IOC regulations and blogging

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has strict regulations on blogs that occur during the games for all athletes. We are allowed to blog, but it must be written in the first person. We are allowed to post pictures, but they must be of people, not of events. We're not allowed to post any video from any areas that you need accreditation to access- aka- all the areas that I'm in. Finally, you can't go sponsor crazy on your blogs either. That being said, I'll post all my great Olympic video after the games is over :)

Opening Ceremonies

Opening ceremonies was amazing! Words can't describe what it felt like hearing the entire US team chant "USA, USA" in the waiting areas- it was amazing! The day was a long one, it started out with breakfast and then I rushed over to the P&G House, where they did my make-up and made me look fabulous all for free!!! Then I rushed back to the Vancouver Olympic Village for lunch and to quickly get dressed in my white pants before heading out the door to meet Vice President Joe Biden and his family. It was amazing to meet him, and his speech almost made me cry. After meeting VP Biden, the we waited...

And waited, and waited, and waited...

During the wait, people were trading pins, and because I didn't know about this big pin trading tradition, I didn't have my pins! However, our physio, Jason Ross, had a pin and asked me to trade it for him- for something really good. I went on a mission- and traded it with the one athlete from Ghana- the Snow Leopard- which I consider a big achievement for the night. While I didn't have pins to trade- fellow brakeman Emily Azevedo and I spent a good majority of the evening collecting as many US signatures as we possibly could on flags and other items- which allowed us to meet a lot of people from all the U.S. sports- so many great people and great stories!

Finally, we lined up to walk into the stadium. We were in line for what seemed like forever! And even though our Ralph Lauren gear looked great (the white pants looked much better than expected), we were SOOO HOT!!! Those wool sweaters were furnaces! We were burning up! They offered us water, but no one wanted to drink cause we didn't want to go to the bathroom!

Finally, they started calling the country names and we were almost ready to roll out. Being the United States, we were one of the last countries to come out, shortly to be followed by host nation Canada. We all tried to strategize where to stand to get tv time- everyone like little kids so excited! The big winners were the ones who stood by the snowboarders and Shaun White, definitely should have been more strategic- but I'm super glad I walked in with my pilot Erin Pac, I was so happy to share that moment with her after all we've been through.

Walking through that stadium was nothing short of amazing. Walking up the ramp all you could see was thousands of people and bright lights- I imagine that's what entering the gates of heaven looks like (if it were on an earthly scale)- it was beautiful. We were so excited and I never wanted that walk to end- but it did, but luckily the show was amazing too.

Another Busy Day!

Day 2 here in Vancouver is complete! We arrived yesterday and went through team processing where we received 3 huge bags worth of items- including our opening and closing ceremonies gear, which was altered on the spot for us. Then we were told we had a box to ship items home- and that's when the real decisions came into play. I was up until 1:00am trying to decide which items to keep with me and which to send home- trying on clothes and thinking about what items I'd like to trade with other people for their swag, and also which items I want to give as presents and to whom. It was a intense night!

Then- because the time difference is 3 hours, I woke up at 3:40am to be a live guest on the Bert Show on Q100 in Atlanta. It's a show that I personally listen to in the morning and have been trying to get on for a while now to tell them about bobsled- so I was stoked that I finally got on. I was so tired I don't think I realized that I accomplished a life goal by being on the Bert Show, I did the interview and fell right back asleep- very tired. I have a follow up interview with the Bert Show on Monday...should be loads of fun!

When I finally woke up for the day it was a mad scramble to finish packing and ship my box off. Then we worked out and had lunch with children from Vancouver College. Always nice to hear children chant "USA, USA!" when you walk into a room! Such a great experience!

Finally, we had a press conference and then I rushed to a hotel in Vancouver where I was supposed to meet Shawn Johnson for a live facebook chat on behalf of Got Milk? Well, the press conference took longer than expected and the car they sent couldn't get to the building I was in because of all the extra security. Long story short, I missed the chat but shot some footage promoting SAMMY (Scholar-Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year Award) and chatting with Shawn Johnson that will hopefully be used soon. Such a cool experience and I was honored to be involved. (Shawn Johnson had just released Project SHINE and her Milk Mustache Ad). I felt bad that I was late, but was happy the people there were great and excited.

