Road to London 2012: Opening Ceremonies

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Opening Ceremonies

After hours of preparation...last night dressed in our finest Ralph Lauren (i.e. a blue blazer, while collared shirt, a cream-colored skirt, cashmere socks, and a beret...all fashioned after the 1950's Opening Ceremonies attire) we walked a little less than a mile in the chilled London air (thankfully it was dry, as it had rained most of the day) to a stadium filled with people, cameras, and lights. The Queen and the Royal family were all in attendance and the crowd was so excited for the start of the Games.

We walked in to the sound of a roaring crowd and it was (as always) incredible. After trying to navigate the track (which was covered in cords and various props) and trying to snap a few photos during the process we were finally seated. Front and center we watched the end of the show. Steven Hawking narrated as a show about a young girl named Miranda was continued. She took a journey on a boat through waves (of people) and read some books. There was some apple throwing and a bit of dancing at a protest about equality, which included a giant balloon statue of a naked disabled body (gender unknown). Clearly I am not an artist because most of the time it really does go straight over my head, but I loved every minute of it nonetheless.

The torch entered the stadium by a retired wheelchair athlete who descended from the sky right in front of us and then was carried to the flame by a couple of British athletes. All very cool! The night ended with a lovely fireworks show!

Anyway...we rushed back to the village to get some food and sleep in an effort to be completely prepared for our game against France today! I think it'll be a great start to an amazing tournament!

We play at 3:15pm...hope you'll all be watching!!!

Until later...all the best!! a

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About Me- The Basics

I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. In 1995 I became partially paralyzed when my body thought my spinal cord was a disease, attacked my nerves, and permanently damaged them. Three years later I made my first international team and I have been competing at the Paralympic level since. I competed in the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia and 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece as a swimmer, capturing a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke in Sydney and finishing 4th in Athens. From 2000-2002, I set, held, and reset the World Record in the 1500m freestyle.

In 2002, I started college at the University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign. While earning both my degrees, I was a member of the Women's Wheelchair Basketball team and helped them earn 5 National titles. In 2004, my shoulder injuries had compounded and my swimming career came to an end. However, in 2005 I was selected as a member of the USA Women's Wheelchair Basketball team and I have since competed and helped the US win silver at the 2006 World Championships, and win Gold at the 2007 and 2011 ParaPan American Games, the 2010 World Championships, and the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.

This year will be a year of big endings and new beginnings for me...as Captain of the USA Women's Wheelchair Basketball Team I will compete in my fourth and final Paralympic Games in London. So as I count down to the end of my athletic career and the next chapter begins, I hope you'll join in the celebration, the chaos, and the fun of the Road to London!

About Me- The Truth

I believe that basketball, work, and well life in general, are supposed to be fun; that every day is an opportunity to make yourself and the world around you a bit better; and that it’s ok to take things seriously, as long as you don’t take yourself too seriously. I regularly make fun of myself and laugh at my own craziness!

I actually think basketball paints a great picture of who I am and who I strive to be. You're probably accustomed to watching a team shoot, pass, and run some speed drills during warm-up, and you’re guaranteed to see all of that with Team USA, as well. But then you’ll take another look…and you’ll likely see me, USA #11…and with a song in my head and my headphones blaring, my game prep always includes some bad dance moves and occasionally some really bad singing! And as you watch my warm-up you'll notice that I don't seem to care too much about how bad it looks or if anyone is watching…it’s not about a show... it’s all about keeping it fun and light. I joke it's not about how good you play, it's about how good you look, but in reality it's how good you feel and I believe that laughter is the best medicine and have learned over time not to take myself too seriously…so I don't, especially on the court!

Fun is instrumental to success on and off the court and with the right playlist I know anything is possible! So while I may have to apologize to our coaching staff, 4 men who over the years have listened to "Booty Wurk" probably 1,000 times and who have suffered through the 90s boy-bands over and over again...I know it works!

Despite the “unconventional” warm-up as you watch the game you’ll see the serious athlete you expect and the game deserves. It's like a complete transformation...say good-bye to the bubbly, never met a stranger personality and hello to serious competitor.

So in a nutshell...like me don't expect this Road to be too serious...but expect it to be a bit silly, definitely a bit unexpected, and an all around GOOD TIME!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Opening Ceremonies

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