Checking in with my teammates

With the Olympics right around the corner, I am definitely feeling very anxious and excited for the team.

All I can do is miss them, cheer them on and help in any way I can. I am so curious and anxious to know how and what they are doing, so I thought I’d check in with them. Thank goodness for being able to talk online!

The team arrived in China about ten days ago to get accumulated to the weather, food and jet lag. They have had a good amount of rest time to recover from the travel and have been able to do some sightseeing before starting to train. For as many times we have been to China in our careers, we never have an opportunity to go to Beijing. The team took full advantage of this opportunity to explore the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall. The girls were lucky they didn’t have to train for a few days, as apparently climbing the Great Wall is more than a day’s workout load.

The team stayed in Beijing at BNU (Beijing Normal University) which was the home base for the USOC during the 2008 Olympics. The team was in great hands there with awesome staff, facilities and food. When the team moved on to Qinhuangdao, Natasha Kai served up some gourmet omelets, which everyone devoured.


The team has only traveled once since arriving in China and they will now be in Qinhuangdao where they will play their opening game vs Norway on Wednesday (7:45am EST / 4:45am PST on MSNBC). The team is lucky enough to be staying on the beach along with some of the other teams in their group. They even have their own private section on the beach. The girls are happy that they have found a McDonald’s where they can enjoy their ice cream once in awhile. As long as the girls have their coffee, food and snack trunks, they are happy campers!

Since we usually have a lot of downtime when we are on the road, I wanted to check in with my teammates to see what they were up too. Heather O’Reilly and Lori Chalupny are learning how to knit, while Stephanie Cox and Hope Solo are attempting to get through the large library of books they brought with them. Since it has rained on a couple of the team’s days off, they have resorted to going to the local mall. Our team manager Cheryl Bailey brought a humungous crossword for the girls to attempt to finish by the end of their Olympic stay. And the girls are definitely missing two little ones, Rylie (Rampone) and Keegan (Markgraf). We are usually blessed with the two best and most entertaining kids in the world.

Well the official countdown has begun as we’re now just hours away from kick off! The girls are more than excited to start their Olympic journey. They know they have done the work, the grueling practices, travels, workouts and extra training sessions. There have been obstacles and battles for everyone individually and as a team. It’s how we handle these situations that make us stronger as a team.

I am so excited and anxious for them. They are ready, they have been brave!

This is what we prepare for and what we wait for!!! Let the Games Begin!!!!