Skip to main content

The Journey Begins. . .

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 finally head to Beijing on August 2nd, my birthday. I couldn't think of a better place to be going on the day that marks my 23rd year. The fact that I will be traveling on my birthday is not atypical. Since I can remember I have been on the road for my birthday - whether I was traveling for my sisters AAU Jr Olympics or a National Team tour, it wouldn't be my birthday without a 5 hour drive or perhaps, a 12 hour flight to Beijing!!! How Perfect!!

Well, I ought to start prepping for bed - I have a 5am wake up tomorrow!!! Good night All!!!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Rachel Have the greatest time of your life. Your BCS Hockey family is very proud of you and all the girls. Bring home the GOLD to BERLIN! BEST OF LUCK TO YOU ALL!!!!
August 1, 2008 at 12:39 AM
Anonymous said…
Rachel,

Thank you so much for keeping us all back here in Berlin, NJ updated on your training. The Courier Post even has a link to your blog on their website. To keep all of South Jersey updated.


I look forward to following you and the team thru this blog and the TV.

Best of Luck and bring home the gold.
August 1, 2008 at 4:24 AM
Anonymous said…
Happy Birthday!!!

USA, USA, USA
August 2, 2008 at 12:12 PM
Anonymous said…
Awesom Dawson you are remarkable. Have a safe and wonderful experience. Looking forward watchng the games half way around the world now in Hi-Def. Not as exciting as being there...right brother Dave?

Enjoy,
Uncle John
August 3, 2008 at 8:26 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...
18 comments
Read more

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...
11 comments
Read more

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.
12 comments
Read more