Post-Olympic Celebrations

Post #112

Over the last month, I've gotten to be part of several events honoring US Olympians. While I was home in Boston, I joined with other New England Olympians at Fenway Park and walked out onto the field before the game. I've been going to Fenway for games since I was a kid, so it was incredible to actually get to go out onto the field and hear the cheers from my hometown crowd. Gymnast Aly Raisman, Judo champ Kayla Harrison, and two women's basketball players threw out the first pitches. 

With ITA-er, Olympic mountain biker, and Vermonter Lea Davison at Fenway Park. #12 for the 2012 Olympics.

Singing the national anthem at Fenway. Gymanst Aly Raisman is second from the right and Judo champ Kayla Harrison is third from the right. 

Last weekend, I flew out to Washington, DC to join the entire US Olympic and Paralympic team in  meeting the President. We landed, went straight to a reception hosted by Olympic sponsors, and woke up the next morning ready for the big event. We were so jet lagged but super excited at the same time. We mingled on the South Lawn of the White House for about two hours before taking our seats and waiting for the President. I sat right behind Michael Phelps. First Lady Michelle Obama and President Obama spoke, and their messages made me proud to have represented our country. Afterwards, he told his advisors to change his schedule because he wanted to meet each and every one of us. How awesome is that? I got to shake his hand, Vice President Biden's hand, and got a hug from Michelle. They are incredibly down to earth and kind people. Here's the video from the event and it features one of my rowing teammates, Natalie Dell. Also, see if you can spot me sitting behind Michelle!

Washington Monument and the Reflecting Pool on a morning run in DC

Today I joined with other Bay Area Olympians for a recognition at the Oakland Raiders game. We got VIP treatment from start to finish. We started with a tour of the training facility, then got a police-escorted bus to the stadium, watched pre-game practice on the field, saw most of the game from a suite, and went back onto the field during halftime to be recognized. The crowd went crazy when they realized we had represented our country in London. I thought I felt supported before, but to hear an entire stadium full of people screaming in support of your achievements brings it to a whole new level.

With one of my favorite Olympians, swimmer Natalie Coughlin

 All of the Bay Area Olympians at the Raiders game

Each of these post-Olympic experiences have blown me away. I've been able to meet and connect with so many amazing athletes: a discus thrower, javelin throwers, sprinters, swimmers, water polo players, mountain bikers, a luger, triathletes, kayakers...the list goes on and on. Everyone has gone through so much to get to the point where they can call themselves an Olympian and it's easy for us to find common ground over the hard work and dedication it took to achieve our dreams.

When Michelle Obama addressed all of us at the White House, she recognized that becoming Olympians happened when no one was watching. It was the early mornings, months or years before the Games, days when we were exhausted but pushing through the training because we believed that someday, it would pay off. That is so true, but also so easy to forget when we're wrapped up in these post-Olympic celebrations. If I think back to all the hours of hard work it took to get here, or, even worse, all the hours it would take to do it all over again, it's completely overwhelming. At some point I think I'll crave the hard work again, but for now, I'm enjoying the celebrations and not thinking about it too much.

Back to Life

Post # 111

Oakland, California - The rest of the Olympics were a blur. I spent most of the second week hanging out with friends, exploring the Olympic Village, going to see other sports, and touring around London. It was all really amazing but my favorite moment of the second week had to be walking into the Olympic stadium for Closing Ceremonies. Seeing the thousands of spectators, being alongside athletes from all different countries, and knowing the world was watching was just incredible. I remember watching athletes walk into the ceremonies at previous Olympics and thinking that had to be one of the coolest feelings in the world, but having it actually happen to me puts it beyond words. It was unbelievable. I'll remember that moment forever.

The Spice Girls at Closing Ceremonies

It is a difficult task to transition to life after the Games. In the months leading up to the Olympics, I was so wrapped up in the preparations that I wasn't thinking about life afterwards at all. Like most Olympic athletes, once that one gigantic event is over and you come back to real life, you're left wondering what comes next.  Some people have called it "Post Olympic Stress Disorder." Though I don't think it's quite that dramatic, it is strange to wonder where you fit in, what you want to do, and how you want to structure your days.

One of my biggest priorities is giving back to the community and working with kids. Now that I've had the experience of competing at the Olympics, I want to inspire others to figure out the goals they want to achieve and then chase after them. I've spoken to a few different groups/teams in the area about my experience so far and plan to do more of that over the next few months. I've also started coaching at Oakland Youth Rowing, a community club on the Oakland Estuary (the same body of water that I've been training on for parts of the past year). I'll mostly be working with the high school boys' team, but in the last week I've also worked with the high school girls and all of the middle school kids. It has been a blast so far and I'm excited to see what these guys are capable of doing this season.

Boys' double

Girls' 8 (on the left) rounds the corner to the dock 

Me and some of the middle school girls

Talking to all of the high schoolers about my road to the Olympics

Go Lea!

