Behind the Scenes What it Takes to Send Team USA to Rio

On Friday, August 5^th, 554 American athletes, including 14 wrestlers, will converge on Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to represent the United States at this year's Summer Olympic Games. A few athletes—like wrestling standout Jordan Burroughs, one of 19 returning U.S. Olympic champions—have been there before, but many more have not. And while Team USA athletes have been likely been preparing for the 2016 Rio Games most of their lives, USA Wrestling support staff members have been preparing for these Games ever since the completion of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

 “There’s nothing like the [Summer and Winter] Olympics. It’s a celebration once every two years, and what better place to celebrate than in Rio de Janeiro, a hub of excitement and energy,” reigning Olympic wrestling champion Jordan Burroughs told the USOC in July.

A key person working behind the scenes to make that celebration happen is Cody Bickley, the National Team’s High Performance Manager for USA Wrestling. "For the past few years, I've been involved in countless meetings, made numerous phone calls, and sent hundreds of emails all revolving around the operations, and logistics of these Games," he says.

Bickley left for Rio on Sunday, July 31, making it his fourth trip to the host city of the 2016 Rio Olympics. Bickley serves as USA Wrestling's liaison with the United States Olympic Committee and oversees the logistics and operations ensuring that USA Wrestling athletes, coaches and support staff are best prepared to achieve success in the upcoming Olympic Games.

"Our ultimate goal is to create an environment, plan, and schedule that gives our athletes the best opportunity to succeed,” says Bickley, adding, "if it can happen in Rio, we've thought about it, analyzed it, and have come up with a game plan to deal with it."

Olympic wrestling competitions will take place August 14 through 21.

Below is a small sample of the monumental efforts USA Wrestling support staff has expended to coordinate a successful Summer Games, led by Bickley:

Olympic Village/Training venue: Over 19,000 people are expected to stay at the Olympic Village during the Rio Games. "That's larger than a small city," notes Bickley. It's also full of distractions, and why USA Wrestling coaches and athletes will stay offsite at one of three High Performance Training Centers prior to moving to the village just before competition. USA Wrestling coaches and athletes will stay at Lonier, and have daily access to practice facilities, strength and conditioning coaches, sports medicine, sports psychologists, a recovery center with massage therapists, ice tubs and more, and top-notch food and nutrition services. They will share that facility with members of the USA Archery, Fencing, and Taekwondo teams. Bickley traveled to Lonier prior to the Olympics with other USOC representatives to ensure the space fit USA Wrestling’s needs. "It's going to be where we put all the final preparations together before competition," says Bickley.

Travel to Rio: Men's freestyle and women's team members left from their respective homes or training centers and met in Houston on Tuesday, August 2. They stayed that night in Houston, and on Wednesday, August 3 they flew to Rio, which is a 10-hour flight from Houston. Upon arrival, they received their gear for the opening ceremonies on August 5. But Greco-Roman team members won't arrive in Rio until August 11, just prior to Greco-Roman competition starting August 14. The reason, Bickley said, was because National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland "wanted to keep our Greco team members in their own bed as long as he could," said Bickley. "We've thought of every scenario possible. Throughout it all we keep asking: 'What are the little things we can do to ensure we are successful?'"

Logistics: How do you get three large wrestling mats and a sauna to Rio? Very carefully, and through cargo ships that take a couple of months to arrive. On May 1, the three wrestling mats and a sauna built and donated by Chris Kallai, USA Wrestling-Ohio’s state chairperson, were transported via semi from Colorado Springs to Houston. They sat in port in Houston until July 4 and arrived via cargo ship in Rio July 28, where they were then transported to the Lonier training facility.

Nutrition: Athletes will only drink bottled water in Rio, said Bickley. And even though facilities like Lonier and the Olympic Village will feature state-of-the-art nutrition services, athletes still need to take precautions because food, such as lettuce or vegetables, are washed in water, and water quality remains a major concern in Rio. "A lot of time and thought went into planning our nutrition program," Bickley explains.

Training partners/family travel: Each wrestler has training partners that accompany him or her as part of the Olympics. Brian Snyder is Jordan Burroughs' training partner. Cody Sanderson will be in Frank Molinaro's corner, and Mike Duroe will be with Daniel Dennis. They all arrive at different times, with Bickley coordinating all those travel arrangments. He also handles special requests for family members of the athletes, although all family members are responsible for their own travel and lodging. But Bickley is a liasion and resource who can assist as needed.

Miscellaneous: How detailed is the preparation for Rio? Bickley was involved in hyperbaric chamber testing in Rio, and worked with sports scientists to understand how the elevation in Rio would affect training and recovery.

Every detail has been covered with one ultimate goal in mind.

"We're going down there for one reason and that's to bring back medals," said Bickley. "Hopefully Gold Medals."

2016 USA Wrestling Olympic Team Members Biographies

Meet the U.S. Olympic Committee 554-Member 2016 U.S. Olympic Team