Sports, Sports Everywhere!

The Olympics ended two days ago and I am finally getting some photos up of some more Olympic events.

First, here is a complete list of the events I got to see:

1. Cycling Road Race
2. Cycling Track
3. Boxing
4. Handball
5. Water Polo
6. Athletics
7. Beach Volleyball
8. Indoor Volleyball
9. Judo
10. Modern Pentatholon

Because this is the Olympics, which is all about handing out medals, I'd like to present my own winners.

Coolest Sport Award goes to: Cycling Road Race

It will always have a piece of my heart, as I learned more about that sport than any other.


Most Fun Award goes to: Beach Volleyball

Swimsuits. Sand. Sun. You get it.

Best Venue Award goes to: Athletics

Athletics is held in the Bird's Nest. End of story.

Strangest Sport Award goes to: Judo

An exhibition sport this year, it's basically boxing without rules. In my opinion, it should remain a non-Olympic sport.


Congratulations to all the winners.

Now, on to photos:

INDOOR VOLLEYBALL

My best sports photography shot all Olympics. This is why I am not a sports photographer.


Group hug. Wish I was in the middle.

MODERN PENTATHOLON (I wasn't allowed to take photos so I had to sneak these!)






JUDO

FYI

FYI: The Summer Olympic Games are over. Finished until 2012. But because I am painfully behind on my blogging (if you want me to write about the things I've done here, then I need time to actually go out and do them!) I will still be doing some blogging about the Olympics.

In the meantime, here is a hilarious picture.

A Chinese man and some kids approached a few of my friends and asked if the kids could be in a picture with them. My friends said that wouldn't be a problem. Then the kids decided to pose like this:



I'm pretty sure they are ninjas.

Handball and Water Polo: America's Favorite Pastimes

I recently snagged an entry pass to an Olympic venue that contains the buildings for Handball, Water Polo, Fencing and Modern Pentatholon.

So, after work the other day, I headed over to a handball match. After an hour or so, it was on to water polo where, as luck would have it, the USA women's team was playing the Netherlands. This was especially lucky because I've decided that Dutch is my second favorite nationality, right after Italian.

In terms of coolness, here is where I feel the countries' fans stand:

1. Dutch--who basically wear a lot of orange and hand out little wooden shoe pins which are also orange
2. Swedish--who mostly choose not just to wear their nation's colors, but usually to just wear their flag
3. Hungarians--who are usually just very intoxicated at all the events
4. Chinese--who flock in the thousands to any and every event even though you usually get the impression they don't understand the first thing about the sport. like me.
5. United States of Americans and Australians (TIE)-who are generally awesome, and enjoy painting their faces, but need to up the anty like those European hooligans.

Anyhow, I didn't intend to write about that. Here are some pictures of what I'm sure are your two favorite sports.

Column 9

One World, One Dream, One Big Decision

The Olympics are always filled with drama. Dramatic performances at the opening ceremony. Dramatic photo finishes . Dramatic losers. Dramatic winners.

But there's no point in denying that the Beijing Olympics has seen some extra drama. "To protest or not to protest?" seemed to be the big question surrounding the 2008 Summer Olympics. A few months before the Olympics began, President Bush, in defense of his reasons to attend the Olympic games, said, "I don't view the Olympics as a political event. I view it as a sporting event." Well, sorry Mr. President (and the rest of us idealists), but these Olympics are undeniably political.

For the 60 University of Missouri journalism students who are currently serving as interns at China's "coming out" party, we are getting a lesson in far more than sports journalism. We are learning how to live in the midst of constant controversy.

When I first learned that China was asking for Englishspeaking journalists to attend the Olympics, I was faced with a bit of a moral dilemma. I am fully aware of China's human rights violations, of China's oppressive ruling in Tibet and China's energy alliances with Darfur, without demanding changes in Daruf's human rights policies. So, when faced with the question "To go or not to go?" I had a bit of thinking to do.

For a previous article I wrote for a Missouri-based magazine, I interviewed Richard Baum, a political science professor at UCLA, about the controversy surrounding these Olympics.

"A lot of people didn't want China to get the Olympics," he told me in early May, "so they have been waiting for a way to show up China as an inappropriate host."

