DOWNING OLYMPICS JOURNAL: Final recap of trip to Beijing

A lot of times good stories come just from the traveling part of the trip, but the way home this time was pretty uneventful. Experiencing the Olympic Games is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it's amazing to visit a place where they measure history in millennia rather than decades, but it's really good to be home. I was out for the count by 8pm last night, and going strong again at 4:30 a.m. I hit the wall around 3 p.m., so you'll have to forgive me if this starts not to make sense.

I am obligated at this point to announce that Keith came out on top of the trip-long competition with Roger. He is the gold medal winner of all games both legit and made-up on the spot. I had a nice time hanging out with everyone on this trip, and it was awesome to see all of the people who support our Olympians and make the Games possible for Team USA. I was impressed by the way Clarissa, Marcie, Randi, and Ali handled the pressures of Olympic preparation, victory and defeat. It's a unique level of stress that relatively few people will face, and our girls did it with poise. I'd like to recognize the Olympians from all three styles of wrestling and their extensive support systems, with extra congratulations to Randi Miller. She's come a long way in a short amount of time. With such a young and talented group, we are sure to see a lot more from these athletes.

Our Olympians have to beat some of the top wrestlers in the world just to qualify for Team USA, we have an extensive and passionate wrestling community and support system, and we have so many qualified and driven people dedicating their lives to the success of American wrestling. Unfortunately our medal count as a whole this year has yet to reflect these things. We'll have to regroup and re-evaluate our system. We've got to make some changes in how we utilize our abundant resources in order to get the most out of our talent so that our international status matches the abilities and commitment of the U.S. women's wrestling community.

Next up is the World Championships. It will be interested to see how this year's team comes together, and to see the mix of Olympians and newcomers that will make up the competition at worlds. The year after the Olympics is always a time of change and transition, and I'm excited to see where women's wrestling will go in the near future. Next up for me is my wedding day, and I can't wait to see my family and friends to celebrate my life with Joe Cygan. I'd also like to congratulate Marcie Van Dusen and Brad Ahearn on their recent engagement. At a time of incredible growth and development, women's wrestling in the U.S. is also in the midst of a boom in marriages and babies.

Aug. 16

BEIJING, China - Important tournaments have a way of messing with time, and the effect is increased overseas. Time begins to slow down the day before weigh-ins, the day of weigh-ins turns time into molasses-covered taffy and that last half hour the minutes are palpable, and then as if to catch up again time speeds up through the tournament.

Actually, I have to back that whole process up a bit. You start itching for the real stuff to start happening once you've settled into your personal space and gotten into the swing of a regular training schedule, then the last day goes by in a minute, and before you know it you're back on the plane again wondering how those days could have gone by so quickly.

Marcie and Chun Chun made weight like champs today, got re-fueled, and are resting on their way to a good night's sleep. Randi and Ali both got workouts and plenty of rest today, and are both within a comfortable range to make weight tomorrow. All week we've felt the magnitude of the Olympics, but managed to keep our minds on the task at hand. Now those thoughts of the big day find a way to creep back to the front of our minds making us volley them back over and over again to keep the nerves and excitement at bay until the time they will become useful to compete.

I am in the process of transitioning from athlete to coach, and I'm getting a taste of what lies ahead for me. The Olympians are all dealing in their own ways with the pressures on them to perform at their best.

The training partners and coaches all have plenty of work to do, but the stress has more to do with coming to terms with how little we can control the outcome. As athletes, we've all worked over the years to create on and off the mat the best environment for us to be physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared to compete in top form.

We are used to making our rooms a haven from stress, and we all create a vibe for ourselves and know which people to hang out with to keep that vibe going. Some people need something going on and a lot of people to visit, while others like to stay relaxed in one spot. There tends to be the social room and a chilled out room among teammates, and you chose whether you need commotion or a distraction-free zone.

