Kadena Air Force Base
The start of the trip….
Well we’ve made it to Japan! I have to admit the trip over was one of the easiest overseas flights I’ve ever taken. Thanks to efforts by the US Department of Defense and the military, the swimming team and track & field team were flown over on a chartered DC-10 direct from Colorado Springs to Okinawa, Japan (with a refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska). We couldn’t have asked for a better way to travel! The plane was only 1/3 of the way full so I had all five seats in a middle row to myself, which gave me lots of room to spread out and rest.
We landed at Kadena around 5:30pm on Sunday and were immediately welcomed by the men and women stationed here. We were first shuttled to our hotel with only our carry-on bags in hand while our checked baggage was loaded and delivered personally to our rooms by volunteers on base. Each of the athletes were assigned a sponsor, which meant that we each had our own personal volunteer to help get us aquainted with the area. After getting to freshen up, we were officially welcomed to Okinawa at a dinner hosted at the Officer’s Club. After dinner, the track & field team gathered for a team meeting and I think we all were happy that it didn’t last too long! I was in my room and fast asleep before 10pm ever came around!
Middle of the week….
We’ve been here at Kadena for a few days now and I’m feeling really good considering the time change. We’ve been training here on base at either the middle school’s track or on the perimiter road of the base. Each morning volunteers from the Air Force arrive at our hotel to drive us to practice. It’s been great getting to meet some of the people on base, hearing about their experiences in the military and learning about their various duties while here in Okinawa.
This week I’ve had two really fun experiences on site! On Wednesday, I went with my teammate Amanda to the flight simulator of a KC-135. She and I were given the opportunity to actually fly the plane in the simulator. I discovered quickly that if I want to be a pilot I am going to need a lot of practice! Later in the week, some of the crew from the KC-135’s set up a static show for anyone interested in checking out the plane. I went with a few of my teammates and explored. In addition to getting to climb down into the boom (the section of the plane where the controls for refueling exist), I was carried out on the wing of the plane for a great picture! Be sure to check it and other pictures from the week out in my photo gallery. Set up next to the KC-135 was an F-15. Unfortuantely, we weren’t allowed inside that plane but it was still cool to see it up close!
Our time at Kadena has come to an end…
Tonight the base hosted a goodbye and good luck party for the visiting athletes. Tomorrow we are off to Beijing where we will rest for a few days before opening ceremonies on September 6th.
My time here on Kadena has been amazing. Our hosts have gone above and beyond any expectations we had for our trip out here. I think we all had just hoped that we would have a some edible food and a place to train! So boy were we impressed when we arrived and were treated as honored guests. I want to just say thank you to all of the people who played a part in making this week on Kadena so successful.
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