Beijing 2008 - Back to the podium

I am sure that most of you have heard the result or seen the gold medal game by now. Unfortunately, the dream was not fully completed. We lost 14 – 10 to a powerful Hungarian team. We had gone through the Olympic tournament allowing an average of 6 goals per game up until this game. In the first quarter of the gold medal game we gave up 6 goals. We were playing well on offense and we stayed with them. They seemed to jump out by 1 or 2 goals and then we would fight back and tie the score. We never really got into any kind of rhythm on our defense. At the end of the first half the score was 9 – 8 Hungary and I felt like we had played an entire game. We were scrambling to keep up. Our defense continued to struggle against the hot shooting Hungarian team and we eventually just could not keep up on offense. We still had some chances going down the stretch but we ran out of gas on offense and our 6 on 5 failed in the third and fourth quarter. It was heartbreaking to say the least. I have been I the same position so I know exactly how it feels.

I told the guys after the game that I was very proud of them. They had exceeded everyone’s expectations and gained many new fans back home. They have brought honor and respect back to the Men’s program. I told them that there were no words that I could say right in that moment that would take the sting away from losing. But I reminded them that as time went on they would all come to realize what a huge accomplishment this was. I thanked them all for being a part of this incredible journey and allowing me to be their coach. I told them that they allowed me to live out my dream of coaching the Olympic team and although all of our dreams fell just a little short - in the long run we have all grown so much and learned a great deal from this experience together. No one can take this from us. We are Olympic medalists.

We had a nice party at the USA House in Beijing. We decided to do that as a team rather than attend the Closing Ceremonies. It was great to see all the guys relax and be able to spend some good quality time with their friends and families. I was able to go around and talk to most of the parents that were here in Beijing. I am sorry if I missed you last night. I want to tell you again – thank you for sharing your son with me. Each of these guys was a critical part of this team’s success and each of them has so much to be proud of. I appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for being here and supporting your son and our team!

We have so many more fans. This morning alone I received 165 emails from people back home telling me what a thrill it was to watch our team and to see the team do so well. That is very cool. These guys have created a legacy that will help our program for years to come. I have also had a great deal of positive feedback from the USOC. I believe that they will be on board to do whatever they can do to help us be successful over the next quadrennial.

Wow – now what? Back to the real world… We jump on a plane tomorrow and head back home. I am very happy that my family is going to be on the same flight home with us. It was great having them here in Beijing. By the way, Leanna and Sheridan kicked Ryan’s butt in the pin trading. They collected close to 300 pins and are going home with some great memories.

In fact, all of us here are going home with some great memories. These were historical games and I am thrilled to have been a part of them. That is all for now – time to pack and get ready for the trip home. I will still try to write a blog over the next month or two for anyone that is interested in following the team. Thank you for all of you that have been regular readers. I am happy to have been able to share our story with you. We made it back to the podium after 20 years! Amazing happened!

See you at the pool!

Coach