Finally Here!

I finally got to Beijing after a long day of traveling yesterday. My flight into San Francisco was delayed, so I almost missed the flight to Beijing. I had to sprint to the plane, and I was the last person on. I was sweating like crazy and about to pass out, but it was worth it. I met up with the rest of the team and we headed out together. The flight wasn't too bad. It was about 12 hours, but I brought enough things to occupy the time (movies, magazines, journal, books, etc.). There were a ton of athletes from other sports on the flight too, so it was cool to meet some of those guys. When I finally got to Beijing Normal University, where I am staying, I saw that it's basically the OTC in China. So many people I see everyday in Colorado are here making sure that things are running smoothly. It feels like home, and I wasn't expecting that at all. I have my own room, which is also great. The USOC has done an awesome job of setting this place up for us. We have ping pong, foosball, Nintendo Wii (with Rockband!), a 65" plasma TV with a ton of movies, plus a bunch of other stuff. AND, the food has been amazing. The dining services from the OTC have helped set up an awesome spread with everything we could ask for. I have been so impressed with everything so far. I don't think I am going to want to go home! I had my first day of practice today and I trained at the Chinese Olympic Training Center. This is the first time I have ever been there, and the place is incredible. It is the most amazing gym I have ever seen. They have all brand new JF equipment, but what makes it even better is that they have everything on the floor and another set of equipment on a podium. I've never seen a gym that has a podium set up all the time. Plus, they have separate equipment over pits. I worked out today with the entire Chinese men's and women's Olympic Teams. The French men's team was also in the gym today. It was really cool to be in there today and hopefully I'll be able to take some pictures tomorrow and put them up on this site. I was a little jet lagged after traveling yesterday, but I got done what I needed to. I touched all the events and did almost all my skills. I am feeling good and I can't wait to see what happens over the next few weeks.