World Games Epilogue

I love the sound of this one ton diesel pickup.  It motors down I-94 effortlessly pulling a heavy trailer and carrying 3 of my co-workers from the Wisconsin DNR.  It's Monday, just a day after returning from the World Games and we're off to tear down a giant elk trap we'd used all winter to catch and re-collar elk.  Trudging thru the ice and snow and prying out the trap panels is a world away from where I was a couple days ago.  Back to the real? world?

The airbus A-380 is a monster of a plane-it's new and nice and offers lots of entertainment, but still, 14 hrs staying in one spot is not easy.  I usually don't sleep on flights but did this time-maybe passed out is more accurate.  Not comfortable sleep, but it did erase an hour of conscious travel here and there.  After touching down at JFK, I had the honor of leading the athletics team, now a cohesive family, thru the airport (with cops escorting us) to awaiting buses.  Some other travelers snapped pictures of us and we heard some congratulations as well.  Hard to hide (our pride) when we all are wearing matching SOUSA gear.

Once back in NJ and our hotel for the night, it was time to change over from sport to state mode. I always hate this moment. No one is ready to leave the team they have been so close to for the past 2 1/2 weeks, no matter who their state traveling companions may be.  I wanted to have one last good bye for the team. It took some athlete wrangling, but we assembled at the end of the hall and accepted the fact that this would be it.  As it dawned on athletes (and coaches), eyes started to get wet.  I said as profound of things as I could muster as head coach and then each coach took a turn at their thoughts as we were about to wrap it all up.  It always comes way too fast and too soon it seems.  Though they were then released to dinner to meet their state folks, no one rushed.  They shouldn't.  Far too many hugs to be given and received.  The group lingered for quite a while, not wanting to go to their state table but at some point each athlete scattered.  Some we'd see in the morning- some not, and most never again.

The coaches had their moment as well. I couldn't ask for a better staff and a few toasts and thank yous acknowledged that at our late night gathering.  Most of us would have to be up and heading to the airport after a couple hours sleep so it was short.  Unlike the athletes, we did have a glimmer of hope to work together again-not all of us, but hopefully some.  There are always  coaches who get world games in their blood (I'm guilty) and long to return and others who are happy with a one and done.  They all contribute something special to the team and I'm grateful.

It's now post games day 4.  All my SOUSA gear is washed and ready to be stored and most of my unpacking in the basement is done.  It seems I tend to leave some of it go for a long time-maybe just to hold onto a few memories of where our team was and what they did.  I'm kind of a sucker for not letting go too soon.  Now with social media, a few athletes have been busy chatting it up between themselves and coaches. Some have had a hard time returning to "civilian" life. Others dove right into their home state or agency Special Olympics sports without hardly taking a breath.  Same for a few  of the coaches.  For me, a couple days at work was a reality check and then some lingering business to wrap up from these games, which is okay.  Sweden is the next World Winter Games and then Berlin for summer way down the road in 2023.  I'd be lying if I said I don't think ahead to those.  I love my role on Team USA and now SO USA-as a coach and as a head coach in both winter and summer games.  I recall vividly in 2001, at my first World games in Alaska, standing on a ski trail at Kincaid Park pausing for a moment and just thinking, "this is where I belong-this is what I love doing."  It's been nearly 2 decades since that moment and 9 world games and that feeling hasn't changed.  And that is a good thing.... for I think I make a difference.

The Beginning of the End

Last morning In Dubai.  Seems each morning here is foggy, which matches my state at times from lack of sleep.  Nights are very late at world games and here it has become the norm.  It’s all good, this is what we sign up for and those of us who have been here before expect it. We also know what is ahead, a difficult egress back to the states and leaving those athletes to scatter to their homes.

Yesterday was the final day of competition at the Police Academy sports facility, home of the track stadium which was our venue for the past 2 weeks. With our team gathered on the “grassy knoll” ( a small hill overlooking the track awards area) prior to leaving and boarding a bus, I ask all to look around, to soak in and appreciate where they have been and what they have done.  They, we, are at a World games.

Back at the hotel we eat quietly, maybe a little earlier than we usually found ourselves for most of the games.  About halfway thru the meal, I commented to other coaches-“look around....look at them.” All the athletes were huddled around small tables talking, laughing, smiling and eating without a care of anything else or us.  They had become one family. They’d get up to leave and assemble at our usual meeting place, the baby grand piano upstairs. Some would swing back a coach table, but most just knew the routine and what was expected of them.  As a parent might say of a child, “they’ve grown up so quickly. “

One of the media asked later what was a highlight of the games and that one seemed to stand out and it had nothing to do with athletics or sport, but yet, it’s just as important a part of special Olympics.

The evening was spent packing, always a challenging task.  Carryons had to be packed with clothes for the next two days and large roller duffles arranged as they wouldn’t see them again until New Jersey.  Even packing myself is a task, so needless to say, the athletes had quite a job ahead.  For the most part, by midnight all was accomplished plus a coaches meeting to run through all the information for the following days of travel and closing ceremonies.  It wouldn’t be relaxing to be sure, but again, it’s part of the world games.  In the morning we’d have our last breakfast in Dubai, start moving luggage to the truck for shipping and doing last minute carryon stuffing.  It was starting to sink in to the athletes that this awesome experience was coming to an end. Some tears, lots of hugs.  There really wasn’t much downtime (especially for me) and small “fires” kept popping up prior to leaving.  By 2:00 we were loaded into the team bus and off to Abu Dhabi.  I thought I’d be a quiet trip and some athletes did sleep, but it was more last minute laughs and stories the entire way.

