Well the last few nights have been a bit torcherous for me. I had been having some stomach issues since arriving and had not been able to sleep very well on an old mattress with springs digging into my ribs! Yet last night somehow I managed to secure a decent nights sleep (maybe it was the gravol) and jump outta bed at 6:30 ready to take on the world. Got a couple cups of coffee down for the first time in three days and am now ready to get to business.
We had a good team meeting last night with all of the support staff (again trying to cover off all of those important details, so nothing gets missed). From this point forward the event turns into a bit of a three ring circus. We have athletes competing, others weighing in, and others at various training phases (depending on which day they weigh in). Balancing the energy to deal with it all is a bit of a juggling act to say the least. The three athletes weighing-in today (Jill, Tonya, and Justine), all seem to be in a very good state. Not much weight to loose for weigh-in. While Martine, and Ohenewa will continue to train this morning. I have talked to the girls who are not competing and am trying to ensure they all stay focussed on THEIR preparations and not expend too much energy invested in their friends and teammates competing today. With my team that is not an easy task, Justine told me she would be STAYING at the venue to support and watch (I am sure the others two will likely try and do the same). Again that is why I am really encouraging our team leaders to find us a hotel room near by the venue. So our athletes have a close refuge to rest, when the opportunity presents itself.
The last few days have been quite nice leading into the competition. There are some nice things to see right near our hotel. There is a big park with amusement rides and games near by, a space museum with the history of the Russian space program, and a few little markets. (Yes Des, your sister and your dad are having a nice time)... The hotel has also offered some neat people watching opportunities, I wont go into much details but lets just say it has... as well as having a casino, and a number of other things for entertainment (but I have not heard of anyone getting rich yet). A couple of nights we took a Canadian flag, and some canadian tunes (Blue rodeo, tragically hip, etc) out onto the front patio of the hotel and created our own Canada House with all the support staff and supporters! I think it has been a nice mix thus far of relaxation and focussing on the task at hand.
Last evening Marty and I went through some more matches of opponents, we will likely face. And I will watch some more footage, as soon as I am done this Blog entry. We also have a video camera on site to get footage at the competition should we be faced with an opponent we did not anticipate. From this point forward its a matter of getting in a good stance, and getting after it when the whistle blows (it doesnt matter who you are wrestling) the task stays the same. I have two bags of losenges ready to go for my throat and voice, and a bottle of tylenol for the head ache that is sure to come later! Sounds like a plan for a good day!!!
Wish us luck ;)
Go Canada!!!
Coach Vierling
No comments:
Post a Comment