August 10th, 2008

Well after watching the first day of swimming, all I can say is Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer that has ever lived!! I know he only has the first of hopefully 8 gold medals that he hopes to get this week, but he certainly did it in style. To crush his own world record again for the 4th time in 4 years is incredible. To dominate the world competition in the decathlon of swimming, the 400 IM, is astounding. Okay, I just had to say that!

One of the fun things to see around the Olympics is the Mascots. Normally there is one but this time there is 5 mascots. These characters are called the “Friendlies” . They are designed to symbolize a close circle of friends and emulate the playfulness of children and are closely tied to the art and culture of China. They also match the 5 colors of the Olympic rings. Four of the characters are the most popular Chinese animals- the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow, and the fifth one is the Olympic Flame.

When walking around the very hot and humid weather here one needs to get a drink. And the most popular drink in China is tea. Visiting a tea house in China, though, is a whole different experience. It’s used primarily for business meeting and special occasions but you have to drink the right tea at the right time. Green tea is prepared in the hot season for people to cool down, while black tea is enjoyed in the winter to warm up the body. In China, tea is regarded as one of the seven daily necessities, the others being-firewood, rice(of course), oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar.

What do you think America’s daily necessities be? Mine would be cereal, books, Mexican food, time with my family, air conditioning, a nap, and the last one, yes, you guessed it…a pool!!! I would go crazy if I couldn’t get wet. What are your daily needs?

If you included the Olympic sponsors like McDonalds, Coke, Nike and a VISA credit card I know they would be happy about that. As much as we may not need to consume those products we do need them as corporate sponsors. The American athletes are not supported by the government like most countries. The US Oympic Committee takes the sponsors money and issues monthly stipends to the athletes to they can train. So it is actually private businesses and individuals who help send America’s best to the Games. In addition to donations from family and friends there have been some great companies who have helped me personally
train for the Olympics. You guessed it–one of the great sponsors is Mutual of Omaha! So Mutual of Omaha…thanks for making it possible for so many of our USA Swimmers to be the very best!

Who has helped you this year get better? Is there someone who drives you to school, workout or the library? Is there someone who has helped you become a better swimmer, student or reader? Be sure to thank that person today. Thanks for checking in and reading the blog.

So keep swimming and enjoying your summer! I can’t wait to write about the men’s 4 X 100 relay.

Come back for more…

Check out my Chinese 101 lesson.

August 9th, 2008
What an Opening Ceremonies!! The choreography, music
and imagery celebrating China and how the Olympics
brings the world together was incredible. The
costumes, dancing, drums and all the gravity defying
stunts and special effects was very cool! The
lighting of the torch was very creative and
satisfying.

Of course, I always love the Parade of Nations.
I thought the USA looked very good in their outfits.
(Which country was your favorite outfit?)

Yet I’m always curious as to who will carry the flag
for the USA. The team captains of each sport get
together and vote to see who among the athletes would
receive this incredible honor to represent our great
country. I know a little bit about the feeling of
pride felt by this athlete, as I had the privilege of
carrying the flag at the opening ceremony of the World
University Games in 1995. Though it is a wonderful
honor for the Olympian, the selection of this “chosen
one” also makes a statement about us as Americans and our
values.

This year the athletes chose a new member of the team.
Lopez Lomong is a 1500 meter runner and a brand-new
American citizen who was fortunate enough to come to
America as a foster child from a war-ravaged country
in Africa. He was one of the “lost boys of Sudan ”.
He and his family were separated by the civil war, and
then he was finally adopted by an American family.
Lopez carrying the flag is an important statement that
all people are valuable and worthy of freedom and
dignity. He reminds us that the USA is a nation of
immigrants who assimilate and aspire to a greater
good. We are a country where anyone can come and
dream and work and reach his or her potential. That’s
why I love America…because we’re free! Free to be
great and be compensated for that greatness. Even
more important, however, true freedom is the ability
to do the right thing when you want to do it,
regardless of what anyone else is doing around you.
What is your definition of your freedom?

Another important part of the Opening Ceremonies is
the Olympic Oath. The Oath says:

In the name of all the competitors I promise that we
shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting
and abiding by the rules which govern them, committing
ourselves to a sport without doping and without
drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the
glory of sport and the honor of our teams.

Long before I became an Olympian I made the decision
that I would not smoke or do drugs or cheat. Have you
made that same commitment? Have you committed
yourself, like an Olympian, to respect the rules of
your family? Do you make decisions that honor your
family, team, school and country? Are you free to
“Live Olympic!”

Well, today begins many sports which includes my
personal favorite, swimming. It is one of the major
sports that has been in every modern Olympic Games.
In the beginning only freestyle and breaststroke were
used for competition. During the 1904 Games in St.
Louis, backstroke was included. It wasn’t until the
1940’s that butterfly was added to the list. Now men
and women compete in 16 different races over the
course of the next 8 days except the one distance race
(800 for women and 1500 for men).

