friends on TV while I write this). Watching friends of mine compete and win medals has helped it sink in that I will be taking my place on the international stage shortly.

My wife has been here for about a week now, but my parents and my wife’s grandparents along with some other friends arrived yesterday. That also makes it feel like my time is closing in.

I am also starting to hit my “lasts.” My last shooting practice was yesterday. I’ll have a last massage, last run workout, last swim workout, and last fencing lesson. Those benchmarks make the approaching competition day seem very real and close also.

So the last two days will be mostly filled with rest and relaxation. I’ll see my family and other guests this evening for dinner, and then probably not again until I see them sitting in the stadium watching me compete. It is pretty surreal to think about that.

With less than 48 hours, I am feeling excited and ready to compete. I have been waiting for this my whole life, and soon it will be my turn to face the greatest athletes in the world on the world’s greatest sporting stage.

Village Life

As most of you have likely guessed from my blogging absence, I have been very busy lately. Since my last post, I flew back and forth to Singapore, experienced a minor whiplash injury during a riding practice (no worries--I have since almost completely recovered), and finally settled into life in the Olympic Village.

One of the constants of every Olympic Games is the Village. It is the location where most athletes are housed during the Olympics and is the center of fun, training, medical, and general living needs for athletes. This Olympics, the village is a sizable complex of nearly one square mile filled with numerous apartment complexes, a vast dining room, office space, a fitness center, and even a 50-meter outdoor pool. It was built new for the Olympics and we are the first occupants of the housing (which also has problems of new housing like doors not fitting quite right and small plumbing issues being worked out).

The inside of the village is pristine, a combination of modern apartments with classical Chinese architecture for the small parks and rivers in between buildings. There is also an office for the "mayor" of the village that is built in classic Chinese architecture.

Each country is housed in their own area. Because Team USA is so large, we cover the better part of two apartment buildings in the complex. Our buildings have American flags hanging from nearly every balcony. And while a few of the highest profile athletes have opted to stay in hotels, most of Team USA is in the village. One of the high points of being here is running into friends from other sports and taking to them about their athletic performances. Everyone is excited to be here to compete, and it shows in elevator conversation and passing "hellos".

At the village, the USOC has set up a full medical clinic that is manned 24-hours a day for our medical needs. We also have internet rooms, AT&T phones that call back to the United States for free, and plenty of water and sports drinks in coolers to fight off the natural dehydration in the hot and humid climate here.

Aside from the living accommodations, we have a full laundry facility with a 12-hour turnaround (although I found out today that you have to give them smaller loads or your clothes don't get very clean). There are game rooms, a McDonalds, and lots of TVs to watch events as well. If you wanted, you could spend your entire Olympics in the village and have a pretty good time.

Transit to and from the village is very efficient as well. The Chinese have done a great job of making it easy to get around the city. Cabs only cost about a dollar per ten minutes in the car so I have been taking cabs as often as official Olympic transit vehicles.

All in all, this place is a lot of fun. I am finally able to relax and enjoy the experience, feeling ready to compete in a few days. With only a few workouts left, I am starting to feel ready for my day to come…

Great Olympic Moment

I started swimming competitively when I was eight years old on the tiny Falfin swim team in Colorado Springs. A couple years later, I watched the Seoul Olympics on my family's small black and white TV. Because I was a swimmer, I watched all the swimming events and idolized the swimming greats of the time. Matt Biondi and Janet Evans were my heroes. My parents did not let us watch much TV growing up, but for two weeks in August, we watched the Olympics whenever they were on. Watching Americans win gold medals was pretty much the high point of my summer.

Eight years ago, I went to the Sydney Olympics as a spectator. Four years ago, I went to the Athens Olympics to work for NBC. Neither time did I get to see my favorite Olympic sport (outside of mine), watch a world record be broken, or see an American win a gold medal. Yesterday, I saw all three.