At World Championships, the training partners help create these environments, but here much more of it is in the hands of the Olympians to do for themselves at the Olympic Village because they only spend some of their time over here where the training partners and coaches stay.

So far, I have been impressed at how the Olympians have stayed focused and not let the hoopla of the Games shake up their worlds. They've done a good job managing the important mat time as well as the down time. They have done their pre-competition jobs, and now it's up to them to make sure their heads are where they need to be when they step out on the mats.

Thursday, Aug. 14

BEIJING, China - Some of us training partners are a bit lost today. Only Clarissa got on the mats this morning. She's feeling good, and weight's not an issue for her, so her training is really all about keeping her body moving well and keeping her timing sharp.

The rest of the girls had their own cardio workouts or weight maintenance routines. Personally, I've been training for so long that whenever I don't have regular practices to go to, I have a mini-moment of panic like a kid who can't find her mom at the department store.

Then there's the fact that we're here as training partners, so our daily lives are really about making sure our girls get whatever they need or want. So when the whole wrestling self-sufficiency thing kicks in and they don't need us for anything, we've got no place to go.

Plus a little of the novelty of this place has worn off, and it's always rainy or foggy, so the troops are getting a little stir-crazy like recess got moved indoors on account of the weather. I feel like Lloyd Christmas, "We've got no food, we've got no jobs, our pet's heads are falling off! What the heck are we doing here, Harry?" (shout out to Krisite Marano-love you, buddy!)

Tomorrow starts the time when all that's left to do is make weight and wrestle, so we'll get to be with our teammates all day after this. Some more family and friends have been arriving. Chun's family got in to see her, and they got to go to see a few other events today. She was excited to have her family near.

Marcie's man, Brad, got in this morning too. The deal is that you have to stay awake until 9 or 10 at night or you'll be waking up at 4 a.m. every day you're here. We got here in the evening, so we only had to make it for a few hours, but Brad's got all day. I hope he makes it. I'm glad I got to say hi to him in the wrestling room before Marcie got there, because it was so awesome to see her walk in the door like usual and then her face lit up when she saw him.

We're girls so we notice these kinds of things. We're also wrestlers, so I'm obligated to give her a hard time for it, too.

Tuesday, Aug. 12

BEIJING, China - We're getting to the point where training gets a bit more individualized. We had one Greco guy wrestling today, two more made weight, the rest make weight tomorrow, and everyone else is training as usual.

Coach Izzy got in last night, so the gang's all here, and Marcie has her one-on-one technique coach again. This morning, everyone wrestled with different amounts of live and technique times according to their needs. This afternoon, some got back on the mats while others did various cardio workouts to keep weight in check and to keep their bodies fresh.

Today is Amy Borgnini's birthday, which means it still hasn't come in the States yet, and Coach Wilson's b-day is tomorrow. The awesome cafeteria staff here made them individual pieces of birthday cake, and we serenaded them with beautiful renditions of that traditional special day song.

In between practices, I got to watch a men's water polo game with some of the women's water polo players. Have you ever watched a sport you don't know very well and wished you had someone there to explain the ins and outs of the game to you? Well, I got to know about water polo with Olympic level players to tell me what was really happening during play and each time the refs blew a whistle. It turns out that water polo is a lot like wrestling in water.

It's illegal to punch opponents in both sports, but there are maneuvers that feel very much like punches to the face, and are indeed within the rules of the game. These guys have to be good swimmers who can also manage to stay afloat while passing the ball as another guy tries to wrestle them to the bottom of the pool.

I know we have a hard enough time playing with floaties and swim fins on! I'd like to see if swimmers or water polo players would get as tired after a few minutes of drilling as we wrestlers do just trying to keep our heads above water.

Monday, Aug. 11

BEIJING, China - Due to some technical problems, you didn't hear from me for a bit, and then you got two days in one. A lot happens around here at all times, so it's easy to forget that training involves a fair amount of down time and recovery.

