We are fresh out of the Bird's Nest where the Paralympic Torch was extinguished at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Closing Ceremonies. Just when you think the Chinese cannot out do themselves, they do, and on a more grandiose scale.

We attended the Closing Ceremonies as a Team which made the event extra special. Prior to heading into the Bird's Nest, the USOC presented awards to all the coaches who helped their athletes medal. Nick, Maureen, and John presented coach medals to Mike and Marko respectively. After the coach awards ,we then proceeded with the rest of the USA delegation to the Bird's Nest. It was a lovely evening and relatively cool compared to the toasty temperatures we have seen here in China. While we were not breaking a sweat, I would imagine that the Ceremony Director for the London Games in 2012 was sweating how he is going to top the fantastic display that the Chinese have put on for us for both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies!

We received a little goodie bag on our seats in the stadium that was fun of cheerful items, including: little flags, a flashlight (to shine in your neighbors' eyes), a scarf to wave, a whistle (some Advil to go with the whistle would have been a good idea, note for the London Games), festive bracelets, and a postcard. Part of the theme tonight was World mail. We got the opportunity to write a post card while we were waiting for the show to start, and then mailmen picked up everyone's post cards. You could send it anywhere in the World. How cool is that? I noted in my blog on Opening Ceremonies that the Bird's Nest holds 90,000 people. That is a lot of mail. However, the Chinese have perfected the art of mass production. I am confident that everyone who sent a post card with correct mailing information will make it to the receiver's mail box.

In addition to spectacular acts tonight, the Chinese introduced the Mayor of London to the audience and we got to see a preview of the 2012 Games. The theme was diversity and unity. We saw a mix of people, cultures, and styles. Needless to say, we are looking forward to next quad and sailing in Weymouth.

The Team heads back to the USA tomorrow. Thank you for following our amazing adventure. We appreciate your support. Go USA!

Sail fast,
Sarah Hawkins
Team Leader
2008 US Paralympic Sailing Team
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Hello! We just wanted to send out a quick report to let you know what we have been up to since Nick and Maureen won Gold in the SKUD 18, John captured the Bronze medal in his 2.4mR and our Sonar Team sailed their way to 8th place...

The Medal Ceremony took place immediately after racing (and drug testing) on September 13th. We were quickly swept away after medals were given out to Closing Ceremonies for Qingdao at the University of Qingdao Stadium. We were able to score tickets for our family and friends to make the evening extra special. Upon our return to the Village the Regatta Organizers hosted a celebratory party for all the athletes, coaches, staff and their supporters. It was a lovely evening and a nice way to say thank you to all those who made for a terrific event on and off the water.

The following day we loaded our four containers back to the USA. It was a long and sweaty day, but we got the job done. My birthday happened to fall on container loading day, what a day to have a birthday! However, the Team surprised me with cake and wine (yes, wine in the alcohol-free Athlete Village) after we loaded containers. It was a total surprised and so thoughtful of the Team. It was the best birthday anyone could ask for away from home.

Yesterday we packed our bags, checked out of our rooms in Qingdao and boarded our Air China flight up to Beijing where we joined up with the rest of Team USA at the Beijing Athlete Village. We all miss our plush accommodations in Qingdao, but are enjoying being around other athletes from Team USA and all the other counties. Some of our athletes were able to sneak into the Wheelchair Basketball Gold Medal Game last night where the women captured the Gold medal. We are working on tickets to see Wheelchair Rugby for tonight, we will see! We are all stoked about the wide variety the Dining Hall here has to offer; you name it: pasta, pizza, salad bar, McDonalds and many other choices we have yet to explore.

Tomorrow night is the Closing Ceremonies in Beijing and we are looking forward to attending as a Team. We will try to send out an entry after Closing Ceremonies here in Beijing.

After that, our adventure comes to an end and we start to head back to the USA via San Francisco for the west coast residents, Chicago for the middle resident and Washington DC for the east coasters. We proud that our bags are going to be a little bit heavier with Nick and Maureen's Gold medal and John's Bronze medal.

Thank you for all of your kind notes to the athletes; we greatly appreciate your support.

Sail fast,
Sarah Hawkins
Team Leader
2008 US Paralylmpic Sailing Team
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If smiles could generate pure wattage of energy, I think that the smiles of John Ruf, Nick Scandone and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker today at the medal ceremony could have lit Times Square on any given night, 4 times over! But, let's not let me get too far ahead of myself.