The often-unfavorable spotlight shining brightly on China shouldn't necessarily be unexpected. A country vies for the Olympics for a number of cultural , social, economic and political reasons. In my opinion, China's reasons for wanting the Olympics were primarily political. After years of political isolation , China finally wanted to open its doors to outsiders to reveal the changes they've made. Only, the political changes don't seem to be as substantial as people had hoped.

"They are the ones that built the Olympic platform ," Baum told me of China. "They turned on the spotlight and then got surprised when people started dancing in it."

And I have to agree with Baum. If you build your platform based largely on political promises, a political backlash can be expected. For the magazine story, I also interviewed Chloe Zue, a Beijing native who is studying at Mizzou. She told me the anti-China sentiment before the Olympics was disappointing. "China has looked forward to this event for many years," she said. "We want people to feel comfortable in the city."

After these interviews, I was still left with the big moral question: What would attending these Olympics mean? Would it mean I was supporting China's role in Darfur and Tibet? Or would it mean I was merely supporting the Chinese people and athletes from all over the world? In the end, I decided on Option No. 2. Obviously, because I am in Beijing.

During my stay in Beijing, I'm often frustrated with the Chinese government. (For example, with China's free speech laws. The very fact that I am writing this column could get me sent home, or worse, put in jail). But the fact is, I am not here for China's government. I am here for the Olympics. I am here to support the people and the athletes to whom the Olympics mean so much. And I'm so glad I've gotten to see everything firsthand, rather than reading it in the papers. My experience at the Olympics thus far has been nothing short of amazing.

My managers at the road cycling event, told me not to get star struck by the athletes. "They are just people like you and me," they said. Well, news flash! I'm not at all like Michael Phelps. Duh. I'm a girl. (Oh, and I didn't win eight gold medals this year.) I'm also nothing like Yao Ming, because I am short and he is tall. (Oh, and I'm not one of the biggest sports stars on the face of the planet).

These athletes are incredible. Think about it: they can do things better than most other people in the entire world. The only thing I can do better than most people is break and lose things. (I'm not kidding . I break/lose things in a way that would put Phelps' wimpy freestyle to shame. Case in point: in one month alone I've broken my camera twice and have lost my wallet, driver's license, credit card, a couple bobby pins, Ken Curley's business card and a pair of brown sandals.)

And it's not just the athletes that are working hard for the Olympics. The thousands of Chinese volunteers have been volunteering their volunteer butts off to make these Olympics a success. They work 14-hour days for free doing everything from refilling toilet paper, to translating for journalists, to directing tourists to the correct subway. And you know what? I haven't heard one of them complain. (Then again, I don't speak Chinese, so if they were complaining, it would be difficult to know.)

Being here in person has allowed me to truly grasp the spirit of the Olympics and witness the moments that even TV cameras can't capture. I've been inches away from professional athletes as they cry tears of joy at their wins and hold back tears of disappointment at their losses. I've seen German, Angolan and French fans bonding over beers after a big volleyball match. I've seen a South Korean cyclist crash into the ditch during the women's road race and get back on her bike.

There is one moment, however, that will never, ever leave me. While watching the opening ceremonies on television at a local restaurant, I glanced over and saw a Chinese man with his head in his hands. It took me a second to realize what was going on, but then it hit me: He was crying. He was so proud of his country he was crying.

If people want to use the Olympics as a venue for their protests, that is their prerogative. I'm the biggest believer of free speech around. But personally , whenever I feel the spirit of the Olympics has been lost since its debut in 776 BC, whenever I'm fed up with the commercialization, the ticket scammers, the cranky journalists and the politicization, I think of how much these Olympic Games still mean to that one man. And for me, that's enough.

Big News

I'll just get straight to the point. I saw Michael Phelps yesterday. In fact, I had to leave a conversation wtih ESPN reporter Jay Mariotti (I was wowing him with my vast sports knowledge) to take a picture of Michael Phelps.

He wasn't taking pictures with anyone as he would have been mobbed--not just by people like me, but other athletes, too. At first, I kind of felt bad for Michael. The poor guy just wanted to enjoy his free Budweiser at Club Bud and be left alone.
Then again, I didn't win eight gold medals this week so I lost some of my sympathy for him and started feeling bad for myself.




Also, here is the picture of my friends and I with Evander Holyfield. We sure gave him an earful.