The training partners don't have to listen to our bodies as closely as the Olympians, so we can afford to do more in a day, but the sleepiness will catch up to you in the end.

Let me catch you up on a few odds and ends. The day after Opening Ceremonies, we wanted to hear all about how it was for them behind the scenes and to actually walk out in the stadium. The looks on their faces showed how meaningful the experience was to them, but it also kept them up until after midnight. That parts definitely not in the ideal training plan manual for the athletic lifestyle, but one of the few things that is big enough to make us put off sleepy-time.

All of the countries were waiting in another arena for their turn to walk the parade. While they waited, our girls got to joke around a bit with some NBA players. Apparently, some of those huge basketball players were trying to pick fights between Clarissa and their teammates. That would make an awesome cross-sport fund-raiser!

We keep ourselves pretty entertained by competing at anything we come up with at any time. Keith caught Ali's partner, Megan Goldsmith, by surprise the other day. She was deep in concentration on something else, and he attacked that sensitive skin on the back of her arm. She instantly reacted with the instinct of someone who grew up with lots of brothers and sisters, and fired a name at Keith with fury. We tried to ask someone to translate that name into Chinese for us. Let's just say that it's the type of name that, after a lot of discussion and laughing, the translator told us there was no noun for that in the Chinese language.

Today's morning practice consisted of matches. I may just be over thinking the whole thing, but I got intrigued at the idea of the different mindsets all going on at once during those matches. The training partners don't have the motivation of that Olympic carrot dangling in front of us, but we also don't have any of the pressure that comes with it. On the other hand, the Olympians are at the top of their game, but every little thing is under a microscope. It makes for some good matches in practice because training partners can throw everything and the kitchen sink at the Olympians because we have nothing to lose. But the Olympians can pull off some awesome maneuvers because they are totally in the zone and primed for the competition of their lives.

This afternoon we played a lot of games to keep bodies relaxed and to get the Olympians sweating really well. We suck anyone we can get our hands on into our games. We played with wrestlers, coaches, and the medical trainer, sports psychologist, and team leader. I'd like to say that the athletic prowess required by our sport makes us versatile because we played soccer, buttball (a wrestling invention like handball-the name came from the fact that the ball was first made of t-shirts wrapped in tape so it looked like a butt), and basketball. Unfortunately, it's some of the most intense but sloppiest gaming you'll ever see when you add a ball into play with wrestlers. If you have even a hint of skills in any other game, you become an all-star when you play with other wrestlers, and every game tends to turn into a full-contact affair with us.

Sunday, Aug. 10

BEIJING, China - We;ve flown halfway around the world, gotten signed in and credentialed at all of the places we're supposed to, the Olympians have done the media obligation thing, and Opening Ceremonies kicked off the competitions.

For many people, all of the excitement has just begun. For us, the distractions will be falling to the side and stop getting in the way of our practice routine. We finally get to come together at the same place at the same time twice a day like we're used to doing. It's amazing the difference one day can make for our bodies and the effects of jet lag.

The Olympians got their timing and power back for our second mat practice yesterday morning. Next week the Greco guys compete, with us to follow. All that's left is for us to do our thing. We'll keep the Olympians sharp, cheer on our Greco team, make weight, and compete.

The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) has created an American oasis here in the middle of Beijing and the hustle and bustle of the Olympics. It's as if they've picked up the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and transplanted it here in China.

In Colorado, I see all kinds of USOC staff on a daily basis, but usually they do their thing with us and go wherever it is they go to do all of the behind the scenes things that keep this beast alive.

It's amazing to me to see them all in action here working their butts off for long hours every day. Just try to wrap your mind around much has to go into re-creating the daily lives of all of the athletes and coaches from all of the Olympic sports from most of the countries all around the world. I'm getting to see how many dedicated and motivated people it takes just for the American team.

After practice and lunch, the Olympians went back to the Village to get ready for Opening Ceremonies, and the rest of us were left all alone again.

