Diary Entry 18th July 2008
(21 days until Opening Ceremony)

In less than 40 days, my first Olympic Games journey will be over! In some ways it seems to have come around quickly, but I am definitely not stressed by the fact that it is so close.

The hard work has been done over the past, weeks, months and years. Myself and my team-mates will not make huge fitness or strength gains in the upcoming days.  But, where we can get significant gains is preparing mentally for the challenges that we are faced with. Other areas we still can and we will make huge improvements is in the way we work together (connections) and set-plays and the way we look after ourselves in the final countdown. After recently talking with past Olympians, they all said the same thing; ‘you know you can play hockey, you have the skill, strength and fitness required’ (otherwise you wouldn’t be going to an Olympics)- the challenge is preparing mentally and making sure you are ready to go for the first game.

Since the last diary entry, not much has changed. After landing in Perth from Japan/Hong Kong on Friday morning we were straight back into our normal weekly regime. Its good to get home and back into routine and get a solid block of training in before it all begins. Along with trainings, we have been extremely busy attending functions. Turning up to these functions, mixing with so many past Olympians and present hopefuls really does make it all the more real that in less than 22 days I will be off to the Olympics. It was clear at Hockey Australia’s Hall of Fame & Olympic Teams Farewell function and the WA Olympic Council ‘Beijing Bound’ Farewell function, that no matter what year you represented your country, you still worked as hard as possible, you still made the same great sacrifices and were still rewarded with the highest sporting accolades – to be called a champion.  It was motivation alone to be spoken about in the same sentence as Dawn Fraser.

So what this means is that basically, we have one more week of solid training in Perth before we leave for Beijing in our quest for Olympic success. This week will be crucial in our preparation and will also include our last fitness test, weight and skinfolds for the year! Can’t say I’m sad about that…….! The vibe within the group is awesome. Of course at times we all feel the pinch and withdraw, but generally there is a real buzz and excitement flowing through the group.