Middle of the Top of the World

April 16/17, 2008

My goodness, it’s been a long time. But I’m traveling again and need to really step it up. I’m having a hard enough time trying to keep in contact with everyone on a regular basis. Thus, the purpose of the blog. However, I really suck at that also!

I’m pretty sure that I told all of you about Spain and the Fallas (fire) festival. If not, I’ll have to circle back at a later date and explain all of that. However, I’m on a plane on my way to China – Beijing to be exact – for the Olympic test event. What is an Olympic test event? Each Olympiad the organizers put on a pre-Olympic event to make sure everything in the venue is in full working order and that way they have the opportunity to fix what’s broken. Or not. Sometimes not. There have been many before us and will be several more test events before the 8-8-8 opening ceremonies.

Nuff said.

FINAL FOUR // Tampa
I got to see cousin Kathy and her kids and Brian and their new house!!!!! Ok, so I still owe Shane a birthday pressie and card (bad auntie!!) And it was a pretty quick visit as I didn’t have much time and neither did they since they were trying to unpack from the move and I was working but the few hours we had were wonderful! Their house is amazing (if I only had that much closet space ...) And I’m very, very, very happy for them.

The purpose of my trip to Tampa was the Final Four. It was a work trip, however, I really wasn’t in my normal working mode. We didn’t have a training camp down there and there was no real purpose for me being there and having the org. pay for my being there. But ... there were three USA WNT members playing in the Final Four; there were a TON of media who not only might be covering the Olympics, but who cover college bball and whom I deal with on a fairly regular (every summer) basis; media who cover both women’s college bball and the Olympics; coaches with whom I’ve worked throughout the years, etc., etc., etc. Yes, it’s a little of a boondogle, but I think it’s a pretty good one to be able to talk to people face to face about USA Basketball. Oh yeah, let’s not forget the always and often forgotten sports information directors!!!! There are SO many of them who I work with every summer and never see their faces, so the Final Four is a good opportunity for me to actually put a face with a name (and they get to do the same).

The moment which impressed me the most was Candice Wiggins on the podium after losing the championship game. She was amazing. Instead of dwelling on the negative (losing), she spoke about her four years at Stanford, Tara, her teammates, etc., and how much she really appreciated everything about the university, etc. It was refreshing.

BACK TO THE FLIGHT ...
We have passed the international dateline and are somewhere over Siberia. Amazing. I don’t think our parents would have (or could have) imagined this in their lifetimes. And here it is, my third time in China.

I remember being in grade school and our class went on a trip (most likely Vienna) and took a side trip to a border control area of what was then Czechoslovakia. I remember seeing the guard towers with men (always men) in the towers pointing their guns at us. There were fences, several fences, moats, etc., with razor wire, everything and anything imaginable, between us and them. And now? I’ve been to the Czech Republic. I’ve been to Slovakia. But I’ve never actually stepped foot into Czechoslovakia. Only the memory of Czechoslovaki.

I’ ve also ridden a bike through Berlin. Run through the frozen streets of Krakow. Run across the beaches in Rio. I tried to find a bridge across the swamps in Valdivia, Chile; experienced Italy, Spain, Germany, ...... the list goes on and on. And my point is what? My point is the fact that the world truly is tiny. And I have decided that I’m NOT catching up. I’m here. I’m ready for adventure and hopefully I’ll keep up with everything from now on :-)

WYF?!?!?!?!??!
Can I remind people of what I said last time I was in Beijing? I can’t fully quote what I had to say, but with all the frustrations I had with the 2001 World University Games organizers, I’m pretty sure I asked someone to shoot me if I was still working for a summer sport in 2008. While I really don’t want to be put out of my misery, I really think someone should have shaken the (almost) life out of me back when I had other job offers (with non-Beijing sports)!!! I seriously have enjoyed all the work travel I've done and it'll be interesting to see any changes / contrasts to my last trip to Beijing (or even China, which was in 2002).

THE LANGOLIERS
Every single time I fly through time like this I think of Stephen King’s short story about the Langoliers. They have eaten a day out of my life once again .... I think. We departed on April 16 and will land on April 17. I’m a little more used to it now than I was back when Dave and I went to Australia for the most fabulous walkabout I’ve ever dreamt of, but it’s still a little surreal.