We spent the afternoon playing games. Chelynne Pringle and Keith Wilson could move on to compete among the amateur ranks in Jenga if they ever get tired of wrestling. We all watched Opening Ceremonies on TV like all of you at home, but we got to share the experience with USOC staff and the support teams for other sports.

I've always heard that the Olympics are about a worldwide community coming together to celebrate the human spirit with an attitude of mutual friendly respect and cooperation. With only the experience of other competitions to draw from, I felt like sure those things are a part of it all, but it's really about dominating on the mat and pride in our country. Soon enough, our Olympians step on the mat to do just those things. But for one incredible evening, the Olympics transcended sport and divisiveness.

As I watched Opening Ceremonies with people from across the U.S., I was awed by the show. Over and over again, I wondered, "How did they do that?" Then I realized that was exactly the point. We were in the middle of something big, the celebration of what the human spirit is capable of creating.

Visualize the most impressive Fourth of July fireworks show you've ever seen, and then imagine what it would take to put on such a display across an entire city. I heard there were about a hundred fireworks stations throughout Beijing! As another example, during another part of the Opening Ceremonies, I was thinking that it must have taken the most sophisticated computer software to coordinate hundreds of hydraulic machines to create the effect I was seeing.

Then hundreds of Chinese people jumped out of what I thought had been pulled off my machines! If human capital is China's biggest national resource, they proved it last night. Then the efforts of thousands of people and I'm sure millions of dollars were matched in meaning by one simple parade. Knowing all that lead up to that moment, I understood the looks on all of the faces as everyone got to stand behind their nation's flag as the world cheered them on as Olympians. The United States came toward the end of the parade, so we strained to pick out the wrestlers from each country that walked by the camera. And finally the Stars and Stripes appeared, and we all cheered out loud. We saw all four of the women wrestlers, and I can't even put into words how proud I was to see them and how happy I was to see the looks of joy I saw on their faces. Now exposed to a greater significance our sport carries, it's time to get back to work on the mats.

Thursday, Aug. 7

We got in yesterday evening, and have spent our first whole day in Beijing. The Olympics are completely unmatched in size and scope, and the first day here was no different. It's as if the Olympics can change time itself to make days bigger here than anywhere else. It feels like we've been here for at least half a week.

Everything about the Olympics is multi-faceted, and already I've noticed that any experience becomes complex. The women's World Cup team was here earlier when a lot of building and planning efforts were in full swing. Personally, I'd already envisioned myself in many of the venues during that trip, only I had pictured myself as an Olympian rather than a training partner. It makes going to each new place a double experience for me.

It's true that the Olympics are like no other competition in the world, but we also know that the things that will prepare the Olympians are all of the same things we've done a thousand times before in practices and tournaments leading up to this endeavor.

The environment is overwhelming and different, but it's not as though the Olympians' bodies will somehow work differently or that wrestling itself somehow changed. The complexities started right away as we traveled over here. We're are all experienced travelers, and we've created a world for ourselves that goes with us wherever we are.

It's a comfort to know that the company you share can overcome any circumstances or living conditions we may face. So in one way, our little world simply moved from Colorado to Beijing, China. On the other hand, the worlds of several other sports came with us this time.

I joked around and killed time with my coaches and teammates like I always do, but there was the feeling of a bigger community. On a sardine-packed international flight, there were many more friendly faces, even though I didn;t know any more people than I ever have traveling with my team. People who were strangers to me also felt like friendly faces because they came from similar paths, and were going to the same place for the same reasons we were.

For example, the lady in the seat in front of me shared some candy with me just because she knew I was an athlete.

As soon as we arrived at the Beijing airport, our group went two different directions. The Olympians were immediately whisked off to the Olympic Village, while the rest of us went to Beijing Normal University (BNU) were we will be living and where we will all be training.

