Beijing @ MindSay

A Cuban taekwondo athlete and his coach were banned for life after Angel Matos kicked the referee in the face following his bronze-medal match disqualification.

Cuban coach Leudis Gonzalez offered no apology for Matos' actions during the men's over-80 kg (176 pounds) match.

Matos was winning 3-2, with 1:02 in the second round, when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov. He was sitting there, awaiting medical attention, when he was disqualified for taking too much injury time. Fighters get one minute, and Matos was disqualified when his time ran out.

Matos angrily questioned the call, pushed a judge, then pushed and kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden. Matos then spat on the floor and was escorted out.

There have been some pretty amazing events at the Olympics over the past week and a half, ranging from the huge opening ceremony to Michael Phelps swimming records and the incredible speed of Usain Bolt.  

But, each day more news seems to leak out about shadiness on the part of the organizers.  First, it was acknowledged that the girl singing the national anthem of China during the Opening Ceremonies was lip synching, because the girl actually singing wasn’t cute enough.  

Then it was learned that the incredible fireworks display was actually 3D computer graphics (in part) and now, word that the supposed ethnic minorities represented by China during the ceremony were actually all Han Chinese (the dominant ethnic group in China).

As far as the athletics go, the biggest controversy so far has been the rumor that some of the Chinese gymnasts may be younger than the minimum age of 16 required to compete.

The question is, does anyone really care, or did we all basically accept that China would do some image manipulation going into the Games?

I woke up early this morning to watch the first game for the U.S. olympic team.  It started off a little shaky, but the team came together and started kicking butt against China.  I think the final score was 101-70.  Hopefully game 2 against Angola is just as good.

Chris Bosh was going all-out as a member of the olympic team, even sporting a red, white and blue mouthguard.

In 2006, when the Olympics were in Torino, I was very enthusiastic about Curling, of all things. Me, a Southern California native, former resident of Phoenix, AZ and now inhabiting the tropical Gulf Coast of Florida.  Curling. Yes. I really enjoyed that sport in 2006.

As far back as my memory goes, I have enjoyed the Olympics.  (I mean, you know, when we didn't Boycott.)  I would set aside time as an elementary school student to watch the ice skating or women's gymnastics.  I remember the Los Angeles Games of 1984, where I was able to view many of the venues with my own eyes, was able to assist our local Olympic Organizers with some supply issues, and even attended a Real Live Olympic Event. 

Field Hockey. But I was there!  I had a ticket!  I cheered for people playing a sport I didn't know anything about...because it was the OLYMPICS.

I've always enjoyed the Games.

This year, though, I am torn.  I want to watch Team USA swim and dive and tumble and fence and kick people (Tae Kwon Do?).  I do.  I want to watch the pageantry. I want to learn about the gems of Chinese culture that have been promised.  I just wish I could see these things with a backdrop of clearish skies and without black-clad media watchers (so reported one blogger in Beijing) intimidating the locals.

I am torn because I think it was wrong for China to get to host a global event that celebrates the human spirit when the government is notorious for crushing the spirit of its own people.

Individuals are individuals, all over the world. I honor the athletes. I honor the people of China who have really done a great deal to assist in preparing for a monumental spectacle of ceremony and competition.  I just wish I could feel more internal enthusiasm as I bide my time and wait for NBC to broadcast its tape-delayed coverage of events.  So that they can get the maximum advertising dollar.

But my support for the Olympics remains.  I hope to feel better about London in 2012.  I'm almost certain their weather will be better.

G'day and Goodbye....

 

First of all I'd like to appologize for waiting this long to make this entry. I have been putting off this last entry for quite some while. The long and short of it is, that I have failed (for now at least) to qualify for my 2nd Olympic Games. As you could tell from my last entry, things weren't going to well with my health when I was back in Europe.

 

So a brief recap of what's gone on since that last entry:

 

I eventually got over the food poisoning. I had never experienced it before and thus didn't know what to expect as far as recovery times. Needless to say my stomach got better well before the rest of my body/head did. The day after the race in The Netherlands, I could only make it 7.50 minutes in my run, when I had to turn back. I spent the next week ONLY being able to run between 30 - 45 minutes before I would feel rather week/dizzy.

 

Time wasn't on my side, and in the end I wasn't able to race at Heusden (although a lot of deserving athletes were turned away this year by the meet organizer). This essentially ended my last hope @ Beijing. I decided to take a stab at one more Olympic birth in the 1500 instead. That also was a bit too optimistic as all year/season long I had conditioned my body to handle 68 to 70 second pace per 400 meters, instead of the 58 to 59 second per 400 meter pace I'd now need. I even when as far as extending my trip in Europe by an extra week so I could get extra rest and one las shot @ the 1500.

