Approximately four years down, less than one day to go. 8-8-08 is nearly upon us (actually it already is upon the athletes and spectators in Beijing). Yes, the Summer Olympics are here, and I hope you're pumped. I love the Olympics. It is sports' biggest stage. It only comes around once every four years. And, the showcase sports are swimming, track, and gymnastics, three great sports that don't get nearly the attention they deserve (outside of Olympic competition) here in the good ole USofA.
Regarding the swimming action, there are some great story lines in Beijing. Can Michael Phelps one-up Mark Spitz and win eight golds in one Olympiad? What is 41 year old Dara Torres capable of doing in the 50 and sprint relays? Just how dominant will Team USA be on the men's side? It's going to be a great show, and after the excellent coverage NBC had for Olympic Trials, I can't wait for what's in store.
Finally, I want to talk about Lopez Lomong, who I'm sure will get plenty of press during the opening ceremonies tomorrow. He's been selected as the flag bearer for Team USA. He'll be running the 1500m on the track in the Games, and his life story is pretty amazing. He's originally from Sudan, and basically spent his entire childhood in a refugee camp after escaping a militia camp where young boys were abducted and brainwashed/trained to become soldiers. Well in 2001, he was brought over to the United States and adopted by a family not too far from where I grew up in NY. He became a star pretty quickly, winning state titles in high school and a couple NCAA titles in college. He gained his citizenship and is now representing the United States in the Olympics and carrying the flag at the opening ceremonies. Pretty cool.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
Busy Weekend
It was a busy last four days for yours truly. Thursday and Friday were spent in DC, Saturday and Sunday in upstate NY.
Part one of my journey had me in DC for YMCA Nationals, which were held at the University of Maryland. Both YMCA Nationals events are great meets, and this year's long course edition did not disappoint. There was some fast long course swimming to be had at the meet. Congrats to all who swam, including an R-MC Class of 2012 breaststroker who had a solid meet! While at the meet, I stayed literally 2 blocks from the White House, which is why you get to enjoy this beautiful BD original through the gated fence:
Part two of the journey had me going to "gorges" Ithaca, NY for the USA Triathlon Sprint Distance National Championships (where I was an athlete, not a coach). Ithaca is known for it's gorges, including one that features the tallest waterfall in the northeast (see below - as a frame of reference, you can see some tiny dots on the trail in the bottom right hand corner of the picture...those are people). At 216 feet, it's 49 feet taller than Niagara Falls. They actually sell t-shirts that say "Ithaca is Gorges," and yes, I am the proud owner of one such shirt. As for the race, it was a mixed bag. Solid swim and run legs, subpar bike (which cost me the race. Come on Normann!).
Part three of the journey turned out to be the drive back down to Virginia, which was an ordeal that I care not to relive. I'll just say it took much longer than anticipated to make it back, and leave it at that.
Part one of my journey had me in DC for YMCA Nationals, which were held at the University of Maryland. Both YMCA Nationals events are great meets, and this year's long course edition did not disappoint. There was some fast long course swimming to be had at the meet. Congrats to all who swam, including an R-MC Class of 2012 breaststroker who had a solid meet! While at the meet, I stayed literally 2 blocks from the White House, which is why you get to enjoy this beautiful BD original through the gated fence:
Part two of the journey had me going to "gorges" Ithaca, NY for the USA Triathlon Sprint Distance National Championships (where I was an athlete, not a coach). Ithaca is known for it's gorges, including one that features the tallest waterfall in the northeast (see below - as a frame of reference, you can see some tiny dots on the trail in the bottom right hand corner of the picture...those are people). At 216 feet, it's 49 feet taller than Niagara Falls. They actually sell t-shirts that say "Ithaca is Gorges," and yes, I am the proud owner of one such shirt. As for the race, it was a mixed bag. Solid swim and run legs, subpar bike (which cost me the race. Come on Normann!).
Part three of the journey turned out to be the drive back down to Virginia, which was an ordeal that I care not to relive. I'll just say it took much longer than anticipated to make it back, and leave it at that.
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