The all new web site is up and running. There are a few kinks that need to be worked out. The site is completely dynamic, which means it pulls information from different sources and is updated in real time. Please leave comments here and let me know what you think. The pages will fill out as content is added.
I recently switched my site to a new server. A few files were lost in the process, so there may be some missing files for the time being. I apologize for this inconvenience.
Today we are getting ready to compete in Team Finals. After an overall rough day we are all grateful to be competiting today. A few highlights include: David Sender made floor and vault finals, Sean Golden hit his three events and is a reserve for floor finals, David Durante hit a clutch pommel set, as well a Clay Strother came through for us on horse, Sho Nakamori and myself hit good High Bar sets. Thats all, back to preparing for tonight.
Today we had podium training. It was deferent than the usual podium training because we have to compete tomorrow. We usually have a day to recover between podium and the competition. I used it as an opportunity to adjust to the arena and equipment, without doing too much so I could stay fresh for competition. All went well, we had a great day as a team. I will update my blog again after tomorrows Team Prelim competition.
Today is our first day here in Beijing China for the Good Luck Invit. This Competition is also known as a test event. I am not sure how much access I will have to the internet. I will give updates as much as possible. So far we have had a long flight, and checked in to the hotel. So check back for updates on my trip to Beijing for the Good Luck Invit.
Reflect on 2007 USA Championships, and the second edition of “Junior Spotlight” coming soon!
I am now back in Colorado Springs after an unbelieveable experience in Rio. It took four flights, two days, almost fifteen hours in the air, and two delays, but I am glad to be back home. I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into the games, but I knew Vitaly had prepared me very well for the competition. The village was awesome; housing, food, and shopping, was more than I expected. Whenever I go on a trip with Sean Golden I know I’m in for a good time. The competiton went well. On a personal level I did well, I hit five for five for the team competition. My only miss of the week came on High Bar in finals, when I fell short of a giant. It was hard to deal with because I was definitely in the medal hunt until I made that mistake. It is difficult to explain the feeling of almost twenty thousand people booing me on high bar, and then bursting into loud cheers when I came off the bar. I thought it was awesome that the crowd was behind their guys that much. It was like being at a Broncos home game. Overall it was a great experience that I am grateful to be a part of. The team was a lot of fun, filled with talent. Rio was a beautiful place that I wish I had more time to see. Everyone behind the scenes were welcoming and eager to help us with anything we needed. That’s a wrap for the 2007 Pan American Games.
I wanted to let everyone know that I am working on a new web site. It is almost complete, so for the time being you will be directed to my blog until it is finished. Thank you.
This is a picture of all of our team medals together. We took the bronze medal in the team competition. We started out rough on the first three events, and had to try to pull off one of the greatest comebacks. Six tenths ended up being the difference after our final routine. I would have to say vault was the most exciting event as a team that I have been a part of. We knew we had a lot of ground to cover and we nailed vault after vault. Spring went out and hit a near flawless 17.0 start value vault. Golden followed that with a stuck 16.6 SV vault. I went last because of an injury to my teammate, and had to step in and attempt a 16.6 SV vault. I was grateful that Vataly gave me a solid plan to prepare for Pan American Games that allowed me to be ready to compete on every event. As I hit the table my right hand slipped, then the energy kicked in from my teammates, and I pulled out a handspring double front just enough to take a step to the side. It wasn’t the best vault for me by all means, but I pulled it out and helped the team pull within reach of the gold. It was a roller-coaster meet, one moment we were out of it, the next we were in it with a hugh chance to win, and after the last routine we fell six tenths short. I was grateful for the opportunity to compete with my teammates, and represent the USA in the prestigious event. It was an honor to win a bronze medal in the team event at the Pan American Games.
Yesterday we had podium training to prepare for Saturdays Competition. I got the opportunity to do a run through of how the meet will go. I can’t say any details about my teammates, but I can say that we all are ready, and the team looks good. I personally hit all of the routines that I attempted, and half sets on Rings. Everything is going good, just one more day until the Team Competition.