September 21, 2004

WHEW!

I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to everyone since Greece. But I am sure you can understand that life is ALWAYS crazy at a time like this.

So, if you will indulge me, we will do a recap of things that have happened, and things that are about to happen (yippeee!!!).

First, 2-1 OT victory over Brazil, GOLD MEDAL ceremony, really bad singing (but we didn't really care) of the national anthem (it's not like we were really trying to be bad, we just are), drug testing, postgame celebration with our families and friends, exhaustion both mental and physical, Bob Costas interview (3:30am, yes you read that right, AM), another drug test, the TODAY show with our friends Katie and Matt, women's basketball final YEAH USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, the big Sports Illustrated party and dancing like maniacs, meeting other athletes from different sports, Michael Phelps, Jason Richardson, the whole ladies’ water polo team for example. After all the hoopla, and a few cold ice baths later, it was time for the last event, the men's marathon, where a new training room buddy, Meb, was going to go for a medal, and then the closing ceremony.

As I am sure you saw or heard, there was a bit of an "incident" at the marathon -- a lunatic came running into the path of the leader at the time, forcing him off the road and unfortunately for him, out of the lead. Luckily he wasn't hurt and kept running, and thankfully finished with a bronze medal, behind my buddy Meb.

I learned a few things about the marathon from Meb that I never knew. Of course people are always concerned with times at the Olympics. From swimming to track and field, the watch rules. However, Meb explained that the time was really insignificant to the outcome of the race. There is more strategy than running your personal best. The race is run dependent on the weather, the course, the time of day, how it begins, who gets out first. I had no idea. It was cool to see the race unfold in a whole different light. It was great to see him stand on that podium. He is the first American to medal in an Olympic Marathon in 28 years. His smile was so big, standing up there on the podium.

After the marathon medal ceremony, it was time for the final ceremony of the Olympics, where the torch of Athens, Greece was put out, and given to the next Olympic City, in this case Beijing. First, we sat in the auditorium next door for a couple of hours, waiting for the procession of flag bearers. Mia represented our country. It was really cool, especially because she’s female, and once again females made a huge impact on the Games. This Olympics provided more flag bearers in the Opening and Closing ceremonies than ever before, a woman from Afghanistan even carried a flag.

Finally it was time for us to enter the huge expanse of the stadium, which looked so much different from when we last saw it, two days previously for the men's final match between Argentina and Paraguay. The team immediately ran towards Mia, so we could take a picture of her with all the other athletes. Then, as it turned out, we situated ourselves right near the steps that would lead the Olympic and Greece flags to the podium for the final farewell speeches.

Along with the speeches, there was some entertainment from Chinese acrobats, singers, dragons. It was incredibly impressive. As the ceremony came to a close, the athletes began to trade hats, shirts, jackets, pins, you name it. There were a lot of exchanges done. Lil got a t-shirt from a Greek men's handball player, Tarp got a Belgian sweat jacket (great trade!!), I got a Dutch long sleeve t-shirt from a men's field hockey player, Mitts got the booby prize, a Chinese jacket with the typical bamboo motif. Now, it isn't that it wasn't a nice jacket, but we got a few of those over the years from our many travels to China, and so all the old ladies had a great laugh over that one. = )

The next morning was move out time, 3:45am to the bus, and then to the airport for our first of many flights – first to Belgium, then Geneva, DC, then NYC. Where the media blitz began again.

We have all been so fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in an Olympic Games, especially it being in the country where the Games were founded, along with a lot of other incredible things. People talked so much about the group that would be retiring and how nice it would be for them to go out on top. Likewise, for me, it was equally important that those who had never experienced the top of the podium get there, because they are the future of the team and need to be able to share that experience for the next group that will challenge for the title. It was a strange feeling leaving Greece for the last time, and not just because I had been deprived of sleep for the past four days, but because that would be the "last" place this team would be together, at one time, for a world championship. As we took off into the light blue sky, I smiled at how our history would wind up finishing with not a Greek tragedy, but an Olympic triumph, left to be read amongst all the other fascinating myths and legends that Greece holds dear.

Now it is back to all that we used to know, waking up in our own beds, eating breakfast at our own tables, cleaning our rooms, walking the dogs, hanging out with friends, making school lunches for Cameron, driving the car pool, going to Santa Clara soccer games, cheering like crazy, and finally, getting back on the road for the last ten games of the year. The Fan Appreciation tour begins this weekend in Rochester September 25, where I hear the stadium is SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! But if you are in the area, come out anyway, perhaps there is a spare ticket. You can go to ussoccer.com to check out the other dates and locations near you. This is our chance to say thanks to all the soccer fans out there who have been so incredible for the past 17 years.

Lastly, and not definitely not least, the BOOK IS FINALLY DONE AND READY FOR YOU!!! I want to give big props to Gloria Averbuch for all her hard work, effort, energy, time, patience (having to work with me and our training/game schedule was not easy) and mostly for her love and caring on this project. She is truly a "SOCCER MOM." I hope you have a chance to pick it up, read it, share it with a friend, a parent, or a coach. It is a book that means a lot to me, since I wrote it as a thank you to my parents for all they did to help me grow as a person and a player.

That's all for now. Looking forward to seeing you at the stadium. = )

Brandi