Countdown Beijing - A Beautiful Day in Beijing

We woke up today to blue skies. The rumor is that the Chinese have been seeding the clouds and have made it rain over the past few days (mostly at night) to clear the air. Today is beautiful – it is warm and slightly humid but it is the nicest day they have had here in months maybe years (according to some that have been here for awhile). I totally believe that these Olympics will be spectacular (for more reasons than just the blue skies). It is interesting to think about whether or not the Chinese can actually control the weather. We will see…

I have been having individual meetings with each player to make sure that they all understand what their role and responsibility is here at the Games. I have also discussed what my expectation is for each player. They have been good meetings with a great deal of positive coming from them. All of the guys feel like we are ready. They feel strong and they believe that they can beat anyone. They are realistic and know that this will be a very difficult tournament and that there are 10 teams that are all very close. Who will step up and make there way to the podium. We all feel really good about our chances.

It has been nice for me to sit with each player and here his concerns. All of them are somewhat nervous. They have leaned on me to tell them about my experiences with the Olympics. I have told them all that you would not be alive if you did not feel nervous. This is normal. I have also shared my experience with them about my first game in 1984. I was nervous. As I sat in the ready room and spoke with a team mate named Drew McDonald. Are you ready? He asked me. The first thought that I had was to ask myself - had I done everything that I could have done to be ready? This is almost a trick question to ask yourself – because there is always more that you could have done. The key is that mentally you have to be comfortable with what you have done. I knew that I had worked extremely hard and done a great deal to prepare myself and I was ready. Being able to answer yes to that question helped me to relax and get myself ready for that first game.

I have also been able to share my father’s wisdom with them – he always used to tell me
“All you can do is to go out there and do the best you can”. We are ready and we will do well if we stick together and trust each other. One of the great things about being on a team sport is some of that individual pressure or stress gets deflected a little to your team mates. You can build each other up and it is comforting to know that your team mates are there for you.

Last night I showed the guys a video of the 20 year reunion of the 1984 Olympic team. The guys enjoyed watching highlights from our gold medal game that were broken up by the guys on the team talking about what that time of their life meant to them. It brought tears to my eyes and I think that it put things in perspective for the team. It helped them to see beyond the next few weeks and understand that the team is really like a family. These bonds will last a lifetime. It touched them all in a way. Every guy on the team came by and told me that the video was great and thank you for sharing it with them.

Another beautiful day in Beijing with many more expected…

See you at the pool!

Coach