We just finished 5 days of competition here in Qingdao over 6 days; we've been here just about 2 ½ weeks and we've put everything we had into racing on the water. I think I can safely say that no one on the team left anything on shore. They took it to the water, gave it their very best, and made us all very, very proud with their effort and determination. When all the cards were played and the chips cashed in, our US SAILING Paralympians brought home some bling in the form of gold and bronze medals.

Most of you know that Maureen and Nick clinched the gold yesterday with a day to spare, however, what most of you may not know yet is that the duo decided to go out on the course today for the first race of the day and sail hard, to thoroughly enjoy sailing the SKUD around the course with competitors that they like and respect. They honored their fellow SKUDders by showing up -- not just to sail, but to play the game!

On the 2.4mR course, Johnny Ruf had his work cut out for him, sitting in second with 5 boats nipping at his heels there was no relaxation to be had. John went out today and sailed some strong solid races. He gave it everything, and when the final points were tallied, he was tied with the German medalist but had the goods to win the tie breaker. Johnny seems to have some good juju on his side when it comes to tie breakers (much to his father's chagrin, I might add. Fritz told me after the racing was concluded that he really didn't know how many more of these tie-breaks his heart could take). Surrounded by his parents and sister, Johnny was elated and so he should be. He raised the level of his game substantially in the past year and has given notice that he is a competitor to be reckoned with!

Our Sonar guys are a bit disappointed with their 8th place finish, but they know they came on with a vengeance in the last two days, showing what they are made of and putting in some stellar results. Even though they did not medal this time out, Rick, Tim and Bill were thrilled for their teammates and were some of the loudest cheerers at the prize giving.

Support, comaraderie and team work have been important elements of our sailing team here in China. We worked hard together, commiserated when things got tough, laughed together and cheered each other on. I could not be more proud of our 6 athletes, 3 coaches, team leader and medical support staff. Each and every person filled a niche within our team -- it was all about the team, all of the time. It was good, no scratch that, it was great!

When our medalists were on the podium this evening, you could feel the national pride, the swell of chests with hands over hearts as the flag was raised high and our national anthem raised. More than a few tears were seen moistening cheeks. We are proud of who we are, of the nation we represent and the honor and responsibility that comes with that territory. This experience would not have been nearly as full and rewarding if it were not for the participation and support of friends and family both here and at home. The smiles on our sailors' faces when they had spent time with loved ones were apparent. Many thanks to one and all.

Sarah will send more news soon. Tomorrow is pack out day and that will be another story.
All is well in China. We send you our very best,
Betsy
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It's a funny thing: Most people get up, put on a business suit or dress, grab a cup of coffee and head to the office to a desk job. Here in Qingdao, things are a little less ordinary.

It is not unusual to find some of the coaches and staff in the gym at 6 am (that seems to be the only hour available in our long days to get a workout in); you will see Sarah on the treadmill, David on an elliptical, Betsy climbing the Eiffel Tower (on a stairmaster type thing). Other coaches are trying to sneak in a few more minutes of shut eye before the chaos begins for real. By 7 am, Marko and Mike are in the dining hall with computers locked on to the internet; Dr. Anne and Sarah are checking email and reporting from their rooms; all of us are gathering the necessary data and information that we need to impart to our sailors before they head out to the race course, to our office.

In a typical day, we launch boats between 8 and 8:30 am to avoid the crowds at the hoist. There is at least a 15 foot tidal drop from hardstand surface to the water at low tide which means climbing down a metal ladder to a narrow floating dock to unhook the boat from the hoist. Then we paddle or rock the boats three piers over to our pontoon location which happens to be at the end of the dock. We like it there, easy access into and off the dock. It also gives us the privacy to talk to our sailors without much disturbance from other athletes and coaches and without tripping over anyone. The docks are busy, full of wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, coolers, gear bags, drink bottles -- you name it, it is there.

We coaches and staff are a little bit Sherpa as well, having 5 of our 6 athletes here in China using wheelchairs at the Games means that we have to help assist by pushing trailers, carrying sails, gear bags and whatever else might be necessary. I honestly think we must log at least 10 miles of walking a day, just back and forth from village housing to docks to container to hardstand. Marko, Mike and Rock went out and bought some inexpensive Chinese-made fold up bicycles, so it is not unusual to see them cruising through the venue, even down to the end of the docks.

