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Olympic Selection



Wow. The last few days have been an incredible, emotional whirlwind - filled with joy, heart-ache, and exhilaration. First, the National Championship concluded on Saturday. The New England Team claimed the Gold with a commanding 3-0 victory over the Midwest Team. My New Jersey team fell just short of medaling as we lost in the 3-4 game to CAPA.

While the Championship concluded, a new page in USA Field Hockey was written with the announcement of the 2008 Olympic Team. Selection time is a stressful, trying and emotional time for all players and coaches. For the Olympic Games only 16 players are selected from the squad of 24 who trains together year round. We have become a family and it is unfortunate that all members of the squad cannot be chosen because every teammate is deserving of the honor. But the world of sport is a world of semi-permanent absolutes - you either win or you lose, get selected or not - but regardless of your fortune today, you continue fighting because in time, you can change your fortune.

So it is with these thoughts in mind that I tell you I was selected to represent the USA in the 2008 Olympic Games. I feel incredibly blessed to have received this honor. It has been a dream of mine since I was young to be an Olympian - it is simply amazing to think that this dream is becoming a reality. But the ultimate dream is that of Olympic GOLD .

The Olympic Team was publicly announced on Monday Night at the Olympic celebration Gala. The night featured entertainment by Art Explosion and the Pink Falmingos, as well as short films of the team. Hopefully I can get a hold of some video from the evening to share.

Now this blog has been entirely too long - but I have one more exciting event to share with you. Yesterday, I traveled to Washington D.C. with my University of North Carolina teammates to meet the President of the United States. The President hosted some of the National Champions from the NCAA and celebrated our achievements. It was a great experience - pretty indescribable.

Well, thats it for now. The team leaves for Europe in two days, so please check back for the scoop from our travels.

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