Routine Day

Today was full-on routine day. I had to do one on six with uniforms in front of our Men's Senior National Team Coordinator. He wanted to see where I was in case I need to step in for someone. I wasn't feeling that great this morning. My stomach hurt, I felt tired and weak, but I knew it didn't matter. I had to get my stuff done no matter what. I was able to suck it up and I actually ended up doing pretty well. I started on rings, and I did a good strength sequence, but I put my hands down on the dismount. It definitely took me a while to get things going at 10:00am, but I ended up hitting everything else. I was pretty relieved with my day, my coach way happy, and most importantly, my Senior Team coordinator was impressed with my day. After practice I had to go back to the silk market because I had to get re-fit for a suit I had made. If you've never been to Beijing, the silk market is a huge store of mostly knock-off stuff. You haggle for a cheap price with these ladies who are sometimes a little overly aggressive. One lady punched me in the arm, because she thought the price I offered for something was too low! It was pretty interesting. I think the best part of the market are the custom made suits and shirts. When I came out in December I had a suit made, and I had another one done by the same guy. Being a gymnast, it's not the easiest thing in the world to find a suit that fits off the rack. I paid $100, for a custom made suit. The fabric is great and I picked out the exact style and color I wanted...It's awesome! I also played some Rock Band with some fencers, boxers, and volleyball players today. It's a lot of fun meeting athletes for different sports and this place really gives us a chance to get to know each other. Some reporters from the New York Times watched us play and ended up taking pictures and interviewing us about it. Today was the first day that was hazy out. The weekend was beautiful...really hot!!, but beautiful.
Other notes about China:
1)I am really surprised I haven't seen more car accidents. They are crazy drivers and the pedestrians don't seem to even care if a car is coming when they cross.
2)There is security everywhere. There are guys on just about every corner making sure things stay safe.
3)Cool buildings. I'm sure most of you have seen some of the interesting new venues like the "Bird's Nest," but there are so many new buildings around here that is really remarkable. I had dinner last night across the street from the new CCTV Tower and that building is one the the most innovative architectural structures I have ever seen. Look it up online if you get a chance. It really is amazing. I'll try and put some pics of it on this blog.

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.

Four Days Away

It's just about here. Opening ceremonies are in less than two weeks! Yesterday was my last day of routines before I leave. I did one on six, and it went great. It's always nice to get that final big day out of the way before leaving for a competition. I will be leaving Colorado Springs Wednesday, and meeting up with everybody in San Francisco. We'll all be on the same flight over to Beijing which should be fun. The last few days, I have been doing a ton of stuff to get ready. Getting my Chinese visa has been more of a hassle than I was expecting. I am also trying to figure out what apparel I will be taking to China. We got a ton of new Adidas stuff to take with us, but we are making sure to be smart about how much we take. I doubt it will be necessary to take heavy sweats to China where the weather is going to be pretty hot. I was in Beijing for the Olympic Test Event in December, but I think it will be slightly different this time around. I also got my new IPhone yesterday! My sponsor, AT&T, hooked me up with the new 3G, and it is awesome. Having that in China is going to be a nice way to keep my mind occupied. The new App Store has some really cool stuff, that are pretty useful. I got this one program that translates useful phrases from English to Chinese. I have been brushing up on my Chinese, so hopefully I'll be able to communicate with some of the locals. I still have some stuff I need to do before I leave so the next few days are still going to be pretty hectic.

Big Day at the OTC

It is definitely nice to finally be done with this part of the process. We had the final preparation competition today, and it went awesome. I have to say that the crowd was unbelievable. For those of you who came to watch today, I want to say thank you. The support you showed for the entire USA Men's Olympic Team was way beyond what I was expecting. I really have never seen so many people packed into that gym for a meet. We got to walk out in our new Olympic uniforms, which are sweet. A few of us picked out six uniforms to use at the Games and we tested out the one we will wear during Team Finals. We started on rings today, and I felt strong again. I think the routine went better than the first day and I stuck my dismount, which is always nice. I went through all the other events with confidence today and I was able to hit six for six. We finished on pommels, and again I hit a solid routine which felt great. It very well could have been the last routine I do with a USA uniform on, so to hit on an event that probably cost me a spot on the team at Trials was very rewarding. I know I am capable of hitting this way consistently. Before the competition we had a team goal of hitting 80% of our routines today...we ended up hitting 88%! There were still a couple minor mistakes, but overall we are looking great. I am so proud to be part of this group. We are only going to build from here and in Beijing we are going to do great things. The MPC just told us a little while ago that they are taking all three alternates to China. We have become a very close group and to have all 9 of us there is fantastic. I am excited to get there and do everything I can to help the team. Again, thank you to everyone that came out today. It was an awesome day for USA Men's Gymnastics and I know the other guys appreciate the support as much as I do.

