Let the Games begin; USA Olympians touch down in Beijing after 12-hour flight

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BEIJING, CHINA — Hello everyone! I arrived safely (Friday) in Beijing and have already hit the ground running. So, with that being said, my first 22 hours in Beijing are going very well.

The flight was 12 hours long, but surprisingly the time went by fast! I got up several times during the flight, watched a movie, listened to my IPOD, read and ate, but I was only able to sleep for about 45 minutes. It was crucial to be able to get up and walk around as much as possible!

 I somehow got an Economy Plus seat on a window, and there was no one sitting next to me in the middle. How lucky was that? There was a U.S. badminton coach on the aisle, but he was Chinese and did not speak much English. On our flight from Colorado Springs to San Francisco, there were quite a few wrestlers on the flight, and I also flew with press officers from cycling, triathlon and taekwondo and other people from the U.S. Olympic Committee, so it was nice to know the people I was traveling with. I actually ended up sitting right next to the chief financial officer (CFO) for the USOC, so that was interesting. He is an extremely nice guy, and I chatted with him for a while until I fell asleep for the remainder of the flight.

In San Francisco, we met up with many other U.S. delegation members including more wrestlers, badminton players, volleyball players, track athletes and several others. They had all been in San Jose for team processing, where they get all of their delegation apparel, Games briefings, etc.

We arrived at the airport and got through accreditation validation, baggage claim and customs pretty fast. It was a pretty smooth process.

There were TONS of Chinese media waiting to greet the U.S. athletes. It was crazy, almost like paparazzi, and they were taking photos of EVERYONE!! I must say I was not excited about getting my picture taken, considering I had been traveling for 20 hours and I was sweating like crazy! The terminal we arrived in was newly built, and they say it’s the largest indoor structure in the world, but for some reason the air conditioning did not seem to be working too well!

Anyway, after that, we all got on a bus and went to Beijing Normal University where we are staying. BNU is the high performance center for the U.S. team, and there are lots of U.S. teams training there, so the security is very tight, probably the most secure of any place in Beijing right now.

After we checked in, we had a meeting, toured BNU (an absolutely amazing facility), then went out for an authentic Chinese meal at a nearby restaurant. The food was great and VERY CHEAP! After dinner I was exhausted, so I went to bed before 10 and slept pretty well. I got up around 8 a.m. this morning (Saturday), got ready, ate breakfast at BNU and we all got in a shuttle van to come down to the MPC (Main Press Center), which is right by the Olympic stadium, Olympic Green, etc., so we got to see all of that on our way in. I must say, the Chinese have done an amazing job getting ready for the Games, and so far everyone has been very nice and very helpful! I am sure it is going to be one of the best Olympic Games ever!

 Today is pretty much “figuring everything out” day for me. I have been getting some work done in the U.S. office here at the MPC, and Julie and I are going to try to get out to our venues this afternoon (the shooting range and softball field) to check things out, since they are pretty far away. I am still not sure if I am going to take cabs to and from my venue or take the Olympic transportation buses, so that is what these next few days are for ... getting things figured out. I also need to figure out how to get my hair dryer to work because, so far, I am not having much luck. I may just suck it up and go buy a Chinese hair dryer that I can just throw away when I leave in three and a half weeks.

I must say, it does not seem like it’s been four years since my first Games, but I am SO THANKFUL that I am coming in with one Olympic Games under my belt, so that this is not all so new to me. Even though, there are still many things I have to figure out, I must say, it’s much nicer coming here and knowing what to expect of an Olympics.

Beijing is definitely a beautiful city and so far the smog has not been an issue at all. I am so excited to be here for the Games and to experience the Chinese culture as well. What an amazing experience it is going to be!

My team arrives on Wednesday, and I am hosting a media day at the shooting venue on Thursday, so I will also be preparing for that in the next few days.

I will send another update when I can!

Mary Beth

Editor’s note: Mary Beth Vorwerk, a 1997 Princeton High School graduate, is in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games as the media and public relations manager for USA Archery. She will be reporting on her experiences from Beijing throughout the Olympics, which start Friday.