The Beijing fog has returned.The weather report says that it is suppose to rain tomorrow and then be a nice clear day for Opening Ceremonies.I am feeling it now.That anticipation, that urge to get things started.I watched Miracle for the 100th time or so since I took over this job.It is a great movie and every time I watch it I shed a few tears.I am touched and inspired.When I was playing with the national team in 1980 and we were getting ready for the Moscow Olympic Games - our entire team was able to sittogether and watch the USA vs. Soviet Union game.Obviously, the game stirred a great deal of emotion in us all.We were preparing for our opportunity at the Games (not sure if we were going to boycott or not) and to watch our young college kids beat the powerful Soviets was very motivating.

As I watched the movie today two things came to mind. The first is family.A good team is really so much like a family.In the movie, the players protested when Coach Brooks brought in a player from the outside because he had not been a part of the family.Every good team becomes a family.I believe that we have become a family over this past year.This team is close – they believe in each other, they trust each other and perhaps most importantly they have learned to respect each others differences. They are willing to sacrifice for each other. That leads me to the second thing that really hit me as I watched the movie.At the end of the movie Coach Brooks told the audience what his favorite part of coaching the Olympic Team was.Here is what he said “Seeing 20 guys from so many different backgrounds come together as one team and seeing those 20 guys willing to sacrifice so much for the unknown”.

This is the epitome of what it is all about.The Olympic Games are so much different than any other sporting event.This is an opportunity that comes along once every four years.It is especially true in our sport like water polo.This is what we train for, what we sacrifice for and what we live for – a chance, an opportunity to be the best in the world – perhaps more importantly – an opportunity to be your best as an individual and as a team.

There is the unknown – there is certainly no guarantee of a gold medal or even a medal of any color and yet these guys give so much of themselves just for the opportunity.

The USA Olympic Committee has adopted the tag line “amazing awaits”.I certainly believe that amazing does await for this team over the next two weeks. They are ready to put it all on the line and “test” themselves against the best teams in the world.I believe that we have become one of the so called best teams in the world.We will be tested and we will find out.Regardless, amazing has all ready happened for me.It has been amazing being a part of this journey.Watching this team come together and witnessing their growth as a team.I have come to love this family and I believe in these guys with all of my heart.

Amazing Awaits…

See you at the pool!

August 5, 2008

Countdown Beijing – The Nest and the Cube

Things are getting busier here in the Village. More and more teams are arriving everyday. When we first arrived the village seemed quiet. This is not the case anymore. It is like a bee hive with lots of activity and athletes everywhere. The dining hall is getting crowded and I hate to say it but there are no more dove bars (bummer).

Many of the more recognizable athletes are beginning to show up. I saw Dirk Nowitzki (basketball), Rafael Nadal (tennis) and Michael Phelps (swimming) today. I am beginning to feel a little short with many of the basketball and volleyball players showing up. It is fun to sit and people watch and try to guess what sport each athlete is part of – obviously some are easy – like the gymnasts and the weight lifters and the wrestlers (almost all of them have wrestler’s ears). Many of the other sports are very difficult. Regardless of the sport it is fun to just sit back and realize that these are the best of the best at what they do in the world.

Today we scrimmaged against the Chinese team at our competition venue again. We seemed a little tired and we played pretty poorly. We made a lot of bad passes and after two quarters the score ended in a tie. I think that overall it was probably good for us to realize that if we do not play well it will be a battle. I got on them a little after the scrimmage and they woke up and dominated play in our 6 on 5 and 5 on 6 training (each team played 15 minutes of offense and 15 minutes of defense). I have attached a team picture of the team at the competition pool.

After dinner Rick, Ryan and I caught a taxi to the Cube and did some exploring. It was getting a little late but we were able to get into the Cube and see the competition venue for swimming and diving. It was very impressive. The Cube is an amazing building and it is one of two of the central venues (along with the Bird’s Nest) that are in the middle of the Olympic Green. After we explored the Cube we walked over to the Bird’s Nest which was also lit up and did some exploring around there. We were not able to get into the stadium but it was pretty cool just being outside and listening to them rehearse for the Opening Ceremonies.

Tomorrow we are giving the guys the day off. I think that most of us are heading for the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. This will be our last day to relax and just sightsee a little. It should be a fun and relaxing day.

See you at the pool!

Coach.