I’m not saying that the Olympics are, “just another competition,”’ but except for the thousands of cheering spectators, the events are the same. I was excited to be there, but I wasn’t more nervous than I typically am for a world class event.

During the ride and race I really noticed the difference between the Olympics and other events. To hear that many voices and to know that so many people were interested in my sport was thrilling. Too, it was really nice knowing that my mom’s was one of the voices there.

When I rounded the corner and saw our flag and all the Americans cheering me on, I was moved. I think that’s when it really hit me. What a shot of adrenaline! What a wonderful feeling!

Thank you for your interest in Modern Pentathlon and in me. I’ve enjoyed this experience more than I can say. The Olympics are done for 2008, but the annual competitions are heating up, and I am in training for the next one now.

The picture is me and Sheila Taormina in our outfits for the opening ceremony.

For me, Linda is now part of my Olympic experience, and her sweetness and sense of wonder will be what I think of when I think of China. That little girl embodies the spirit of the experience; she has an accepting openness, kindness, curiosity, and humanity that make her a gem, and she proves that, as I expected, the Chinese are more like us than not.

My new friend, Linda, whose mom runs a small shop in Beijing, really made my trip special in a personal way.

My mom met Linda while on a walk by herself in a hutong (residential area) in Beijing. Linda’s mom looked out the door of her shop and noticed my mom having difficulty with a band-aid. Linda’s mom quickly guided my mom to a seat in her shop where she provided and installed a new band-aid.

About that time, Linda woke from her nap and came out into the shop from the adjacent living quarters, she conversed with my mom in English, guessed that somehow mom was there because of the Olympics, and, soon, they were friends.

Mom brought me back the next day, and the four of us went on a shopping tour of their Beijing. In no time at all, Linda had won me over too. What a smart and pretty little girl!
If I asked her a question that required a thoughtful answer, she would stroke her chin with her fingers and say, “I am thinking.” It was just too cute!

Sheila and I had breakfast with orangutans.

It was great fun having my mom with me in China. We found time to be tourists after the games. This shot is of a brief encounter with the Mongol hordes at the Great Wall.