Diary Entry 25th July 2008
(14 days until Opening Ceremony)
The count down is finally here, 5 days until we depart for Beijing, 16 days until the Opening Ceremony and 18 days until our first match. We’re all about being calculated…
The past 7 days in Perth have been a whirlwind - Training, Recovery, Heat Chamber, Conditioning, Testing, Program Farewell Luncheon, Yoga, Weights, Meetings and more Training, Recovery and Meetings. The program really has kept us grounded – we haven’t had the time to be distracted. So it has been heads down, bums up as this is our final chance in our own environment to get it right.
The time leading up to departing for a major tournament is always tense, so it’s no surprise that departing for the Olympic Games means that this has been the most tense for this year. Monday was our final Heat Chamber session and what a welcome relief, the Ex Physiologist said it was going to be an easy session – we all knew this was the case because we had fitness testing the following day. So the enjoyment of a light session was short lived, as we knew fitness testing was just around the corner. I, as well as many others hit their personal bests – it was an awesome feeling. We run our beep test in 2 groups, and the group that wasn’t running stood by and cheered, encouraged and clapped us on. It’s a true testament to our training and our group dynamic. It was a real buzz moment!
It’s also been a week of final tweaking – diet, mental preparation, scouting and analysis, and making sure that we’re as ready and as up to date as can be. We’re going to be away from our home ports for 4 weeks and many of our families are joining us, so it’s forced many of us to get our personal lives into order. Half of our team had relocated from the east coast, so they’re busily packing up their belongings, sending cars home on the train, paying bills and rent, having carpets cleaned, and the other half are doing the exact same except the moving interstate bit. I have two of the most senior athletes staying with me for the weekend, which I’m so excited about. One is a triple Olympian and the other is a dual Olympian, they have 300+ international matches between them. They are my team mates and friends, but for the most part they are my idols - it’s really hard not to get star struck. 4 years ago I watched them at Athens, now I’m sharing my house with them and playing alongside them in Beijing. This makes it feel all so real now!
The luncheon on Tuesday was a lovely way to say farewell to the program that has helped support many of us for 4 years, not just the 5 months that our national squad has been in Perth. Our team is made up of more than just 24 athletes – we have hockey specific coaches, ex-physiologists, strength & conditioning coaches, psychologists, athlete-career & education advisors, administrators, doctors, physiotherapists…the list really does continue. It was also a sad time, for two reasons – firstly because for many of our senior athletes this will be their last time in program as they will retire after the Olympics. Our careers as athletes are short lived and this was reinforced on Tuesday – it’s about giving everything we have at every moment. And secondly it was a chance for the Olympic team to acknowledge the hard work, commitment and sacrifices that the 6 athletes had made, who had missed out on Olympic selection. For 2 athletes, who have been named as our emergencies it’s even harder. They travel with us to Beijing but don’t stay in the village with us, they are accommodated outside with our support staff and having to be ready at any point to join the group should they be called up. Their attitude has been nothing short of amazing – they have both been so positive. It really was a great day and one I enjoyed. It’s hard to beat a group of like minded people having fun at The Leftbank.
The media frenzy is still continuing. I had 2 interviews this morning and have a few more before I leave for Beijing. The entire team has been in demand which is great for our sport! The support for the team and myself has really been exceptional. Only yesterday did I receive the loveliest of letters from the Collie Hockey Association and my old local club Rovers Hockey Club, wishing me well for my Olympic campaign. You can take the kid out of the country, but not the country out of the kid. The WA Olympic Council always have a country trip post the Olympics, I’m hoping it’s Collie!
The excitement this week has really been phenomenal; it’s been hard to control. |
