. . .And Beyond

Its 6:30 am here in Beijing and I am getting ready to depart the village for the final time. The completion of this tournament marks a great time to reflect on the progress and improvements of this group over the course of the Olympic Games as well as the journey we have taken over the past three years. We have come a long way, and while the 8th place finish is disappointing, we take from it a lesson about playing in big tournaments that could not be learned any other way. Sure we all wish that we could have medaled, but for the moment, we are exactly where we need to be. Nothing this group has ever accomplished has come easy - it is this resilience and persistence that will carry us forward over the next Olympic cycle. With the development of youth hockey in America as it is, the possibilities are limitless - we must only continue on the current course of USA Field Hockey, have belief in what we can accomplish, and the persistence to accomplish it. My final days at the Olympic Ga...

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.

We had an extremely disappointing loss to the Germans today 4-2. In an incredibly even-matched game, Germany got the edge on us by executing their attack penalty corners. With the win, Germany keeps its strong hold atop our pool, while we remain with two points and have to await the outcome of tonight's matches to see where we sit. Although the defeat is difficult to swallow (I really despise losing), I am very proud of our team for putting forth what I consider to be our best all around game of the tournament. Our forwards and midfields were incredibly tenacious on the press and put the German backfield under considerable pressure. While our backfield and goal keeper maintained a solid defensive structure and minimized their chances. Unfortunately, we lost. But obviously, we cannot go back and rewrite the outcome of the game - from here we must move forward, taking with us the lessons of the first three matches. Our focus must switch to our next match, New Zealand. Our next t...

From our Village Getaway and Opening Ceremonies. . .

Good Morning!! I just pulled back my shade, and the sun is already shining here in Beijing - this is a much appreciated change from the rainy weather of the past couple of days. This evening, we take on Japan, a team who in the past couple years has become a friendly nemesis (if such a thing exists). Since I have joined the National Team in 2005, aside from Argentina, Japan is the team we have met most internationally. In the 2005 World Cup Qualifier in Rome, we lost to the Japanese in the 3-4 match. Again in the World Cup Final, we fell to them in the 5-6 game. Since those meetings we have played in two five game test series, one hosted in the USA and one in Japan. It is nice to meet a familiar foe in competition; however we know this evenings match will be incredibly difficult. The Japanese are quick and disciplined; their defense can absorb a lot of pressure - we will have our work cut out for us, but it is a task we apt to succeed at. I must admit, it was an incredible relie...

So before I get to the 2-2 draw against Argentina, I need to give a view shout outs. Happy belated Birthday to my Grandpop, I hope you enjoyed watching me play for the USA. Congratulations, to my little sister Hannah who leaves for college tomorrow - Han, I can't tell you enough how excited I am for you. . . you have worked so hard to get where you are - enjoy every moment of the experience that awaits you! Lastly, thank you to everyone who got up at the crack of dawn to watch our USA Hockey Team compete; we can feel your support over here in Beijing. So the question of the day, is are we happy with the 2-2 draw with Argentina. In earnest, I think considering the circumstances of the game (we were down a player for 20 minutes in the second half because we received two yellow cards), being able to come back from 2-0 deficit was a huge accomplishment. However, the result is not the outcome we had hoped for but we are pleased to come away with a point. Well, there is more to com...

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...

The lucky day has finally arrived in China. Today is 8.8.08. Later this evening, the world will gather in The National Stadium (aka The Bird's Nest) to witness the official opening of the 2008 Olympic Games. But before I delve into the excitement of the opening ceremonies, I need to recount the incredible last couple days. It started with our team getaway from the village. Our coaches decided that a break from the hustle and bustle of village life would be perfect to maintain our focus and enthusiasm. After training on Wednesday morning, we packed our bags and crammed into a tour bus and made a trek to the Great Wall of China. After a 1.5 hour bus ride, we arrived at a small parking lot, at the base of a hill. The team was looking around, saying, "Where is the Wall." When we set out on our journey, we did not know that we had to climb in order to reach the wall. So after perusing the markets at the base of hill, we began our 40 minute climb. Kelly Doton and Am...

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...

After a long three days of travel, we have landed and settled into the Olympic Village. I cannot explain the eager anticipation I felt as I flew over the Pacific to Beijing. It was thrilling to imagine all of the exciting experiences that await us. Thus far, the scenery in Beijing is breathtaking. The architecture of the village and the Olympic facilities is indescribeable. We were given a passing glance of the Birds Nest on our ride into the Olympic Village - let me tell you, it is a massive structure whose beauty lies in its intricacy and detail. We traveled over to the Olympic Green today and had our first training session on the Olympic field. It was nice to get our legs back under us after the long days of traveling. Well, there will be more to come in the following days about life at the Olympics. For now, its time for bed - so I can hopefully adjust my body to the 15 hour time difference between Pacific Coast time and local Chinese time!!

Wow. Wow. Wow. And the journey to Beijing begins tomorrow. Training in Chula Vista concluded yesterday with a fantastic session in the heat chamber. Our coaches and trainers surprised us with a "special" session - instead of the normal lifting circuit, we were treated to water balloons, water guns, and a slip 'n slide. The team enjoyed the stress-free fun and relief of the newly named "water chamber." Later in the evening, USA Field Hockey Technical Direction Terry Walsh hosted the team and staff to his beautiful San Diego home for an Olympic Send Off. The highlight of the evening (besides the tour of Terry's home) was the presentation of the Olympic Game Uniform. Under Armour created a new red, white, and blue uniform for the Olympic Games. The uniforms are absolutely incredible - I can't wait to wear it with pride in our first game on August 10th against Argentina. Tomorrow we head up to San Francisco for team processing. From San Fran, we fina...