 

In the end it was not to be. Sometimes once's got to face the music. So unfortunately this tale will not have the ending I would've wanted. I headed to Europe a little over a month ago with high hopes and good spirits, I had a plan and it went awry prettty quickly. I tried to adjust and face the obstacles (no pun intended) head on with a positive attitude, but eventually I had to just let go.

 

I left Europe last Tuesday (July 29th) to head back to the U.S. I was and felt severly dissapointed and overwhelmingly crestfallen. I've worked so hard and been so focused the last 4 years for this one goal and to have it come down to circumstances that were somewhat out of my hands, was too much to handle. I could always accept failing, but to have my last few attempts be at a state of being less than 100% was really a tough pill to swallow.

 

So now I'm currently in New Jersey visiting my mother who's back in the U.S and my grandmother who's in the U.S for the 1st time ever. I'm taking (or will attempt) 1 month off completely from running. I have never taken this much time off since I started running competitively (8 + yrs now?). I hope this break will recharge both my mental and physical batteries, as I arrived back in the U.S severely down and sad.

 

I'm clearly at a cross roads in my athletics life, or at least I feel/felt that's the case. I'm young enough (26 yrs old) to be in this game for another 4 - 8 yrs (basically two more Olympic cycles), but I'm also (for now at least) mentally drained from the single minded focus I invested into the Beijing Games. I hope this break from running will do me some good and really light that fire in me again. I wouldn't want to go out on a down note.

 

The next step as of now will be to return to Boulder by the begining of September and resume training. I have far too many goals out there to just hang 'em up. I'll sit down and look over the past year's training and see what could/can be done different. Possibly tweak some workouts here and there differently as well. Next year is also a big year. Berlin, Germany will be hosting the 2009 IAAF World Track and Field Championships. Basically the World Championships are the 2nd biggest show on earth for us Track Athletes outside of the Olympics of course. I'll refocus my efforts/goals for that event.

 

Nothing will ever replace not making Beijing, but I have (slowly over the past week) started to come to terms with that. I can't look towards 2009 and beyond (2012 Olympics in London) till I've fully come to terms with this year's events. It's been a long and tough ride. Many ups and of course downs. I will remember both and take many lessons away. I will cheer on my fellow athletes and mates that will participate in the Opening ceremonies and compete in their respective events/sports over the next few weeks.

 

Lastly I'd like to thank a few (I clearly won't name everyone) people that have been helpful along the way, not just in this year but over the past few.

 

My parents: John & Nuria Caracciolo

Coach (past/present): Steve Clarke ('03 - '05), Brad Hudson ('05 - 07), Lorraine Moller

Friends/Family (some but clearly not all): Clay & Sky Hope, Carlos "Dadito" Mandje, Henry Caracciolo, Al Garraffa, Adam Ostrow, Ramat & Tanimu, John Dinozzi, David Krummenacker, Bolota Asmeron, The Faraci & Ziminsky Families, Ross Schubert, Spencer Casey, Paul Hamblyn, The Torri twins: Jorge & Ed, Jason Hartman, all of my kiwi training mates (you guys/girls know who you are), Yommi O, Myra Moller, Murray Taylor, Jasmine Moller, Harlan Smith, (Virtually everyone in Boulder -truly a great community for athletes), Samia Akbar, Steve Sherer, Delwyn Moller & fam., Steve Sumner, Sunny Turner, Danny over @ Newton Co., Nobby, Rod Dixon, Gary Moller, Bruce Moller, Fasil Bizuneh, Stefano Galli, Franki Poli, Johan Mordijck (Belgium isn't Belgium w/out him) & many many more people. I'd go on, but it'd take forever and they're already playing the "wrap it up" music in my head. Ha ha just kidding.

 

Honestly though it's been a great ride -well not the happiest of endings, but lesson will be learned from this and I'll be a better person for it - and I couldn't have done nearly as much as I did in this past year or the last four for that matter without the support of many of the names above.

 

Thanks again to each and everyone of you who took this journey with me and expressed interest in my progress, whether it was in person, via e-mail or of course through Mindsay.

 

This will be my last entry (although I may chronicle another big journey in my athletic's life sometime between now and 2012, but only TIME will tell). I'll gladly answer any questions or reply to comments on this or via e-mail. I plan on taking a much needed vacation from my life and heading to Barcelona & Ibiza, so just in case I don't reply promptly, you'll know why.

 

To quote Semisonic's Closing Times, "Every new begining comes from some other begining's end...."

 

Peace & Love