Column 8

Take Me Out to the Cycling Course

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past several months, you probably know that the Olympic began on 8/8/08 in Beijing, China. If you have been living in a cave for the past several months, well, now you know.

It’s no secret that I’m not exactly a sports nut, unless you consider Scrabble a sport. But during the course of my training for the Olympic News Service (ONS) over the past couple weeks, I think it’s safe to say that I am in fact, a fan of sport. But not just any sport. Competitive Road Cycling.

Before I go in to my Olympic experience, let me just comment about two things I’m sure your reading about in the news. First, let me clear the air about Beijing pollution. Pun intended. Many journalists arrived last Tuesday, three days before the opening ceremony. Every day since Tuesday has been foggy, smoggy and rainy. It’ has been the worst weather I’ve seen all month. Before the Olympics began, the air was, for the most part, clear. Or at least clear looking. Of course, it’s not secret that Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world. But, just in case the newspapers aren’t saying this, unlucky weather is also contributing to the gray skies.

Second, I’m sure you’ve read about the stabbing of the father-in-law of the US Men’s Volleyball Coach on Saturday. The incident is extremely heartbreaking and, as an American in Beijing, understandably concerning. However, murders in China are rare, rare, rare. Up until Saturday, I’d felt perfectly safe in Beijing. So, while it certainly serves as a wake up call, I’d don’t necessarily feel less safe.

Now, on to my original topic: Competitive Cycling. My workplace for the duration of the Olympics is the Media Center of the Cycling Road Race Venue, located at the finish line of the race at Juyongguan area of the Great Wall of China. The Media Center of the venue provides table space, food and Internet access for roughly 100 journalists. (In the past week, I’ve met reporters from USA Today, ESPN, NBC, The New York Times and, yes, even the The Des Moines Register. (Think RAGBRAI, folks.)

Last Saturday was one of the main events: The Men’s Road Race. My day began at 6:40 a.m. when I hopped on the volunteer bus that goes from my university to the finish line at the wall, an hour-long bus ride when taking the Olympic-only lane.
There are eight people, including myself who serve as flash quote reporters. Four managers oversee us: Andy, Amy, Ernst and Kevin. Andy, the European correspondent for Velo News, a competitive cycling magazine, is our Sports Information Specialist. He is our “go to” guy with any questions we may have about the sport. Questions such as “Who is the key domestique for Australian rider Cadel Evans?” or “Is three minutes an average time gap between the first breakaway riders and the peleton?” Amy is a professional baseball player for Australia and works for Infostrada Sports, the company that organizes the Olympic News Service. Ernst, from the Netherlands, also works for the company. Then there’s our Chinese manager Kevin, whose name really isn’t Kevin but we call him that because it’s too tough to pronounce his Chinese name. Kevin, quite frankly, knows less about the sport than I do, and has unofficially been demoted to “language barrier problem solver.”

The race, which covers 248 kilometers (154 miles), began at 11 a.m. and was predicted to last 6 ½ hours. The wining rider crossed the finish line in 6 hr, 23 min and 49 seconds. The course is considered the toughest course in Olympic history, with sharp turns and steep climbs. Add in some unexpected pollution, wind and 94% humidity and you’ve got an interesting race on your hands. And interesting it was.

After some calculated research, here were my predictions: the strongest Italian rider and defending gold medalist from 2004, Paolo Bettini, would take the gold. Spain’s Alejandro Valverde, a good sprinter and climber, would grab second. And Ireland’s Nicholas Roche would get the bronze because he is attractive and looks great in green.

I was wrong. Spain’s Samuel Sanchez won gold, Italy’s Davide Rebellin won silver and Switzerland’s lone rider Fabian Cancellara won bronze. As for my predictions, Bettini placed 18th, Valverde 13th and Roche 64th. (I guess good looks aren’t everything after all.) The humidity quickly took its toll on many of the riders: one third dropped out of the race. “It’s like rubbing hot cream all over your body,” said one rider. Whatever that feels like.

All in all, it was a great day. I got to practice my Italian with Italian journalists and athletes, I was inches away from a gold medalist, the quotes I gathered from Davide Rebellin have shown up in numerous news articles and I started falling in love with a real sport. Tour de France, here I come.



