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!