Athlete Feeds

Good Bye!

Esteban — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:08:15 -0700

Voices of the Olympic Games brought together 100 athlete bloggers from 25 different countries and connected them the world as they blogged their way to the 2008 Summer Olympics. Over the course of the Games, Lenovo’s Athlete Bloggers published more than 1,500 posts and received over 8,000 comments from fans around the world. “Voices” was a huge success and demonstrated the value of amplifying Olympic athletes’ real, unfiltered voices.
We’re glad you’ve found this site, and hope you’ll stick around and explore the Lenovo Athlete Bloggers’ amazing Olympic experiences. You can also check out our wrap up video.

Hurdler David Oliver Tries Out Public Speaking

Nicole — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:41:58 -0700

After winning a bronze medal in the 110m hurdles at the Olympic Games in Beijing, USA’s David Oliver is excited to inspire others with his success. Over the weekend, David spoke at Furman University’s Blue Shoes Scholarship ceremony and revealed his love for public speaking. After receiving great feedback from the audience and organizers, David wrote, “Maybe I have a niche for speaking, who knows. That’s the main reason I wanted to be a marketing major, you can just talk and talk.” David has already inspired thousands and his blog recently reach a new landmark: 100,000 visitors.

White House Visit

David Oliver — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:00:00 -0700

I left Denver for a quick trip out to the D.C. area. U.S. athletes from the Olympics and Paralympics were invited to the area for a reception and a visit to the White House. We were staying out in Baltimore, there we had a nice reception hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee. I had the opportunity to talk with several different athletes, I was mainly interested in speaking with the athletes from the Paralympics. I was intrigued to hear how their Beijing experiences might have differed from those of mine. Our experiences weren't that different come to find out.

We had to be up on out the next morning at 6:30am! I tapped out while watching Monday Night Football, so that night turned out to be the most sleep I had gotten in a while. I was still trying to catch up on the sleep I had been missing, so I was sleep so hard on the bus ride from Baltimore to D.C. that I didn't even want to get up!

The White House visit was a cool experience, not too many people I know have ventured inside that building on Pennsylvania Ave. President Bush came and address us, then we went on a tour of the White House. I am happy I went, just one more conversation topic.

Me behind the President's podium
Me and 400m hurdle Gold Medalist Angelo Taylor rocking red in the Red Room at the White HouseAfter the White House visit, me and a few other athletes were invited down to USA Today for a social event to show our appreciation for what they did for us, while we were in Beijing, with their coverage. It was a great Q&A session and we signed photographs of us in competition.
Well, the whirlwind trip doesn't stop, I'm on my way to another engagement, more on that later.

2008 Olympic Team White House Visit

Carissa Gump — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:11:00 -0700

On early yesterday morning I flew out of Colorado Springs and flew into Washington D.C. from there I had an hour and a half bus ride to Baltimore. The ride went by really fast, I had good company sharing the seat next to me, Gretta Nielms a Parlympic Track Cyclist. We arrived at 6pm and checked in, got our outfitting and settled into our rooms. My roommate was my teammate Melanie Roach. We ate dinner around 7pm and enjoyed a wonderful meal and a short video. After dinner we were free to do what we wanted and went to the hotel lobby and a pub around the corner.

The next morning we woke at 5am and had breakfast at 5:30am. We were up and going on the bus driving back to Washington D.C. by 6:30. I took this time to squeeze in some more sleep time. Washington D.C. has beautiful weather today. Warm with a little bit of a breeze, it made it perfect for the morning. Around 300 of us were arranged in front of the South Side of the White House for photos and a 10 minute speech by President Bush. Following the speech we went inside the White House and toured several rooms that are open to the public. We were at the White House for 3 hours and the time flew by. Before you knew it we were back on the bus and off to the airport. I took many photos but these are just a few I wanted to share.

Off the ropes

Ben Rhodes and Stevie Morrison — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:35:00 -0700

The Olympics sucks. I think I can safely say that now, having had a month to recover from the kick in the guts that is getting to within touching distance of your dream and then making a mess of the last step to grab hold of it. It has felt almost childish at times to take so long to get over what are in theory the games, but when you work so hard seeing it as a game becomes harder. However since being back from China we have been round several welcome home parties and had to stand in the back of many pictures. (at which, we are now very good at smiling with a distant look in our eyes!) Finally we seem to be at the other end and begin to look forward rather than back which is of course the only thing that we can do now.