Each night at the village, tickets for the following day are released to athletes. Swimming finals tickets are hot and I was surprised when I found them available on Thursday night. I changed around my Friday schedule to accommodate making the 10am swim session (which is what shows in the evening live in the United States).

Olympic swimming finals met all my expectations. The crowd was on fire for the US team, and the swimmers responded in kind with a fantastic show. Just before the session, I ran into my friend Rowdy Gaines who does the color commentary for NBC in swimming. I would have liked to sit with the US swim team, but my ticket was for the nose bleed section and two attempts to get back to the US swimming section were rebuffed by aggressive but nice volunteers.

The first medal was a surprise in the 200 breast and went to Rebecca Soni of the USA. It was during this race that I realized I had become fairly accustomed to seeing the green World Record line on TV and found myself somewhat expecting to see her swimming along the line in real life as well.

Next up was the 200 backstroke where US men went 1-2. Then came Michael Phelps who broke another World Record to win the 200 IM. The US team was truly having a phenomenal day, and they wrapped up with a bronze medal swim in the 100 freestyle.

But the high point of the day for me was watching the US Flag raised and hearing our national anthem played three times. It's really hard to describe how proud it makes you feel to be in another country and have that experience. This is the third time I have been at an Olympics, and watching an American win a gold medal might be the greatest of all my experiences. Seeing it happen three times in one morning… amazing!

A Change of Scenery

It is not uncommon for an athlete to retire and work for NBC as a broadcaster. What is much more uncommon is for someone to do this in reverse. That is what happened to me, and the experience of working in the last Olympics has clearly given me a different perspective and appreciation for my experience now as an athlete.

Four years ago, I had an amazing opportunity arise. After failing to qualify for the 2004 Olympics, NBC hired me to work for them in Athens. It was bittersweet to be there watching others compete in an Olympics I thought would be my own, but working for NBC proved to be an awesome fallback.

Probably the best part of my Athens experience was getting an “Infinity” pass with an NBC credential. At the Olympics, everything is highly secure and there are security and ID checkpoints around every corner. In Athens, I quickly discovered that the credential NBC issued me was my ticket to see and do virtually anything (with the time I had left after working 16 hour days). I was able to walk around any venue and had full access to anything I needed for my job. Of course, as an Olympic junkie, I took some liberties with my access and found myself in a number of unusual places (like the swimming warm up pool, the floor of the gymnastics venues…)

I had not realized how spoiled I was until I arrived here in Beijing. This time, I have an athlete credential (which does not sport an infinity pass). It did not occur to me that my access had been significantly diminished until I tried to go to the swimming pool to meet with Speedo and pick up a new LZR suit. After four failed attempts to find an athlete entry port, I finally found it. Feeling a bit frustrated, I could not put my finger on what bothered me about having to search for the athlete entry. Then I realized that four years ago, I had never been denied access to any facility. I started wondering if I had been demoted…

In Athens, I worked with Andrea Joyce of NBC at Opening Ceremonies. We were there several hours ahead of time to scope out the infield. At some point, our sense of timing became lost and suddenly opening ceremonies started with us on the field. Rather than walk through the ceremonies, we sat under a speaker for the duration of the ceremonies. It was surreal to watch the entirety of the ceremonies from on the track. My view was spectacular and we were quite comfortable watching from the speaker. But again, it was bittersweet. I had the best seats in the house, but part of me was still somewhat disappointed that I would not be marching in with Team USA.

This year, I had a pleasant change of scenery. At the start of opening ceremonies, I was not sitting in a cool shady spot on the track. I was sweating like a pig in the athlete staging area along with all the other athletes. It must have been 85 degrees in the gymnastics hall where we waited for nearly two hours to march. It was pushing 90 outside when we walked to the stadium.

By the time I reached the stadium, my body was soaked in sweat; and I had consumed nearly a gallon of fluids to stay hydrated. The Ralph Lauren outfits were spectacular, but they were not designed to be cool and comfortable in extreme heat and humidity.

