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Paralympic Blog at NY Times.com

Be sure to check out daily updates of the Games at http://olympics.blogs.nytimes.com/

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.

USA Coverage of the Paralympic Games

Below is a link with information regarding TV coverage of the Paralympic Games in the USA.

First Ever Multiplatform Broadcast of Paralympic Games Coming to U.S. via Universal Sports

My Trip to Beijing Begins…

Tomorrow I will wake up early and ride the three hour drive up to Chicago O’Hare to catch the first leg of my long journey to Beijing. I will be traveling to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs along with four of my teammates from the University of Illinois. In Colorado, we will meet up with the rest of the track & field team as well as the swimming team to go through processing. From past Games I’ve learned that the best part of team processing is getting the uniforms! All of the athletes on Team USA have the chance to walk through the apparel area to pick up the mountain of clothing items waiting for them. In addition, during this time each athlete receives a commemorative watch and is sized for an Olympic ring. I remember my first experience going through processing before the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney and how blown away I was with all the “stuff” we received.

You would think I would have learned by now to leave home with an empty suitcase since it is quickly filled once you go through processing but as usual I am leaving with a bag that is possibly heavier than me! On the eve of the start of my third Paralympic Games I am both excited and nervous. Although I am proud of my performances at the previous Games, I am going into Beijing with my sights set higher. You can scroll over the calendar to the right of this entry to see my upcoming training and competition schedule. I will be competing in the 100m - 1500M and the 4×100M relay. If all goes well, this brings my total number of races to 10 since each event will have at the minimum a semi-final and a final. Although I know that the time will come for me to focus on these 10 races, for now I am going to enjoy my last few days of excitement while meeting up with the team in Colorado and then traveling on to Okinawa, Japan where we will train at the Kadena Air Force Base prior to flying into Beijing.

Welcome!

Welcome to my homepage! Please visit my site again as I will be updating my blog soon with information on my travels to Beijing for the 2008 Paralympic Games.