Our happy little family was not reunited for another 24 hours for our first mat practice at BNU. The housing at the Village is like a series of suites where three rooms share common living space and kitchens. Our Olympians got acquainted with all of the amenities of the Village as well as their new roommies who happen to be archers. They began the day with a cardio workout, and spent the rest of their time at media events. They answered questions, and let the world get a glimpse of their personalities, while mingling with some of America's most renowned athletes.

The rest of us began our day with a workout here at BNU. We don't have to worry about anything concerning room and board, but security is tight and everything is on impenetrable schedules. We only wanted to find a place to play a game, but every facility is under lock and key. Practice time on one of the fields is 300 dollars an hour, so we hoped to get in at the same time as a shot put practice.

As we waited, we began to play keep away from coach Levi Weikel-Magden, and it quickly became boys against the girls. When we destroyed enough of the flowers in front of the wrestling room building, we had to move to a concrete path between the track and tennis courts.
A rather simple game became a full-contact deathmatch. Our game came to an end when we were warmed that security was about to take over the entire area so that Ex-President George H. Bush could get in some media time.

The Greco-Roman team got here a few days before us, and had planned a trip to the Great Wall today. We training partners and assistant coaches were invited to go as well. When I was in China the last time, it was winter and bitterly cold. Today it was 95 degrees with 80 percent humidity. We spent the day hiking in a steam room. It's amazing to think of how many people had to spend their lives building a wall high on the ridge of a mountainous area that is nearly impossible to traverse without a blockade.

I sweated through my clothes just hiking up and down the path and stairs of the wall, and can only imagine what it would have been like to have to fight for my life in a battle on such terrain. We took a toboggan ride on the way down to our bus. It looked like a metal luge run. All of the wrestlers went down one after the other at full throttle, but the family before us took a much more cautious approach to the ride, so we ended up with a bit of a traffic jam halfway down.

Most of us managed to slow down enough to give those in front of us a little more space, but Amy Borgnini came around a corner without enough time to stop from running into National Teams Director, Mitch Hull. Mitch caught Amy with the back of his head before she rolled off of her toboggan. Luckily, wrestlers are hearty folk, and no one ended up worse for the wear.

It felt good to be a whole group again for practice. Our goal for this first practice on the mats here was just to get a good sweat going and to shake off the flight and the long day of activities. It took a little time to forget about everything else that goes on around here, and to just get back into our zone. We had the whole room to ourselves, so during practice the Olympians narrowed their focus until the media and China and the Olympics faded away until the only thing left was them and the wrestler in front of them on the mat.

The Olympians stayed at BNU to eat with us where the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) had put together a dinning area with all of the food we're used to at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado. We enjoyed each other's company at the end of the day, and laid down a few challenges to be played out tomorrow down in the athlete lounge where the USOC has provided TVs and a Wii, including 'American Idol.'

Tomorrow, we'll come together again on the mats in the morning, some intense video game competition, and of course the Opening Ceremonies.

Monday, Aug. 4

It's Go Time!

Many wrestlers and their closest family members and friends have been living the Olympics on a daily basis, but the rest of our society is finally excited about the Dream with us.

A lot of people who have been there will tell you that the Olympic experience is like no other, and I'm about to find out what they mean. I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that the Olympic experience doesn't just begin at Opening Ceremonies, but encapsulates years or entire careers of effort, and officially began for our wrestlers at the Olympic Team Trials at the beginning of the summer.

The Olympics are a unique time for the global community, and the time between Trials and Opening Ceremonies is unique for the wrestling community. Many wrestlers faced disappointment after losing at Trials, and had to transition into the pursuit of next year's goals. Others like myself, experienced a crushing blow, forcing them to come to terms with their entire careers on their way to moving on to the next stage in life in endeavors outside competitive wrestling.

A select few realized the biggest dream in our sport, and took on an incredible amount of pressure and excitement in preparation for the sporting world's biggest stage. All of these people came back together because we value the intangible qualities of wrestling, and because we believe in our teammates and coaches.