After that busy day, I finally checked into the athlete Olympic village in Vancouver which is amazing! I've been able to get so much video for my Olympic movie- it's been great! I've already met a curler on the women's team, an aerialist, and a hockey player on the women's team (all US athletes). The village is awesome- but more importantly- everyone I've met has been amazing! Everyone- all the volunteers who are so willing to do anything for you- even move all your luggage into your room- have been great! The support from all my family, friends, peers, and fellow Americans across the world has almost led me to tears. Tomorrow's opening ceremonies and I don't know if I'll keep it together- but there's a good chance I will because I'm not sure how to wipe the smile off my face.

Thanks everyone for all that you do!!! I appreciate it!

Vancouver Bound!

I have heard that being an athlete at the Olympics is one of the best experiences of your life. We are on the way to the airport right now to head to Vancouver from Park City, Utah- and yes it is 4:30am. The reviews from our men's team is that everything is amazing. I'm eager to get there and begin this new adventure. I don't know what's going to happen or how I'm going to feel, but I'm excited right now. This is a huge moment for me and all those who have supported me all these years so- here we go! Onto Vancouver!!!

Media attention

As a result of being named to the 2010 Olympic team, I've been getting quite a few media requests. It also doesn't hurt that I'm the only winter Olympian from Georgia, coupled with my ties to softball and Washington DC, and my strong christian faith. It's been pretty hectic keeping up with everything and conducting all the interviews and I'm sure I have driven some of the media insane by my hectic schedule and trying to find times to fit them into it. I am very happy to do all the media- I enjoy it and feel honored that people want to interview me. We have our last major team press conference when we arrive in Vancouver on Thursday at 2:30pm, so we'll see what happens with the media after that point- not sure how it works- it's all new to me! Like I said, I love the media attention, just feel bad that I'm not as prompt as I'd like to be with getting the interviews done and getting back to the media. So if there's any media reading this- I apologize!!! In the meantime, here's two recent articles to enjoy:

http://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-bobsledder-slides-into-294646.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/08/AR2010020803497.html?hpid=moreheadlines

Park City!

This week the entire U.S. Olympic Bobsled and Skeleton teams are in Park City, Utah, for a little pre-Olympic training. This is our last opportunity to test anything with our sleds and runners (the blades basically- but they're rounded- not sharp) before we head up to Whistler for the Olympics- THE SHOW!!! Park City so far has been a giant blur- it's been go-go-go since the minute we got here! Today was a little more relaxed- I actually have a little time to blog! I didn't have a workout today and Team Pac didn't slide- so it was nice to have a little time off. We got our Olympic gear from Under Armour today, which looks amazing- although the jackets create some interesting problems- they're cool- but not at all practical for our sport- so all of us are quite confused what we're going to warm up in during the games and what we'll actually wear for the various parts of our sports- guess we'll have to figure it out!

Today I actually had the great opportunity to hang out with my friend, who is a spare on the British Olympic team. Not only is he a great guy, but it's also nice to see a spare with such a positive attitude. Team Pac has been blessed this season to have a wonderful spare- Jamie Greubel- who has helped our team so much and also helped me keep my sanity. Unfortunately, Jamie won't be with us in the games, but she will be there in spirit. Jamie is currently in Lake Placid, New York, with my other good friend Jazmine Fenlator driving and honing their skills to make the 2014 Games in Sochi- I'm excited to see them again and I wish they could both be in Vancouver.

My friend also reminds me about the international nature of our sport. I have met many amazing people from all over the world- one of which is now one person I consider one of my best friends- Shelley-Ann Brown- who will race with Helen Upperton in the games. I'm so happy to be sharing my Olympics with her- I couldn't imagine anyone more amazing than her. She's awesome and I've never met anyone who can find the good in everyone- and she truly lives her life this way. I'm so happy to have met her- and truly blessed as well.

Well- tomorrow is another busy day so that's all for now!

Staying Busy!

It's been such a crazy year my blog has suffered greatly! I've barely blogged all season long- but I'm going to try to be better during the games. Every day now there's something else, that ends up taking up wayyy more time than it should. I'm definitely not complaining, I love my life right now, but I am definitely running out of hours every day and just piling things on the to-do list. I had no idea I'd be this busy, answering emails, interviews, and still doing all the things that will allow me to peak at the games- it can get quite busy! We've been in Chula Vista this past week for some R&R but I feel like it's been go-go-go the entire week! Now we're headed to Park City and my schedule's already booked and I haven't even left yet! It's crazy hectic- but I'm going to live in the moment and enjoy it all! I'm going to the show!!!