David and Dr. Anne start medical treatments and prep early in the morning as necessary until the sailors depart from the dock. They are helping pack coolers with ice, drinks, cooling vests, neck coolers and hats. Their on-the-water medical kits are loaded aboard the coach boats with them so they are fully ready to assist our sailors if the need arises on the water. They do post- race treatments and are there for any athlete issue. The training room has become an informal sport psych office with "Doctor" David Ray listening to the sailors on his "couch" -- the venerable training table.

Sarah, our fearless leader and team Mom, is everywhere: in meetings with the management; organizing container pack out; getting day passes for friends and family as well as delivering them; playing cheerleader, media consultant and countless other detail oriented jobs. Thank goodness for Sarah. I do not think any of us know the extent of her behind the scenes activity but it is more than a little appreciated!

We coaches have an interesting job: part advisor; part mechanic; part engineer; part psychologist. At this point in the program our sailors know how to sail their boats -- they have spend countless hours training and competing at regattas in preparation for the Paralympic Games. They can get their boats around the race course with skill and have made tactical and strategic choices countless times before. Here, we observe their boat handling techniques and give reminders to them when the execution deviates from the norm. We study their starts and work with them to effect changes that will allow them to have a better "hole" to accelerate into for the next one.

We talk with them pre-start, comparing their observations to those we have made on current and wind patterns, discussing their strategic game plan for the upcoming race. We watch the racing, making notes on performance and tactical choices so we can best advise them on where they might have gone wrong, how to adjust for the next race and reinforcing the good choices made. We debrief post-race and help in protest preparation.

Sometimes it is a challenge, especially when the athletes have had a poor performance on the water -- not only is it really frustrating for them, it is for us too -- the biggest difference is that we coaches cannot let that affect the manner in which we interface with the sailors. We need to be and are their biggest cheerleaders. It is our responsibility to help them pick up the pieces when they are down, get back into a healthy mind set, and go out and play the game again. We nudge, encourage, support, and guide them -- we are their wing men -- there through good races and bad. Each of our coaches here at this Games is an integral part of the machine -- we do our best to take care of preparation details, clean up at the end of the day, and do whatever we can to enable the sailors to do their job to the best of their abilities -- SAIL the boat around the race course.

It is all about the TEAM and our team here at the 2008 Paralympic Games is one of the very best that I have ever had the opportunity to be part of. With one gold medal in our pocket (great job Nick and Maureen!) and two races to go, our team is focused and looking forward to another great day on the water. Happy hunting!!!! GO USA!!!!!

Betsy Alison, Head Coach
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What do Paralympians do on their Reserve day?

Sleep.
The Paralympic Games are exhausting like any other regatta, but there is an added element of emotion and stress that really take a toll on the body and mind. We all welcomed our Reserve Day with open arms. Usually breakfast in the Athlete Dining Hall is bustling with sailors, coaches and staff, but today was much quieter as pretty much everyone from every country slept in.

Family.
A few of our athletes had family staying at the nearby Crowne Plaza Hotel and many ventured down the street for some family time. We are all enjoying the wonderful amenities of the Paralympic Village, but escaping routine here was a nice break for the athletes. Each Team is given a few guest passes into the venue and we have fairly allocated those passes among our families here in Qingdao. Yesterday, Nick and Maureens family came into the Village for dinner with the Team. Maureen even took her daughter, Dana, to go swimming in the huge indoor pool in the Village.

Eat.
We have stayed healthy eating here in the Village. We have to be careful not to try anything that will make us sick. On the flip side of the coin, we eat the same things day after day after day. Variety is not the spice of our Dining Hall life. There are several good restaurants at local hotels that the family and friends have tried, a few of the athletes joined them today. There is a good Italian restaurant at the Crowne Plaza. They make a good cheese pizza if you ask me.