In the middle of September we took part in the ‘Skandia Sail for Gold’ regatta in Weymouth (which apparently where the racing will be in 2012, this was only mentioned a few times though!), I think it would be fair to say that sailing was the last thing we wanted to do however when needs must and all. We said before that we wanted to make the event fun and enjoy our sailing. This has always been our strength really the 2 guys with the biggest smiles that seem to just be loving it. However this year the fun has gone a little a we lost a bit of control of doing things our way, one of the many things we shouldn’t have done in ‘hindsight!” (I hate that word with a passion!). Portland harbour produced a great week always hard down on the trapeze and the boat really ripping, which is what I so love about 49’er sailing. We sailed I would have said, the most naturally we have sailed since the worlds in Australia last winter and really did have a good time. (Always is more fun when you win they say) This was honestly due to the fact that we relaxed and didn’t think about the results.

I think the best thing to come from the whole experience is the knowledge that even in the most testing of situations ‘we’ stayed ‘we’! Our biggest strength is our team and the way we enjoy the journey. This year we thought it might be better to try other ways of getting there which may have been better. In truth our route however unconventional (even with the mountain passes!)(private joke) generally gets us where we want to be when we need to be there and we now have more faith in this than ever.
The facts of the here and now are we didn’t sail too well for a 5 day event in the August 2008 and we are going to let nothing get in our way of sailing the best we can in Weymouth (apparently the venue for the next Olympics?!) in 2012. It’s a lot of work for 5 days sailing but the journey to get there is truly one of the best experiences you can ever hope to have.

I would like to thank everybody who has been sending us their thanks and good wishes. Apologise for not being very good at receiving them but your support is very well received. I hope we will keep the website up to date as much as possible though we are having a bit of time away from the boat at the moment.

When we are back the 49er will look very different, bigger mast, main and jib. (did the designer see the medal race?) Wow going to be fun learning to sail that puppy. Oh yeah and Ben’s now the proud dad of a dog called ‘Baxter’ so all say ahhhhh!

"Will we be seeing you in London 2012?"

Nicole Forrester — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 18:18:00 -0700

"If there's magic in boxing, it's the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you." ~from the movie Million Dollar Baby

Well, it’s been a while since my last blog. I’ve just returned home from Europe and I am still trying to catch up with some left behind work. This time of the year can be challenging for me. It requires an adjustment, after being away from home for 4 months and trying to settle into normal daily activities. And unlike New Year’s, this time of the year usually conjures up many life questions.

Athletically, the past season is reviewed and plans for the following year are thought through. However, this year I’ve also had to consider whether I will continue the high jump for another 4 year. In fact, it seems to be a question many people ask me. In fact, I think that might have been the first question asked to me as I stepped off the track in the Bird’s Nest.

Over the last month I’ve struggled with answering this question. Not because I worry that I won’t be as sharp athletically in 4 years time. (I’m counting on my physical testing’s which prove otherwise as well as my late introduction to the high jump.)

In the end I realized it was the emotional investment that another 4 years would demand, that seemed to make me indecisive. Additionally, I have other facets of life available to tempt me away from my passion for the high jump.

By emotional investment I mean believing in the unseen, with no guarantee in place and the unplanned expectancies of life. For me my ankle sprained 3 days before the qualification rounds at the Olympic Games proves this.

You ride many waves in sports and life – waves of disappointments, jubilation, frustration and satisfaction to name a few. And I needed to ask myself would I be willing to do this for another 4 years. A sort of scary question…

But, isn’t that what life is about? And isn’t it the journey that makes victory sweeter? So, in these weeks following my last competition I’ve taken time to consider this question; and I realized that the only answer that is true to the type of person I am is “Yes”! Yes, I am committing to another 4 year cycle of Athletics.

I have some unfinished business to attend to… Now if you’ll excuse me. – I have some work to do. ;)

A disciple of excellence,
Nicole

100 Athlete. 100 Blogs. Lenovo Voices of the Olympic Games !

Carissa Gump — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:54:00 -0700

This is a short video about bloggers (including myself) experiences

at the Olympic Games, its a great video, please watch it !