Post # 110

London, England - On Saturday, I got to go to Lea Davison's Olympic mountain bike race at Hadleigh Farm. I was sitting in the stands with Sarah Groff, a USA triathlete, 2012 Olympian, and former ITA athlete. It was so much fun, and Lea did an awesome job. She was so happy afterwards. I took tons of photos - here are some of the best.

Lea on the red bike, tackling the rocks 

All smiles as she approaches the finish line

 Me and Sarah Groff

Getting all cleaned up after her race

USA high fives

Also found this good luck message in the USA Proctor & Gamble House in London!

Olympics: final week

Post #109

London, England - It's already been six days since the rowing competition wrapped up. With an 11th place finish overall at the Olympics, the racing didn't end the way we wanted it to. We had shown good speed earlier in the season, but when the final race came, we were unable to keep pace with many of the teams we had earlier on in the year, and even within the regatta. The Olympics are the biggest stage I've ever been on and it's difficult to feel like you didn't have your best performance when it mattered the most. It hit me harder than I thought it would and it'll probably take me a while to process all of this.

For now, I'm trying to enjoy the last few days of the Olympics. My team and I have moved into the main athlete village in London and it is incredible here. There are so many athletes from all over the world - way more countries than we had at the rowing village. My family and a couple friends were able to come in for a few hours and get a quick tour. The dining hall is easily the most impressive sight; feeding 10,500 athletes isn't an easy feat and requires a gigantic space to make it happen. Below are some photos from the last few days.

Lastly, good luck to Lea Davison, an ITA athlete who will be competing in mountain biking in London tomorrow!

ITA at the London Olympics

Me and my bro

Football Field sized Main Athlete Dining Hall

 I got to go to the gold medal beach volleyball game: USA vs. USA!

Semifinal Time

Post # 108

London, England - We are on to the semifinal after placing third in our heat on Sunday and first in our repechage today.

Rowing to the Olympic starting line. Photo credit: Row2k.com

Starting line of the heat. Photo credit: Row2k.com

The semifinal is set for Thursday at 10:30 am local time. We'll be facing New Zealand (world record holders as of May), Great Britain (won their heat on Sunday), Greece (reigning World Champions), Germany (2010 World silver medallists), and Cuba (3rd in our repechage today).  Top 3 crews will advance to the A final and a shot at the medals. The rest will head to the B final.

I've heard lots of stories of friends/family/supporters waking up in the middle of the night to watch my races live. Some have taken pictures of me on the TV screen or of themselves watching and sent them on to me. We were even on primetime NBC in the US on Sunday night - amazing! I can't even express how cool it is to sit on the starting line and feel all the support from back in the US. Simply incredible.

Across all rowing events, the US has had good results so far. The men's 8+, women's 4x, and women's 2- will be racing for the medals tomorrow, and each of them has a great chance to get on the podium. Our women's 8+ won their heat and will be racing to defend their Olympic gold on Thursday. Also racing for the medals on Thursday is our women's 2x. The women's single, men's 4-, and men's 2- all have semifinals in the next couple days. Our men's 4x and 1x have not made it to the A/B semifinals, but they put up a great fight to get as far as they did. Our lightweight men's 4- raced in the semis today and will have their last race in the B final.

As I write this, I'm watching the US gymnasts try to grab the team title. Feeling so much Team USA pride these days!

Let the Games Begin

Post # 107

London, England - The Games are officially here! Last night as we watched the Opening Ceremonies on TV from the rowing village (we're too far away from London and are racing too soon to go march in them), I couldn't help but feel excited to be part of this amazing event. We're surrounded only by rowers out here at our satellite village, which makes it easy to forget that there are SO many other sports being contested just an hour and a half away in London. It can make it hard to grasp the magnitude of the Olympics, but last night I could start to feel how gigantic this really is. All I can say is that I'm so proud to represent the USA and I'm excited to get the racing started!

In our Opening Ceremonies outfits at the Rowing Village

I've had a lot of people ask me when/how to watch my race on TV. I don't know when they are going to air our event, but it seemed like today they were airing the racing live - which means if you want to see it in the US, you'll have to be up early! Here in London, we are 5 hours ahead of the east coast and 8 hours ahead of the west coast. The best way to figure out when it's on is to go to nbcolympics.com and search for your local listings.

Our event is the lightweight double (LW2x) and here's our race schedule. All times are local.

Sunday July 29: Heats beginning at 10:40 am. Top 2 from each heat advance directly to semifinals, the rest go to the repechage.
Tuesday July 31: Repechages beginning at 10:10 am. Top 3 from each rep advance to the A/B semifinal.
Thursday August 2: A/B semifinals beginning at 10:30 am. Top 3 from each semi go to the A final. The rest go to the B final.
Saturday August 4: Finals

For tomorrow's heat, we'll see Canada, Brazil, Australia, Greece, and the Netherlands at 10:50 am. We've raced all of these combinations before and it promises to be some great racing. I'm really looking forward to experiencing what it's like to race at the Olympics for the first time. If this morning's racing is any indication of what tomorrow will be like, there will be TONS of people cheering; the last 500 meters will be like rowing into a stadium full of fans. I hope I hear lots of USA fans, but I'm guessing it'll be so loud I'll barely be able to hear myself making the calls in the boat!