Me and a few of the interns working hard.

It's about time

It's been a long, long while since my last post, which is a big "no no" when it comes to blogging. But let me tell you a few of the things I've been up to in the past few days.

1. I worked two days at boxing, reporting on the feather and fly weights. I was expecting to see lots of blood, sweat and tears at this event and I was pretty much right, sans blood. I had a great time working at this venue, though I have to say, boxers aren't reknowned for their thought-provoking quotes. (Maybe hit in the head a few too many times?) I'll write more about this in an unpcoming column.

2. I got to hang out at the Birds Nest for the Athletics events on Saturday night. Here's proof:






3. I watched Usian Bolt (conveinant name) win the Men's 100 meter dash and break the world record. It was by far one ofthe most intense moments of the Olympics I've experienced. After he crossed the finish line, Bolt just kept on bolting. He ran around the entire track! The stadium was filled with cheers and Jamaican music (to which Bolt did a little jammin.'. He enjoyed his well-deserved moment to the last drop. And rightfully so.





(The world record time for 100 meter dash.)

3. I took a rose pedal bath at a local spa followoed by a 90-minute body scrub and oil massage followed by yet another rose pedal bath. Massages and spa treatments in China are shamefully cheap. The only thing better than a spa day is a cheap spa day. The entire treatment cost 23 dollars.

4. I met swimming Silver medalist Alan Bernard from France and he absolutely insisted upon taking a picture with my friends and I, though we are clearly not thrilled about it. Notice me, on the far left, telling him to get out of our picture.



5. I've been asked to work at the Cycling Track course tonight inside the Velodrome. I will do my best to take pictures with someone else's camera, as my camera is kaput. (I think that is yiddish for "broken".)

6. I went to Club Bud and the Holland House. Don't know what these are? Let me indulge you: During the Olympics many countries set up makeshift home-bases, of sorts. They rent a building and elaborately decorate it in the colors of the country, furnish it with lush furniture and set up numerous bars. The "houses" are sponsored by major alchohol or beer producers from that country and then serve only those beverages. So, USA has Club Bud which serves Budweiser (though I guess next year they are going to have to sponsor Germany, those traitors...), the Holland House serves Heineken, etc. I haven't yet been to the French House but I'm guessing the serve Franzia...

For Club Bud, you need to be on the list to get in, as it is a high profile event that takes place every two nights throughout the Olympics. Here is how the Club Bud Fact Sheet describes itself:

"Club Bud is a Budweiser-sponsored, multi-level nightclub located inside the historic National Agricultural Exhibition Center in the Chaoyang District. The 3,700 square meter, indoor/outdoor venue offers guests a distinct social atmosphere combining Chinese and American culture. Club Bud features several bars, 360° video screens, an electrifying dance floor, a lounge and an outdoor pool as well as live DJs and cubista dancers to set the mood in each party area.

Club Bud will host eight exclusive theme parties built around the five elements of Feng Shui, local culture and Olympic themes. With a capacity of more than 2,000, Club Bud will be the place to be seen or see medal winners, sports legends and music and movie stars walking the red carpet and celebrating the Olympic spirit in style."

Because I'm so famous, I am on the list (actually, because I have a friend who has a friend who has a friend.) Last night I got to check it out. There were numerous medalists and kind of famous people present though no one I really recognized. Except for the guy who had his ear bitten off my Mike Tyson. (What's his name again.) Although, Access Hollywood TV crews were there.

As the Olympics carry on and more and more people finish their events, I expect more high-profile athletes to show up. I'm heading there tommorow, so I will tell Michael Phelps hello from good ol' SD.

6. Tomorrow I start training for the Modern Penthatholon. Not to compete, but to report. I was originally only supposed to work for the Cycling Road Race, however, I didn't come to China to work for three days, so I asked to be reassigned. The tally of sports I've worked for is now four: Cycling Road Race, Boxing, Cycling Track and now the Pentatholon. I'm really looking forward to the Pentatholon because it is kind of a ridiculous sport. The athletes must compete in five events, which combined is supposed to make you the ultimate gentleman: Shooting, Fencing, Running, Riding and Ping Pong. Just kidding. Swimming.

It sounds more like a reality TV series to me, but I am anxious to learn more about it.

Cheers!