European Tour Continued. . .

So we concluded our three game tournament in Germany and have changed our residence to Germany's neighbor, Holland. The German tour did not go exactly as planned - we failed to get a victory as we had a few difficult matches which highlighted areas of our game we need to improve before we head to Beijing. For more information on the matches you can check out usfieldhockey.com. We have a long (yet short in time) road ahead of us. But we have an incredible opportunity this week to play against the #1 team in the world. Holland and Germany play a very similar style so it will be a could opportunity to implement some of the lessons we learned from Holland.

We are staying in Den Haag, Holland. Our hotel is right on the beach - unfortunately summer weather here isn't quite like summer in San Diego! It has been terribly stormy and windy here. Yesterday, we had to go on a 40 minute run on the boardwalk - for 20 minutes we ran dead against the wind and rain and it felt like it was hailing on us!!! Jesse Gey and I had to duck our heads to create a breaker against the wind. I think it was more of resistance training than a recovery!!!

I am totally pumped to be in Holland because two of my best friends from college live here in the Den Haag, and I got to see them last night! It is always fun to catch up with old friends and have a good laugh!!!

Well off to training!!! Take Care and have a splendid day!!

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Opening Ceremonies

Amazing. Fantastic. Exhilarating. Beautiful. Nothing I can write will do justice to what was the 2008 Opening Ceremonies. The Chinese have put on an incredible and extraordinary show; one that captivates the mind and enlivens the senses - its magnificence touches the very core of the human heart. Our opening ceremonies experience started early in the day @ 5:15 - and like most days here in Beijing, it was incredibly hot and humid. Dressed in our Gatsby-esque Polo outfits, the perspiration started immediately as we walked out of our building. Our first stop en route to the Birds Nest was at the Fencing Center where we mingled with other athletes and awaited the arrival of President Bush. It was amazing to be in a room filled with so many talented athletes. President Bush arrived with an entourage of people including his father President George H.W. Bush, his wife, First Lady Laura Bush, the Secretary of the Treasury, and many others...After making some remarks, the President min...

Out and About in the Village. . .

Good Evening, or should I say Good Morning. Regardless of the time of day, the news I have to share is exciting. First let me preface you with the fact that the village is thriving as new batches of athletes arrive daily. The chaos in the dining hall is a key indicator of the increase in athlete volume. In order to understand the capacity of the dining hall let me draw you a mental picture . . . combine 6 football fields (3 deep and 2 wide), then line the space with thousands upon thousands of tables, put in buffet style food stands and add one McDonalds café, and there you have the village dining hall. Needless to say, the dining hall is the prime location for socializing, culturizing, and simply people watching. Today, there was extra excitement at meal time as some big time athletes arrived - ehhh, maybe you have heard of Michael Phelps, or perhaps Roger Federer or how about Spanish tennis phenom, Rafael Nadal. Yes indeed, we saw all of them. What is so amazing to me is the...

One Point Ties

Sometimes you win; sometimes you lose; and three times we tied - and unfortunately, ties didn't give us the point total we needed to go through to the medal rounds. The tie to Great Britain left a bitter taste in my mouth - it was extremely disappointing not to get a result because we feel that we are fully competent of succeeding at this level. I believe we have proved that we can play with the best in the world - the next step is proving that we can beat the best (consistently). Tomorrow, we play Spain in the 7/8th classification match. This game will be a great opportunity to play a highly skilled and talented opponent; it is an opportunity to get a win against a quality side. And it will be our last opportunity to showcase USA Field Hockey in the 2008 Olympic Games. Go USA.

. . .And Beyond

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