My trip to Beijing started off in San Jose, CA on July 30th. I spent one night in the dorms at San Jose State University. The reason for going to SJSU was all the US Olympic teams had to go thru processing. At processing the teams were briefed on going to China and received their Team USA gear. The team received rings, suits, shoes, hats, bags, and jackets that would retail for over $6,000. All the clothes were altered to fit the athletes perfectly.

On July 31th at 7:00 am we took a bus to San Francisco Airport. Our checked baggage had been sent to the airport on the 30th so all we had was our carry on bags. On our bus to the airport we had the women gymnastics team and some members of track and field. Once we arrived at the airport we were dropped off at a special group check-in area just for US Olympics teams. At the check-in area we met up with our checked baggage and put in any items we needed to check. After we checked in we went through security where we had our own line so we did not have to wait in line. Once through security one of the gates in the international terminal was roped off for us and had free snacks and drinks. When we got on the plane there were people who were not on Olympic team also on the plane. The captain made an announcement that members of the Olympic team were on the plane, so throughout the flight I was asked for autographs. I told the people I was not on the team, but some of them wanted me to sign anyways.

After the 12 hour flight we arrived in Beijing about half an hour late on August 1st. After we cleared customs and received our bags we left the baggage claim area. As soon as we left the baggage claim area we were swarmed by a lot of cameras and reporters. The reporters and photographers were going crazy taking photos, filming, and talking to everyone that looked like an athlete. Even if you told them you were not on the team they would keep taking pictures and asking questions. Once we made it through the reporters the team members and coaches took a bus to the Olympic Village and the training partners and a manager took a bus to Beijing Normal University (BNU). BNU is the high performance-training center for a number of the USA Olympic Sports. The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) rented out most of BNU campus to use as housing and a training center just for US Athletes. The parts of BNU where the US Athletes are staying are fenced off and patrolled by policemen 24 hours a day. Once we arrived at BNU we had to go through a security set up similar to an airport. To get on to the BNU premises everyone must go through the security check points. After the checkpoint we had to fill out some paper work and take a photo to receive some credentials that would allow us on the BNU campus and give us access to the free meal service. After receiving our credentials I checked into our hotel room. I am rooming with Gary St. Leger. The room we are staying in is nice. We each have are own beds in separate rooms that are connected to a common room that has a television with a couch. After we got settled in our rooms we went down stairs for dinner. All our meals are served in a nice restaurant that is catered by a US catering company. The food is awesome! I think I am going to gain weight on this trip. Every meal has a salad buffet, main course buffet, made to order pasta or omelets, and you can also request other food that is not on the buffets. They have servers that come around asking what you want to drink and take your plates away. After an excellent dinner, we found out there was an athletes lounge below the restaurant. The athlete lounge has drinks, snacks, board games, a lot of dvds with a brand new big screen, and a Wii with a lot of games and the controllers to go with the games. All the training partners played Rockband on Wii for a few hours. After Rockband I went back to my room and crashed.

On Aug. 2 we had our first practice at 11:00 a.m. The practice facility for USA judo and many other USA sports is on the BNU campus. The practice facility is also surrounded by a fence and has security around it. Inside the practice facility is a workout gym run by 24-hour fitness staff that has all brand new equipment. Also available is a medical center with doctors, chiropractors, and massages. Because Coke sponsors the Olympics free Coke products are offered everywhere we go. There are refrigerators full of Powerade, water, Coke, Diet Coke, and orange juice in the practiced facility and at our hotel. The practice lasted 2 hours. After the practice the team members and coaches came back to our hotel and ate lunch at our restaurant. Following lunch we went down stairs and played Rockband for an hour with the team members and coaches before they went back to the village. Once they left we continued playing for another three hours. To get a break from the Wii we took a walk outside. So far the weather has not been bad. It is humid here and you will sweat walking around, but the sky has been clear so far. We walked for about an hour but did not find much to see by BNU. One thing we did found out fast was cars have the right of way and love to honk their horn at you. When we got back we went to dinner and then headed down to the athletes lounge. This time we played Rockband with some fencers and a member of the USOC staff. We have got to meet a lot of athletes at the athlete lounge. We have talked with members of the wrestling, boxing, fencing, and weight lifting teams. Being at the BNU hotel does not feel like I am in China because everyone here is from the USA and we have all this free stuff available to us.

Aug. 3 started out the same as before with breakfast, judo practice, and lunch. After lunch we got on a bus to go to the Olympic Village. To get into the Olympic Village an athlete or a team must put you on a list two days in advance. You can only get a day pass and you have to surrender your passport at the entrance. You also have to be out by 9:00 p.m. The Olympic Village is like a small city with only one way to get in. Buses shuttle people around because to walk for one end to the other is a very long walk. Teams from all over the world and many different sports stay at Olympic village. The village has numerous stores, arcades, workout facilities, athlete lounges, restaurants, and swimming pools. Almost everything at the Olympic Village is free to the athletes. At the village we saw where the team was staying. After that we played shuffleboard, then did some shopping at the Village Olympic merchandise store. After shopping we left the village and ate dinner at BNU. Following that we played Rockband with a wrestler, then went to sleep.

On Aug. 4 we started the day like before, the only difference was the weather. We thought it was fog at first, but soon found out it was smog. After lunch all of us went to a place called the silk market. The silk market sells designer clothes, shoes, bags, watches, electronics, jewelry, and lots of other things. Most of the stuff probably is not real but can be bargained for cheap if you have enough patience. Most of the stuff looks real and some of it could be real. The silk market has about 6 levels and on each level is a bunch of vendors crammed into a small space. Each level has a different product being sold. There is not much room to walk and each vendor will ask you loudly what you want to buy. Many of them will grab your arms or bags and pull you into their booth. They will keep asking you want you want and tell you to look at something. Once you look at something and ask them “how much?”, then they will get out a calculator and type a number like 1800 rmb for a pair of shoes. Which is about $260. You say no and type a no like 50 rmb ($7). They will say, “Are you joking? I am your friend, how about 1000 rmb ($145) since we are friends.” Then you type in 100 rmb ($14.5) and keep typing 100 rmb until they start to come down. Most of the time they will not come down to 100 rmb until you say no deal and walk away. Once you walk away they will chase you down and pull you back to their booth. They are a lot worse then car salesmen, they do not want you to leave without buying something. After that they will come down to your price or close to it. It is fun shopping at the market if you like to haggle for your prices. To get a good price most of the time you have to spend 5 to 10 minutes bargaining for the price you want. For things like watches or jewelry the employees will take you to a secret back room where all the good stuff is. I think they have to take you to the back room to be able to sell the stuff to you. We spent about 3 hours in the silk market and everyone was completely tired from bargaining and being grabbed by a lot of vendors. We are planning on going back once we get the energy to go again. Once we got home we ate dinner, played some Rockband with a wrestler and a boxer then went to sleep.

Click Here for Photos from Beijing