Mock Podium Training

We had the first of two routine days at the camp today. We treated it just like podium training at the Olympics, which is basically a trial run for the actual competition. It will happen three days before Team Prelims in China, so we did the same thing here. A few months ago, they randomly drew the sessions for each team competing in the Olympics and we drew rings as our starting event and we are in the first session. Also, the OTC hooked up up with all the JF equipment, which is the same equipment being used at the Olympics. It took some time to get adjusted to the new stuff, but for the most part it's all really good. So we started on rings today and went through every event. I had a solid ring routine and I was pretty happy with my strength. I felt strong. My vault went great, and so did p-bars. I felt great on HBar and the routine went really well. I did leave out the Tkachev, but that was no big deal. Floor was next and this has been the hardest event to get adjusted to. The JF floor is foam blocks, not sprigs, so it's a little stiffer. I hit my routine, but you definitely have to be a little tighter on that floor. Pommels was last and I hit. I had a split going into my Wu, but besides that it was a good set. I love the JF pommel horse. It's a little wider, harder, and I feel like I have more room to place my hands. Overall, the day went really well. The whole team was supporting each other throughout the whole day, and it was great to see where everyone is at with their preparations. Saturday will be a little more formal, with a bigger crowd and some more judges, but we all accomplished exactly what we had to today. Team USA is looking strong. I am impressed with everyone and I am excited about the rest of the week. If you are in the Colorado Springs area on Saturday, stop by the OTC at 12:00pm and watch the USA Men's Olympic Gymnastics Team in action.

Ready for Camp...and Thanks

So I finished my last day of routines today before we start the camp. It was hard to do all six events this morning, but overall it went pretty well. I am glad the preparation for camp is over...I really want to know what my role is going to be for this team. Everyone gets in tomorrow, and even though we are training at my home here in Colorado Springs, we are all staying at a hotel together. I'll be leaving my room at the OTC for the week so we can all be one team. Since we normally don't all train together, it's cool when we get to hang out with each other. I'll keep you updated on the camp and how things are progressing. Wednesday will be like Podium Training, and Saturday we are treating like Team Prelims.
I also wanted to use this post to say thanks to all my sponsors who have supported me on my Olympic run. Chevron for being the main sponsor for the National Team for a long time now. AT&T for going out of there way to make me feel like part of the AT&T family. I really appreciate it. Foster Wheeler for helping my family with housing at the Olympics. Lenovo, for helping me with this blog and allowing me to share my story. All of your support has been instrumental in my success of the past year. Thanks again!

4th of July Weekend

Fourth of July weekend was fun. We had a hard workout on Friday, but it went really well. Saturday also went well, and after our practice all of us had a BBQ at the OTC pool. The weather held out, and it turned out to be a great day. There were a lot of athletes from other sports out there too, so it was cool to hang out together. Next Sunday everyone gets into Colorado for our Olympic Camp. It is going to be an intense week of training and competition. Right now, my body is feeling good and I am ready for the week. This week I will be doing routines on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and treat it like a competition week. We have a junior national team camp that just got in today, so the gym is going to be really busy. Luckily, I am in good shape right now so I don't need to spend too much time in the gym...it's all about being efficient and minimizing pounding on my body. My shoulder is feeling better each day, and it really hasn't been an issue for me in the gym. The pain is tolerable, and to be honest it would have to take a lot more for me to stop training right now. I am excited to see all the guys next week and train together. This will be our first time together as a team. I know I am an alternate right now, but I still feel like part of the team. I am preparing to help out in any way I can.