Chasing An Olympic Dream

To many people, the Olympics is something you grow up watching on television and dreaming about as a child. For the lucky few, it is a dream come true and a once in a lifetime experience. I am one of those lucky enough to live out a dream and be able to experience the Olympics firsthand, and I am going to share my adventure with you. My goal is to write as often as possible so that you can follow me and my team through these 2008 Olympics, but that will all depend on the Internet access that is available at each of our sites. I want to say thank you in advance for reading this, and please cheer on the Women's Soccer Team and the entire US Olympic Team during this next month as we compete in Beijing.
The whole idea of being on the Olympic Team and actually going to the Olympics had been a bit surreal ever since the final roster was announced. As the final days before leaving for the Olympics approached, the fact that I was really going to the Olympics was finally starting to hit me and become more of a reality. On July 22nd, the dream became more real, as our entire soccer team met in San Jose, CA for team processing prior to leaving for China. I think this may have been the first time that it really hit me that I was going to be an Olympian. Team processing itself was an event filled day that mostly involved getting all of our official Olympic apparel, along with a few other important meetings and activities.
On Wednesday, July 23rd, we departed San Francisco for Beijing. After an 11+ hour plane ride, we arrived in Beijing the afternoon of the 24th. We took a bus from the airport to our temporary "home" for the next few days, at Beijing Normal University. After settling in and getting a bite to eat, we bused over to the soccer field on campus for a short walk, and then most people either biked or jogged around the track for a bit to get the legs loose from the long travel day.
I mentioned a little earlier that we are only in Beijing for a few days. On Sunday, we will be traveling to Qinhuangdao where we will be through our first two games. Soccer is a little different than most of the sports here at the Olympics, because we play most of our games outside of Beijing. Our first game is on the 6th and then our next game is on the 9th. Unfortunately, our team will not be walking in the opening ceremony on the 8th, because of the fact that we will not be in Beijing and we have a game the next day.
I am excited to finally be over here after many months of training for this event. With all of the security and official passes we have to carry with us everywhere, the enormity of this event is really felt. I cannot wait for the games to begin.