Olympic Games 1

I have been asked a lot about aspects of the Olympic Games. I will do my best to give a snapshot of what some of it was like and how I prepared myself.

One of the questions was how I prepared myself for the Olympics and specifically while I was in Beijing. In truth, there is no way to adequately prepare yourself for the Olympics. You can think you are prepared, but unless you have actually been there and gone through them, I don't think you can ever be completely prepared. There is nothing like competing for your country. Most of the tourneys we play in are really for money. On the AVP you are competing for yourself and whoever you are playing with. There is no bigger picture. On the FIVB you are representing your country in all of the events but you are also competing for money just like on the AVP. You are trying to make a living by playing on the AVP and FIVB circuits.

In the Olympics, there is no prize money to be won. Yes, you can cash in after the Olympics if you have done well but that is not the foremost thought on most people's mind. After all, if you take a 9th in the Olympics, chances are you will not see a penny. It is really the only tournament where you are totally competing for your country and not yourself. In retrospect, it is really easy to compete only for yourself and only for the cash. There is really very little pressure on. When you throw in the hopes of your country it changes everything. If you start to actually think about the 20 to 60 million people watching and reading about you, well, the pressure could certainly get to someone. Not to mention that you really do have the hopes and dreams of America on your shoulders. When you get stuffed straight down people cringe and go Ooohhhhhh. When you scoop and put away a ball they jump up and cheer. I have had a lot of people come up to me in the last month or so and tell me they felt they were playing with Phil and I. It is pretty special but not something you can truly prepare yourself for.

While in Beijing and actually playing I just kept my mind on what I was trying to accomplish. When we first got there I was just trying to get my bearings. Learn where everything was so I wasn't completely lost. I ate well everyday. I brought a lot of supplemental stuff. Whey Protein, some jerky, Goji berries, and vitamins and minerals to make sure I did not get sick. I ate at least 3 square meals a day. Eating wasn't a problem as we ate either at the Hilton Hotel where we stayed or at the BNU which was where the USOC had set up shop for all the athletes and coaches. Both places were serving great food and it wasn't tough to be hungry. I slept very good as well. The beds at the Hilton were top notch and super comfy. You could draw the blinds and it was pitch black inside the room. I was never so nervous that I could not sleep. Usually I thought about what I needed to do in the next game and that actually put me to sleep. I always felt like we were as prepared physically and mentally as we could be having never actually played in the Olympics.

I have talked a little about our daily routine in previous blogs. Essentially our morning started off with a good breakfast. Then we either went to the beach venue to play a match or have a quick 1 hour practice session. After our matches we would go to the BNU to lift and stretch. We would eat lunch there and then come back to the hotel. Usually we would do emails or what not in the late afternoon. We also went to some of the safe houses and went shopping for gifts for everyone back home. Then we would have dinner, usually at the hotel, and then chill for the rest of the evening. For me that usually means a book or a Sports Illustrated Magazine. That sums up pretty much everyday. Whenever we had an early morning match the next day we would always try to make sure that afternoon/evening the day before was very mellow. That is the scoop.