Other events to look for are cycling(do you like to
ride your bike?), weightlifting, Judo, diving,
shooting, and fencing. (Be sure not to practice Judo
and fencing on your little brothers and sisters:)

When I am driving around Beijing or watching on tv you
always see the Olympic Host Emblem. The official
emblem is called the Chinese Seal-Dancing. I would
call it the Spaghetti man winning the race. The
figure represents the Chinese character ‘Jing’, which
stands for the name of the host city and resembles a
Chinese symbol for strength, commitment, trust and
self-confidence. The Emblem artwork embodies the
four messages: Chinese culture, color of red China,
Beijing welcomes friends from all over the world and
to challenge the extreme and achieve your best and
promote the Olympic Motto of “Citius, Altius,
Fortius”, (Faster, Higher, Stronger)

I will close with a saying that originated in China:
Gung-ho! It’s an adjective that means enthusiastic.
I hope you are ‘gung-ho’ about SWIMMNG!

See you tomorrow!

August 8, 2008

Well, this is it…the start of the 2008 Olympic Games!
After traveling for 24 hours, I’m finally on the
other side of the planet right now in downtown
Beijing, China!

My hotel is gorgeous and the people are super nice.
The airport was brand new and now, they say, is the
biggest in the world. The highways that led to
downtown were new and clean and there was beautiful
landscaping lining the streets. Our guide said the
city has been completely transformed in the last year.

No part of town has gotten more of a makeover that the
area called the Olympic Green. This is where the
Olympic Village is and 10 competition venues including
the National Stadium or the Bird’s Nest, where the
Opening Ceremonies will be held.

I hope you’re as glad as I am that the Olympics are
under way.

It’s also hard to believe that it’s been four years
since the last Summer Olympics. I remember right
after the 2004 Athens Games ended the clocks at the
Olympic Training Centers began their count down to
this day. 1460 days, 23 hours and 59 minutes…the
never ending count down to the start of the Opening
Ceremonies tonight: 8pm on the 8th day of the 8th
month of the 8th year of the new millinium.

As you may have guessed the number 8 is a very
significant number. In Chinese culture 8 symbolizes
good luck and prosperity and the pronunciation of 8 in
Chinese sounds like the word for ‘great fortune’.

It’s also curious to note that the biggest story of
these Games is to see if my friend and swimmer Michael
Phelps can win 8 gold medals in 8 days with possible 8
world records, which would be the greatest Olympic
feat of all time and give him a total of 16 medals to
make him the greatest Olympian ever!

Many athletes say their fondest memory is marching in
the parade of nations at the opening ceremonies. When
you get all dressed up in your countries colors and
you walk out representing all your family and
countrymen back home it is very exciting. 202
countries will parade out beginning with Greece than
ending with China, and then everybody else is in
alphabetical order in between. Most countries just
have a few athletes or maybe even one whereas China
and USA will have the most with around 600 athletes.

And then the climax of the Ceremonies is the Torch
Relay that ends in the lighting of the Olympic Flame.
The Torch Relay began in 1936 and the Flame Tradition
began in 1920. For the next 68 years the lighting of
the Flame was followed by the release of doves, which
symbolize peace. This gesture was discontinued after
several doves were burned alive in the Olympic Flame
during the 1988 Ceremony.

Enjoy the Opening Ceremonies and Go USA!

Tour the Icecube with me!

I have to apologize. I haven’t been the best blogger. In fact, if I could call everyone of you I would. [Ask anyone who knows me] I’m a phone guy and learning to be a computer guy. My wife just bought me a MAC computer so I’m slowly becoming friends with my laptop. Of course, who couldn’t become friends with a MAC. This computer is awesome! It just seems so clean and easy. I can’t believe how easy it is to upload videos and photos. I guess you know what that means! My wife is going to expect me to upload all my photos of you guys and take more video footage.

Just like you…my family loves to join me on my journeys (even if it’s via computer). I’m in Beijing now and I’m getting very excited about the Games. I wanted to thank all of those involved in the last three clinics. I don’t have time to write all your names but you guys were fabulous!

This week I’m going to write 16 blogs about the Olympic Games and my experience… I might even give you a sneak peek of my video journal [if I can get it to work!]. These next 2 weeks you’re going to see people who live by our motto…”Dream it…Believe it…Breakout!”

Remember: You might not be an Olympic athlete competing for a Gold Medal these next two weeks, but you can be the best at what you do. I hope you have gold medal performances this week in your area of work, school or sport. And when you do–smile big as if the entire world is watching!

All the best!
Josh