Questions answered...

Most exciting....I think our first game against China was the most exciting event so far. Opening Ceremonies was incredible and moving into the village was an eye-opening experience, but the Olympics didn't really begin until that first game. Walking out to hear the USA/CHINA crowd battling as much as we were battling in the water was pretty cool.

More recently, though, due to the complexities of bracket points, we beat Russia and still didn't know if we were 1st or 2nd in our bracket. So we all watched the Italy-China game in our apartment...we beat China by 1 and Italy ended up winning by 1, but because we scored more goals in our game (USA 12- CHINA 11) we came out first, which means we are playing for a medal! That was extremely exciting to realize last night as can be seen in this pic. (Not that we weren't prepared to play a knock out game...Its nice to already be in that semi!)

Most challenging...It is definitely a challenge to balance your focus here. There are so many events going on all the time with athletes all over the place, it is always exciting in the village. There are athletes that thrive at the Olympics and athletes that cannot handle the pressure/excitement. I'm glad we've had a lot of preparation with our coaches and sports psych, Peter, I feel that this team is handling the Olympics like pros.

"Off days"...other events...While it is important to stay focused on what we want to accomplish, as with anything, it is just as important to maintain a sense of normalcy. Last night after the game, we were able to have dinner with our friends & family! It was great to sit with them and hear their experiences from China for longer than the short time after games we see them.

Off days aren't actually off days. The days in between competitions are spent preparing for the next game. We actually spend most of the day at BNU where we practice, eat, rest, and get treatment. So so far haven't been going to any other events, just watching EVERY sport on TV, live. That is really fun, especially when other athletes are around watching, cheering for teammates and friends...just a fun atmosphere.

pic (post dinner with the fams)


Mentors...All the returning Olympians have acted as guides for us newcomers. They've been here before and know what it takes to win at the Olympics. Natalie Golda, Heather Petri, and our captain Brenda Villa can pump us up or calm us down depending on the situation....so far its worked out pretty well.

As far as my position goes, we defenders tend to stick together and talk a lot about centers, defense, strategies....it helps to have teammates to talk situations out with.

Sleeping....I've actually been fairly healthy and getting in some good sleep. We've been here long enough to adjust to the crazy time difference, the food is good, and at BNU the food is stellar so we are actually doing well in that spectrum.