Here are a few photos from the past few days. Go USA!

Official 2012 US Olympic Rowing Team photo

Last week's "college uni day." Each member of the women's team wears their college uni to recognize and give thanks to the programs that got us here. I'm second from the right, and the lone Wisco representative! The schools with the most athletes are Cal, Washington, and Princeton. 

The view out my window at the Rowing Village

The daily village newspaper

Olympics: Week One

Post # 106

London, England - We've been here for a week and so much has happened already. We arrived in London on Tuesday morning and went to Team USA processing right away. Processing includes fittings for opening and closing ceremonies outfits, team headshot photos, ring sizing, and Nike fittings. The whole thing took close to four hours and I walked out of there with so much Team USA gear that don't think I'll ever need to buy clothes again. After our opening and closing ceremonies outfits were personally tailored, they were delivered to the rowing village and a few of us tried them on. 

Closing ceremonies outfits

The main Athlete Village in London houses most of the athletes at the Olympics. Since our rowing venue is too far away to travel to each day, we have our own rowing Olympic Village that's about an hour west of London. All of the nations are staying here together. It's a bit different than our normal world championships routine, where we have our own hotel or only share it with one or two other nations. It's pretty neat to see all the nations in the dining hall and around campus together. 

The race course is at Eton Dorney Lake. Is is notorious for being windy and we've been experiencing some of that in our first week. But nothing unrowable or too crazy. Fingers crossed!

A very calm morning on Dorney last week

On the surface, it honestly feels like any other big international race we've raced at, like the World Championships or World Cups. There are several noticeable differences though. The first is security. It is pretty nuts. The Athlete Village is completely walled off and we go through so many security checks on the way in that it almost feels like we're in prison once we're in there. At the race course, only specific people are allowed near the boats, docks, and boathouse. At many other races, anyone can wander around the boat racks and parents are not hard to meet up with. Not so at the Olympics. 

The second big difference is the lack of people. The Olympic program is smaller than any world championship or world cup program. At last year's worlds, there were 1200 athletes. The Olympics caps the number of rowers at 550. The course seems pretty empty, but that helps you remember the weight of this regatta. 

 The sticker on our boat (it's upside down because the boat is in the rack).

Overall, the London Organizing Committee has done a wonderful job so far. There are  helpful volunteers everywhere, and one of them even let us hold his official Olympic torch! 

Standing on the upper level of the boathouse, overlooking the finish line area and grandstands

Hello, London!

Post # 105

London, England - We are in London and it has already been a crazy ride. So much has happened in the last 48 hours. Here it is, in photos:

Accreditation at the airport 

Getting custom tailored Ralph Lauren opening and closing ceremonies outfits yesterday. The woman I'm standing with is the tailor that worked with me - about 15 of them were on hand. This is the closing ceremonies dress. 

Passed Big Ben on the bus ride home 

Part of the Team USA gear kit 

Land of the Free, Home of the Brave

Goodbye, USA

Post # 104

Oakland, California - My clothes and equipment are packed, we've buttoned up everything at the lake, and we're ready to head to London tomorrow. Can't believe it's finally here.

Last week, we had a practice session in our Olympic uniforms for a photo shoot. Row2k is doing a training gallery of each Olympic crew. (That link takes you to the photos section of their Olympic coverage, so check back during racing to see plenty more.) Ours will be up later this week, but here's a sneak peek:

In addition, each US Olympic rower (and several international rowers) is doing a Starting Five Interview. They're posting daily on row2k.com. It's pretty interesting to see how each of us got into the sport, some of the stories from over the years, and the advice we'd give to younger rowers. It'll definitely get you in the Olympic spirit. 

Next time you hear from me, I'll be across the pond. Go USA!

Is This Real?

Post #103

Oakland, California - There are only eight days until we leave for London, and the excitement is slowly but steadily building. It started with the gymnastics, track and field, and swimming Trials that were on TV last week. It was a strange experience for me to watch them; I'd get so excited for each athlete that made the team, thinking they'd have such a cool experience in London.  It felt like the Olympics were some distant thing that was happening to other people. I kept having to remind myself that I also get to have that experience!

It continued to build when we got our Olympic competition gear in the mail last week. It was a big bag of clothes that included the uniforms we'll race in.  I wore mine a few days ago for practice (gotta break it in) and visualized what it would be like to go to the starting line in it. It gives me chills just to think about it.

Then there was the 97-page U.S. Olympic Committee Athlete Handbook that was delivered to our inboxes a couple days ago. I'm still wading through all the information about arriving in London, going through athlete processing, what the Villages will be like, how to handle yourself in front of the media, what security will be like, and a million other details about the Games.

Despite all of these moments, there are still times I'll be driving to practice, or walking down the street, and have to pinch myself to remember that this is all actually happening. I'm going to the Olympics next week. How crazy is that?

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