Blogging has truly changed the future of the Olympic Games experience for the world !

Lenovo Blogger

Josiah Ng — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 02:12:40 -0700

Catch me in the video above as one of the 100 athletes sponsored by Lenovo last Olympics.

Hello Everyone!

Stacey Nuveman — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:33:32 -0700

I really must begin this journal entry with a big apology. I know it has been a couple of weeks since my last entry, in fact it was the eve of the Gold Medal Game that I last checked in. I’m sure if we had won the Gold I would have written this sooner, but frankly I’ve kept myself busy and avoiding thoughts of the game.

It has been a busy three weeks, to be sure! After the Games concluded, I spent an extra few days in China venturing out into other parts of the country, and trying to see something other than Beijing. Don’t get me wrong, Beijing is nice and has some great sights, but China is a MASSIVE country with much diversity to the landscape, etc, so we wanted to get another perspective on the country.

To start, Mark and my brother, Ryan (who made the trip to watch the Olympics) took an over-night train into Xian, which is the location of the famous Terra Cotta Warriors. I’ll spare you the history lesson, but believe me when I say the whole story is amazing, and the sheer number of clay warriors was impressive. Xian is considered a “small” city by Chinese standards, but still has something like 8 million citizens!!

After Xian, we headed back to Beijing so Mark could catch his flight back to the States. From Beijing, we took a 2 hour flight to Guilin, in the southern part of China. When I say “we”, I mean me, my brother, Jessica Mendoza and Lauren Lappin.

Guilin is known as a “landscape city”, a smaller town with lush mountain landscapes and the Li River running through the town. We took a river cruise up the Li River into a town called Yangshou, an even smaller town, and very “picturesque”. The four of us rented bicycles and rode out into the countryside, which was exactly what we were looking for. What a beautiful place! Very unaffected by modern conveniences, and a much different side of China.

After flying back to Beijing, we stayed one last night and then flew back to the U.S. As much as I was sad to head back into “reality”, I was ABSOLUTELY ready to get home and see my little baby boy! Chase is now 15 months and truly a little “man”…he’s talking all the time (mostly babbling, but with more and more coherent words every day), and walking like a champ, almost ready to run!

I am also getting ready to “officially” start my new job as assistant coach at San Diego State University! I’m an Aztec! It has been hard to focus, with so much going on in my life as of late, but I’m excited to get to work and help take the program to the next level!

As much as I have kept busy, there are still quiet moments where I reflect back on Beijing, the games, the at bats….but mostly about the moments. Yes, I wanted to come home with another Gold medal. Everyone wanted that. But I truly had the peace of mind before, during, and after the final game to know that NO MATTER THE OUTCOME, the journey was the same and the memories can never be taken away.

Its impossible not to want and re-play my final at bat, to see the end result different, to get “the hit”. That’s of course human nature. But I can honestly say that I have no regrets about my career, my personal softball journey, in spite of how it ended on the field.

So, I say again, THANK YOU. Thank you to The Game, for all of the challenges and all of the successes. Thank you to my family, my life, my support. Thank you to my friends and extended family. It has been one heck of a ride, and I feel no less proud of my career with a silver around my neck.

Many people have asked if I was one of the players who left my cleats at home plate after the final game. I can’t explain why, but somehow when it came time to place my “boats” at home, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I had planned to, but there was a force, a nudge, that wouldn’t let me actually follow through with it. Again, I don’t know why….its not like I plan to be on the field in 2016. But for some reason it just didn’t feel right.

So, onward I go, into the next chapter. I am anxious to see where life will lead me, will lead us. But what I do know is that I have a direction, a focus, and that is my new coaching career at SDSU. I am confident that there is a “master plan”, an ultimate place I am meant to be. Only time will tell exactly what that means, or where I will end up. But my Prius is headed south to San Diego, and I couldn’t be more excited!