Four hours after arriving at opening ceremonies, Team USA finally made it to the tunnel that leads to the track. You could smell the sweat of thousands of athletes who had just passed through the tunnel. Nearly everyone’s faces were drenched with sweat from the heat. It was not comfortable.

Walking out of the tunnel onto the field is something I will remember for the rest of my life. Unlike Athens, this is my Olympics. The crowds waving US flags were waving for me and my team. A billion people would watch my Team USA compete now. The emotions are really indescribable.

After marching onto the field, we parked in our holding position and waited. By the time the torch was lit, we had been standing for nearly 4 hours. I was tired, jetlagged, and near exhaustion from two hard workouts earlier in the day. But it was all worth it. This time I was watching my opening ceremonies.

So maybe I took a bit of a demotion when I lost my infinity credential and picked up an athlete credential. I can’t go anywhere unquestioned anymore. Rather than sitting in the best seat to watch opening ceremonies, I had to stand for four hours. Instead of having a driver, I take public transit or an Olympic bus. But one thing is for sure: I have it way better off this Olympics than last.

Team Processing

Today I started the final leg of my long Olympic journey. After once again failing to finish packing early, I had stayed up until midnight tying up the final loose ends before leaving today. The punishment for my transgressions was about four-and-a-half hours of sleep and a 4:45am wakeup call to catch a 6:15 flight (I get dressed really quickly).

Normally I would take an Olympic Committee shuttle or taxi to the airport, but Cami wanted to see me off. At 5:30, Cami dropped me at the United desk and we said goodbye. That was probably the first time that it hit me that the Olympics are rapidly approaching.

After a layover in Denver, we arrived in San Francisco. A shuttle drove my team and about 15 other athletes and coaches to San Jose State University. Upon arrival, we were quickly checked into our dorm rooms, home for the next two nights, and given a brief overview of the next two days. Then came the fun part…

One of the big perks of making an Olympic Team is getting the Olympic outfits. I have been competing for years and scored numerous National Team uniforms, but Olympic outfits are legendary. They often set new fashion standards (think the Roots beret worn by the 2002 US Winter Olympic Team), and major apparel companies fight for the right to design and produce the outfits. This year is no different. Nike designed the athletic outfits and Ralph Lauren produced the opening and closing ceremonies outfits. And now that I have seen the outfits, I can say that both companies have risen to the occasion and produced spectacular apparel this year.

Processing takes about four hours total. Only about half that time is taken getting your Olympic apparel. The rest of the time you spend going over medical history, getting briefed on media relations, travel arrangements, and other Olympic rules. But by far my favorite part of processing was ordering my Olympic ring.

Nine years ago, I received my first significant ring, my Air Force Academy class ring. It is white gold with the Air Force Academy crest on one side and my class crest on the other. On the top of the ring sits a star sapphire surrounded by 8 small diamonds and rubies. I am very patriotic and I wanted my ring to show it. That ring is one of my most prized possessions earned by completing the rigorous program at the Academy. A few years back, I decided that if I earned an Olympic ring, I would design it to match my Academy ring. So the ring I selected today was white gold, has the Olympic Rings on the top, and will have a sapphire, ruby, and diamond on either side of the ring. It is the perfect addition to my incredibly small jewelry collection and probably the only ring that could displace my Academy ring from its place on my hand.

The last part of Team Processing is excess luggage shipping. Only about a third of all apparel distributed is mandatory for the Games. Because athletes have to travel with so much sport specific equipment, it is impossible to take all the apparel to China. So after receiving a shopping cart full of clothes and shoes, you decide what you really need, and ship the rest home.

It is finally starting to sink in that the Olympics are here. The excitement of the processing staff and the other athletes is palpable. It feels a lot more real to actually see opening and closing ceremonies uniforms, try on the podium attire, and buy the last few American products before going oversees. Tomorrow will be my last full day on US soil before competing. On Tuesday morning, my team and I will take the non-stop flight from San Francisco to Beijing China and the next leg of my Olympic journey. Opening Ceremonies are just 4 days away!