Athlete Blog - 2011

A day of only one match set well with us. We beat the Netherlands in three. This should give us a 1 seed into the semifinals. It was the best control of an emotional and mental game I have seen from our team so far. I think today's match gave the team some momentum leading into the semifinals.

We are 4-0 so far playing two matches a day. This is a different format from where teams can play two able body and two minimals at the same time. That makes some teams much tougher than normal since usually they can only play with one minimal and no able body. It's good for us to have to push to win.

Today was a great day-Kaleo's birthday!!! She's the big 1-5! We celebrated with cake, candles, and a WIN! She has done a great job every day and has never stopped surprising me with her humor. Happy Birthday! 

Today was a pretty long day. We had a light morning practice, a match, followed by a river boat tour of Shanghai. Our match was another good battle with the Chinese.

This morning we practiced and scrimmaged a few sets to 15 with the Chinese. We started out playing focused and clean, winning the first set pretty easily. The next two did not go as hot. Let's say we all learned a lot and knew what we had to do in the afternoon, 'serving and passing.' 

After a seemingly uneventful, mildly turbulent flight, and a complete 24 hours of travel, we made it to the Shanghai Disabled Sports Center. No one lost their luggage and everyone was running on empty but we all made it in one piece. Thankfully the organizers kept the cafeteria open for us. 

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This is my current view at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California, as I sit down to write my first blog. It's so serene out here that it is easy to stay focused. Though it is easy to stay focused, it's also easy for me to become exhausted because training is all you have to do - and cabin fever will set in quickly inevitably!