Out of 'retirement'? Maybe...ask next week

Today we held the semi-finals for the first World Cup of the 2012 Olympic cycle... well sort of. In a semi-final, you compete in everything but riding. The top 36 athletes compete in the final two days later. Today we just swam and fenced. It turns out that the shooting score boxes are tied up at customs at the airport so we can't shoot. Since our new format is a combined shoot/run, we could not shoot or run today (we are scheduled for tomorrow).

I am not in good shape yet this season. After pretty much retiring after World Cup Final, I began reconsidering that decision over the winter. Over Christmas I had sinus surgery (which gave me MUCH better breathing out of my nose), but I also packed on a few pounds (okay, more than a few), courtesy of Cami's awesome pralines and divinity. After the New Year, I decided to get back in shape and start training again, committing to compete at least through this season to see how I like the new format. And quite frankly, I need to make sure that I still love training and competing--because that's what it takes to commit to another four years. And so far (only the past two months), I have really enjoyed getting back into the sport and am seriously considering committing to the 2012 Olympics.

But back to today. I swam a 2:08, six seconds slower than at the Olympics; but not bad for high altitude and only about eight weeks of training. My fencing put me right in the middle of the pack, and I go into tomorrow's run/shoot in 13th place. The top 18 make it into Saturday's final after tomorrow's run/shoot. I am about 20 seconds ahead of 19th place which would normally be a cake walk going into running. However, with the combined event, I have no idea where I stand.

Stay tuned for updates on the blog tomorrow and then (hopefully) in the final on Saturday!

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!