The Olympic Team for women's freestyle is now in San Jose for processing, where they pick up all kinds of info and gear for the trip to Beijing. The training partners will meet up with them on Tuesday, and we'll all take the long flight over together.

We've all been through a lot over this summer. For the training partners, drilling sessions become a bit one-sided, meaning that an Olympian smashes one side of our head to the mat over and over again and we don't get a turn to do the same. On the other hand, conditioning is one-sided too, meaning that the Olympian has to do all of the extra conditioning when they are already tired while the rest of us push them to do more and more.

Practices also turn into obstacle courses for the Olympians. They maneuver through partner after partner that rotate in on them, they hopscotch through the advice of all kinds of coaches, they hurdle interviewers and dodge cameramen, and finally army crawl through fatigue.

Our support team put together a retreat for the small group of Olympians, training partners, and coaches up in Breckenridge, Colo. The trip turned out to be much like the game 'fortunately, unfortunately.'

Fortunately, Stan Zeamer took us on a boat on a beautiful lake in the mountains. Unfortunately, it was freezing that day. Fortunately, Marcie Van Dusen brought fishing poles. Unfortunately, Trinity Plessinger almost hooked some of her teammates, and boat captain Terry Steiner kept moving the boat so that Marcie's line dragged behind us. Fortunately, the cold weather couldn't dampen the group's good spirit. Unfortunately, we're all so competitive that some of us goaded each other into jumping into the hypothermia water. Fortunately, all of us survived to enjoy each other's company that evening. Unfortunately, none of us knew Ali Bernard's boyfriend, Roger. Fortunately, he quickly jumped to the top of the list of our favorite wrestler boyfriends with his laid-back humor. Unfortunately, he was not too shy to keep his off key singing to himself during Randi Miller's 'American Idol' game on Wii. Fortunately, our sport psychologist, Kirsten Peterson, gave us wrestlers a group assignment to make dinner for everyone, and dinner was served just in time to cut off the singing.

Unfortunately, the singing continued after dinner. Fortunately, we had to get to bed early to be ready for the challenging hike the next day. Unfortunately, none of us are skilled at orienteering. Fortunately, we found a trail. Unfortunately, it was the wrong trail and we zigzagged all over the foothills in lots of swampy areas. Fortunately, we found a trail that went up a mountain again. Unfortunately, it was the wrong mountain. Fortunately, a nice park ranger guided us to the right direction. Unfortunately, the right direction took us up 14,000 feet up a mountain into the sky. Fortunately, we all made it to the top and enjoyed some down time together at the top. Unfortunately, what goes up must come down, and we had another 14,000 feet down on wobbly legs. Fortunately, Mt. Quandary was beautiful and the elation over making it to the top made it easy for us to enjoy the scenery on the way down.

Unfortunately, all of us were too tired to cook that night. Fortunately, Marcie found an awesome local pizza place to bring us dinner. Unfortunately, Terry Steiner picked up where Roger left off the night before. Fortunately, Randi Miller and I pulled off the best duet of 'Midnight Train to Georgia' that was ever sung. Unfortunately, Trinity put us all to shame with her vocal skills. Fortunately, we all slept like babies because of the mountain adventure.

Unfortunately, our leaders scheduled another workout the next day. Fortunately, it was a fun mountain biking session. Unfortunately, Terry wore his skinny biker tights. Fortunately, everyone still had fun. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end. Fortunately, Clarissa Chun took awesome pictures of the whole trip and shared them with everyone. Unfortunately, although we all made it back OK, I ran out of gas on the way up a winding mountain pass. Fortunately, we had a few days off so that people could forget to give me a hard time about it. Unfortunately, no one did forget. Fortunately, we all left the super high altitude to train at the medium high altitude for the last training camp before the trip to Beijing. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to the Olympians yesterday. Fortunately, we'll all meet up again soon to take on the World!