Shop.
Shopping in China is a cultural experience. Many people in our delegation wanted to have clothing made while they are in China. The Olympic Team found a really great tailor in the Taidong Shopping Mall. Mrs. Fengs Tailor Shop is the name. It is on the 3rd floor of a shopping area and is definition of a hole in the wall place. There are more fabrics than you have patience to look at, and more designs that imaginable. The tailor takes all your measurements, you pick a style and a fabric, and a few days later you can go pick up your clothing. And, the best part is that it is dirt cheap. There are trinket stores everywhere you turn, selling chop sticks, faux Rolex, pearls, silks, tea, etc. You name it, they sell it or its knock off. My opening blog statement is that the Paralympics are exhausting. Well, so is shopping in China. I can best describe it to shopping in America the day after Thanksgiving Day on Black Friday when everyone is out shopping and looking for deals. Another interesting concept about shopping in China is negotiating prices. Almost everything for sale in China is negotiable.

Hair Cuts.
Our Paralympic Village really has it all including a hair salon. Nick and John both got their hair cut on their day off. Windage is defined as the surface exposed (as by a ship) to the wind by Merriam Webster. Is it a coincidence that both are currently leading the Paralympics?

Prepare.
All of the athletes, coaches and staff made sure we are ready for our three scheduled races tomorrow. In addition to being psychically and mentally prepared we pulled all of the boats and coach boats out of the water for a good cleaning.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been following the Paralympics thus far, we really appreciate your support and kind emails.

Go USA!

Sail fast,
Sarah Hawkins
Team Leader
2008 US Paralympic Sailing Team
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6 AM : Get out of bed half asleep at and wander down to the cafeteria for coffee. I must have looked desperate since one of the kind wait staff literally raced for the coffee pot when she saw me. From there it was off to the boat park to drop the Sonar mast.

6:25 AM : At the boat by, start unrigging the mast control lines and shrouds.

7 AM: Help arrives to set up the gin pole, drop the mast and realign the mast head fly and angle pieces.

8 AM: Rig is back up and boat ready to launch. We splashed the boat and head to breakfast.

9AM: Touch base with team coaches and note any concerns or issues that need to be addressed. Check the weather forecast, gather notes for jury and RC to take to the coaches briefing.

10 AM: After a few words with the International Race Officers from both courses, the briefing starts: Chinese weather forecast and current data; comments from the Competition Manager, Venue Manager, Technical Delegate, PRO, and Chair of the Jury. We are given info on hoist operation times, warnings on coach boat conduct, changes of mark color on course A, a head’s up on specific Rule 42 and other rules violations that the IJ will be looking for, and well wished for a good first day of racing.

10:30 AM: Dock reporting time for Sonar team. They are there rigging the jib of choice, prepping their boat and readying themselves for their first two races in the Paralympic Games. With some words of encouragement, reminders to do their "homework" on the way out, and some cheers for the good old USA.

11:30 AM: The boys are off the dock. Last minute coach boat prep, like storing sails; cooling vests on ice; water and Powerade loaded in coolers; laying out wind meter, hand bearing compass, cameras, and sunscreen. I check in with the SKUD and 2.4mR sailors, and wish them well

11:45 AM: I head out on the course to gather data on wind and current. Due to light winds, a fill from the WSW (all forecasts indicated a ESE breeze) and then a dying breeze with ebb current, we ended up under postponement for nearly 1 ½ hours. Hurry up and wait!

2:30 PM: The expected wind fills in from the SE and the fleet is off.

4:45 PM: The Sonar fleet has 2 races under its belt and the high speed tow to the dock ensues. We hit the dock, unloaded sailors and gear, prepped the boat for haul out and wash down. Our Sonar helm heads off to file a protest.

5:15 PM: Boat is hauled and I head off to the Admin Building to help with protest preparation. Rest of Sonar team washes boat and puts it to bed.

6 PM: We file the protest and head to the Village housing to look at photographs to see if any of them can be used in evidence and spend some time debriefing the racing today.

6:45 PM: Back at Admin for the protest hearing.

7:15 PM: Hearing ends in our favor. Time to head to dinner.

8 PM: Finish dinner and head back to the Notice Board for a final check.

8:30 PM: Back in Village housing, I search out the last of my Sonar sailors for his individual debrief and chat.

9 PM: Start to write daily blog and check email for the day. Need to write to meteorologist to give update on weather today, check email, and make a plan for tomorrow.

10:30 PM: Time to hit the sack to do it all again tomorrow.

