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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...
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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...
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Good Morning. . .

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...
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