Keep in touch, and Dream BIG!
Stacey

Beijing: The Competition

Katy Livingston — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:07:02 -0700

Friday 22nd August...the date that has been circled on the calendar ever since the Olympic schedule was released. I expected to feel completely stressed the morning of the competition but i actually f

Beijing Olympic Games

Katy Livingston — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:10:55 -0700

Hello all, sorry it has taken me so long to update my blog. Unfortunately i had a few technical problems but they are thankfully sorted now... Anyway, back to business....Beijing was incredible! The

Moving Forward

Rachel Dawson — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 19:03:00 -0700

Now that the Olympics have concluded, and the Olympic buzz is slowly starting to wear off - I am beginning to settle down in "normal" (whatever that is) life. I am currently back home in New Jersey, spending time with my family and friends. It is an interesting point in my life, as I sit in a crossroads holding the power to choose the direction of my life. In the past, my decisions have always been guided by my commitment to education - high school, college etc. Then, after I graduated from UNC in December, the opportunity to pursue the Olympics just seemed waiting for me. It was impeccable timing to say the least. Now I sit and wonder where the road should go next - do I pursue hockey further or do I embark upon a new path. But perhaps, the answer is pursue both - use the pursuit of hockey to lead me toward a new path.

I state this with an edge of predictability, because I know where I am headed. I have decided to continue to play hockey for a club team in Holland. I will be heading off to Europe tomorrow for what I anticipate to be the adventure of a lifetime. In the Netherlands, hockey clubs possess both a competitive and social function. It is neat (and quite different from the US model) because members of all ages play the sport. I am looking forward to enjoying hockey in a new way. Not to mention, the incredible cultural experience that awaits.

I will keep you posted on the travails of my travels. All the Best!!

On the other side...

Drew Ginn — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:32:36 -0700

Well, Well, Well it is a strange feeling to go from best ever performance to being laid up and very much limited. From high to low and fast to slow. Ah it ain't that bad, but certainly strange. Me know complain though as I have no regrets. We knew the consequences and I guess I was very aware of this side of the experience. It is a complete contrast to the event and although not ideal, coming home is always a bit strange even with out eing in this situation. The Games are unreal and when we come home we are greeted by all the support that is great but even more unreal. Then things begin to quieten down and that is the challenge as we have to adjust to being back in the real World. It is like that with any major event in life there are two sides to the experience. You have the climb up the mountain and the peak, then you have to come down again. It is the natural cycle and one that on this occasion I have had a big reality check. I would not say I am copping perfectly but I am going ok. The back is on the mend and although I can't sit for another 4 weeks I am enjoying getting out to go for my daily walks. This is now the time for baby steps as I shuffle down the street, it is so far from racing and competing. In fact the qualities that enabled me to perform with Duncan and quiet different to those required now to recover for the surgery. I have to say it has been great getting many comments and email wishing me well and a speedy recovery. Speedy is not the best description of it but it is uplifting to get the support.

Finding Normalcy.

Heather Petri — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:33:00 -0700

It has been quite a while since my last post. I am sorry to leave you all wondering what has been happening since we won our medal. While I thought it would be a leisurely return to the States and back to normal life (wait, what is that?)....it has been anything but.

When we first touched down in America, on our flight from Beijing to Chicago, I realized I had caught a nasty flu and brought it along for the ride home. By the time I was on the plane from Chicago to LA, fever had set in and all I wanted was to be home and laying in my bed.

Which is where I stayed for the next two days once I made it to my apartment. Nyquil and Ambien helped to keep me asleep or simply mask the symptoms until I was ready to face the world. At which point, I began my battle with jet lag. I was awake in the middle of the night and sleeping during the day. Not having a practice to go to or a real schedule threw me for a loop. I found myself waking up and feeling late for something. Or wondering where my teammates were. Separation anxiety? After about a week of that, then the crazy post-Olympic Media fest had begun. Which was great because having things down on my schedule gave me motivation to do even the simplest things. Like LAUNDRY! Yes, my bags from China sat on my floor unopened for over a week. If I could only describe the smell when I opened the bag! I had brought China home with me- not good! Don't worry, now everything smells like Tide, all happy and fresh!

Now all clean and ready to get back out there with our silver medal, I have gotten to do a few awesome things, which I will go into more detail very soon. Pictures and all, since the restrictions on blogs from the Olympics are over!!!

Things to look forward to:

Being honored at the LA Sparks Game
Throwing out the first pitch at the Giants Game in San Francisco
Being on the OPRAH SHOW!

NOTE: The Oprah Show that all the Olympians are on airs on Monday September 8th, 2008.

Which is exactly one month since the start of the Olympics. Watch out for us on TV!!!!