Our US team had a really good day. On the SKUD 18 race course, Nick and Maureen posted a 2-1 punch to top the leader board! Johnny came away with a 2-6 and sits in 3rd overall. Rick, Tim and Bill won the first Sonar race and have a 9th in the second. All in all, our sailors did us proud and have shown that the hard work and effort that they have put in to their Paralympic campaigns has been worth it. Tomorrow is a 3 race day with a noon starting time. Everything is moved up an hour to accommodate the extra race and it will be a long day for the team. Thanks for all your well wishes and thoughts. We certainly appreciate them! Let's hope that we can keep the team on track for a solid performance day on the water.

Stay tuned for more. GO USA!

Betsy
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The 2008 Paralympic Games officially got underway at a sold-out Birds Nest Saturday evening with a Paralympic record 148 countries in attendance. John Ruf, Marko Dahlberg, and myself flew up to Beijing from Qingdao for Opening Ceremonies. We left Qingdao at about 6:45am on Saturday morning. The flight itself is about one hour and 20 minutes, but with travel time to the airport, security lines, arriving at the other end, security check into the Beijing Athlete Village, dressing up in our Team USA Ralph Lauren Opening outfit, lining up with other members of Team USA, the time to march into the Birds Nest arrived before we had time to blink our heavy eyelids.

Following the US Teams parade into the stadium Hu Jinto, the President of the Peoples Republic of China, declared the 2008 Paralympic Games officially open. The Paralympic flag was raised, and afterwards a Chinese athlete in a wheelchair using a pulley hoisted himself to the top of the stadium, lighting the Paralympic flame to cheers from the crowd.

The theme of the Opening Ceremony was Transcendence, Equality, Integration and included drumming displays, live dancers and singers and ended in a massive fireworks display. Think New Years Eve in New York City times eight. Eight is a lucky number in China.

I have always liked the word grandiose; I think it is a fun word to say. Say it out loud. Fun, right? In addition to being fun, it has good definition. It is difficult to come up with words to properly describe Opening Ceremonies, and the feeling of walking into the Birds Nest in Team USA gear with the rest of the athletes from our great country. I think grandiose the most appropriate word to simply describe the evening, that is if words to describe the exhilarating spectacle are even possible. Suffice to say, we left the Birds Nest completely amazed.

We got back to the Athletes Village in Beijing around 1:00am and tried to close our eyes for a few hours of sleep, which is hard to do after such an exciting event. We woke up at 4:30am to head to the airport in a heavy rain storm, with thunder and lightning. After arriving the Beijing airport a little bit soggy, we got our China Air boarding passes and were bound for Gate C57, next stop Qingdao. We arrived back in Qingdao in just enough time to reunite with the rest of our Sailing Team and rig John's 2.4mR for the Practice Race. The rest of the US sailors stayed in Qingdao to prepare and rest for racing.

After the practice race the entire 2008 US Paralympic Sailing Team, coaches and staff attended the Welcoming Ceremonies here in Qingdao. We dressed in our official Team USA Ralph Lauren Opening outfit. John, Marko and I wore the same outfit two nights in a row, but since we were in different cities wearing the same outfit I do not think the Fashion Police will report us. I carried Shout wipes with me to Beijing in case any dirt appeared on our clothing. Luckily, we stayed clean. Our moms would be proud.

Nick Scandone is our 2008 Paralympic Games Sailing Team captain. He was voted captain by his fellow teammates. I think Nick is both honored and humbled to be elected captain. His first responsibility as captain was to give a toast at our Team dinner the other night. His words were thoughtful, motivating and from the heart. As captain, Nick had the honorary responsibility to be our flag bearer at the Welcoming Ceremony. Nick's brother, Vincent Rock Scandone, escorted him helping to make sure the American flag was beautifully flowing in the breeze behind Nicks wheelchair. I know it was an experience that both Nick and Rock will never forget. I got tingles just watching the two of them walk across the stage in Qingdao with the American flag.

The theme of the Welcoming Ceremonies in Qingdao was Let Love Fly. After several spectacular performances the flame was blazing and the Paralympic Games in Qingdao had officially begun. True to form, a grandiose firework display concluded the evening.

September 8th is our first day of racing. Wish us luck, and tune in for more from Qingdao!

Go USA!

Sail fast,
Sarah Hawkins
Team Leader
2008 US Paralympic Sailing Team
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