Home Sweet Home

Nancilea Foster — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:40:00 -0700

I am home again! It feels so great--there is no place like it. The Friday after I got home my family threw me a big welcome home party. It was so thoughful and I really had a great time.

Also, as another surprise, my sister flew one of my best friends from college in for labor day weekend. I hadn't seen Lisette for 3 1/2 years, and it was great to reconnect to such a good friend. We had a fantastic weekend full of fun, relaxing and girly activities. (Thank you Holly!)

I've been working out (sometimes), getting stuff done around the house, and spending lots of time with my husband. There's no place like home!

ULTIME GARE

Filippo Campioli — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 03:46:00 -0700

Ciao,

sono passati ormai tre giorni dal meeting di padova e continuo coi miei allenamenti.
Certo dopo le olimpiadi ogni gara che farò non sarà paragonabile, ma comunque il meeting di Padova è stato bello. Nonostante la condizione non buonissima sono riuscito a fare 2,24 e ho sbagliato di poco 2,27. Mi dispiace per Bettinelli che ha fatto 2,15 probabilmente sarà ancora unn pò scosso dalla sua delusione per non essere entrato in finale ma sono sicuro che reagirà presto!! Molto bravo è stato De Lima che è riuscito a stabilire il suo personale di 2,31 e ho saputo che qualche giorno dopo a Losanna è riuscito a far 2,32 che è anche questo record brasiliano. Mi diceva scherzando che il salto in alto è proprio un mistero, a Pechino dove si sentiva molto meglio non è riuscito ad esprimersi al massimo e ora che si sente molto più scarico è riusciuto a migliorare il proprio record due volte. C'è da dire che a differenza di molti essendo l'unico nella sua nazione col minimo olimpico è riuscito a preparare al massimo questa parte di stagione. Non voglio certo cercare alibi per la mia mediocre prestazione alla finale, ma dovendo essere sempre in forma da maggio a settembre per dimostrare di valere la presenza ai giochi è molto difficile arrivare a fine stagoine al top. La maggior parte delle persone che hanno saltato molto alto a inizio stagione sono arrivati ad agosto cotti come Dusty Jonas(2,36) Kabelo Kgosiemang(2,34) mentre altri come Holm la prima gara l'hanno fatta a Luglio hanno reso molto di più. Sicuramente da quest'anno cercherò di finalizzare molto di più le mie gare per rendere nei periodi che serve davvero. Sinceramente non sò se prima della finale dei C.d.S. per le società civili farò altre gare, ci doveva essere Rieti ma hanno cancellato il salto in alto ho dovuto rinunciare a partecipare al meeting di Shangai il 20 settembre perchè proprio non mi sentivo di farmi una settimana completamente da solo con relativo viaggio ditruttivo.

La gara di Padova siè così così conclusa:
1° Jesse De Lima 2,31
2° Topic Dragutin 2,24
3° Io 2,24
5° Alessandro Talotti 2,2o
6° Lemmi Andrea 2,15
7° Andrea Bettinelli 2,15

Vorrà dire che in questo periodo cercherò di tenermi in forma facendo anche altre cose tipo nuotare in piscina anche per recuperare un pò di abbronzatura persa a pechino ;).

Ciaoo

One of my favorite memories...

Melanie Roach — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:09:00 -0700

One of the most memorable things that we did in China other than lifting in the Olympics has to be our trip to the Great Wall. With only a couple of hours of sleep you would think I would have been too tired to take a trip like that. But still on a high from the night before I was ready for an adventure and it did not disappoint!

This picture is of me, Dan, Ethan and my mother, Bonnie or "Nana" as she is so well known in our house hold.

There were a couple of different ways to "walk the wall". There was a cable car that took us up to the top and then you could either go left down the short way or right down the VERY long way. Nana was the more conservative one taking the short way and me, Dan, Ethan, Dr. Summers, his wife LeAnne, son Sean and Al (my teammate and assistant coach) all took the VERY LONG way down. Although it was a couple of miles of walking up and down large inclines with very small steps at times it was a lot of fun. Ethan and I raced up one of the inclines and all though he won (I let him). : )

Getting to the Great Wall was symbolic for a long but rewarding journey. Not just at the Wall but my Olympic journey as well. What a wonderful experience! Both the Wall and the Olympics!