AD is larger and older and I can say, I liked  Dubai better just from riding through both cities a couple times. We’d be housed at the Marriot after closing ceremonies, for a few hours for a 3:00 am wake up.  From that early start it’s off to the airport and the longggg process of getting thousands of athletes thru to their gates and planes.  I have that to look forward to a few minutes from this typing.  I can hear Caleb zipping luggage and I’ve done my wake up calls to my athletes. They seemed more or less coherent.   

So good bye Abu Dhabai and Dubai and the world games, you have brought us a lifetime of memories and I’m sure you’re not quite done with us yet.  Off to the US of A.

Caleb and the Pents

Caleb and the Pents....sounds like a band name.  Actually, it’s Coach Caleb and the pentathletes, a special subset within our Athletics (track and field ) team.  Five events make up the pentathlon, shot, high jump, 100 meter dash, long jump and 400 meter dash. Tough events.  I’m fortunate enough to have five of those special,athletes, pretty unusual for a world games!  It's exciting, as they usually are higher level athletes who look to really challenge themselves by competing in so many different disciplines. 

Caleb is my roommate, friend and fellow coach who was selected for the LA games four years ago.  He was recommended to me and as it turns out, for good reason, he’s a great coach.  Although I had some small part in helping to coach these pents, it’s really Caleb who gelled them into something very special.  What follows is His post on the evening after all five won medals, including golds.  For so many reasons, I just had to share his thoughts.

Caleb Shoaf is with Alyse Catherine Mackey and 4 others.

6 hrs ·

A good team can take years to create, a great team even longer and a dynasty is something most only dream of becoming. That’s what this group of five amazing pentathlon athletes is, a dynasty. And it didn’t take years for them to get there, only months.

It has nothing to do with their medal count or their scores (which are amazing by the way) and everything to do with how they have come together as a team. It’s about how they have been there to pick one another up after a fall, hold one another up in times of weakness and raise one another up in times of celebration. It’s about how each of them brings a different strength to the team that they all feed off of and how each one of them is a leader to the others.

It’s about how they have so much passion for their sport and fellow athletes that they praise, encourage and coach one another even if they are competing against each other in the same division. It’s watching them take that camaraderie they have amongst the five of them and inviting athletes from other countries into the fold, knowing that they may actually get beaten by them and still being there to support them when they need it.

I was asked about a favorite moment and the first thing that popped in my head is the picture with them walking in the stands. Most of the track team was in the stands that day. Everyone was laughing and carrying on through the day. I yelled “Pentathlon, time to warm-up”. Right after that I turned to talk to another coach for a few minutes. I turned back around and they were gone, on their way to warmup without me. Look at the determination in that picture. They were told it’s time to warmup and they rolled out, coach or no coach!! They took that determination and delivered what was expected of them, their best.

I am beyond honored and proud to have been their coach and will cherish the memories made with them forever! They have without a doubt set the bar very high for future Special Olympics USA pentathletes.

Day to Day

We really don’t have a “typical day" here in Dubai at the world games, but they do kind of run a similar pattern, which I thought I’d share.

(I wish I had time to “church it up” as Caleb says, in other words, make it fancy, ie: with photos in this case, but I just can get words down and inserting pictures is a pain.)

So a day here in Dubai at the world games looks something like this for the most part.

The alarm sounds around 5:00 for Caleb ( my coach roommate).....okay, doesn’t sound bad, but usually we’re up til 1:00 or 2:00 am the previous night for one thing or another- wrapping up a meeting, packing or unpacking or getting back from late travel. My usually sleeping habits back home are quite the opposite.  I light up the little espresso maker in the room which is a pod type machine that can make espresso or Americano (which has hot water sprayed on top).  It’s actually quite good and perks my day up! Shower and dress for the day and get my backpack in order- that is the coaches lifeline, carrying everything we can possibly need for the day.

Meet the athletes who are going to the track early for breakfast.  We have such a great team that at this point, we don’t even have to call their rooms and they are ready and waiting (mostly bushy tailed) in the lobby. We try to get breakfast in the hotel restaurant but sometimes, if the bus is early, we grab and go with a boxed breakfast.  The track is across the highway so it’s a short bus hop there.  We check in thru security and gather in our camp in the bleachers. I love being some of the first people there and just soaking up the mild weather and the low sun in the sky.

Early events need to be readied for, so it involves warm ups, then delivery to staging (where they wait for their event to be called up), race, then pick up at the athlete awards area.  So it takes a lot of planning the day before and coaches to pull it all off. We have this part dialed in and need to with 37 athletes.  The day continues like this from around 8:00am til 7:00 pm or later depending on awards. Long days.  They take a two hour break in the middle of the day, which I dislike- I’d rather be competing all the way thru and get back early.  The folks that make these decisions don’t have athletes to ready and get to bed everyday. So anyway, more of our athletes come to the track during the day until we usually have everyone there by mid day.  Full steam ahead at that point.  By dark, we’re in line to catch a shuttle back to the hotel. Rarely is it a short wait and making it more frustrating is the fact we can see it about 1/4 mi away! Walking is not an option. 

Once back to the hotel, we usually go straight to dinner ( which is great here), then either to their rooms to clean up or directly to a team meeting depending on how late it is.  Dinner for us is usually 8:00 or 9:00 pm.  At the team meeting we give the athletes a quick lowdown on the following day, talk about the current day and now, have show and tell with their awards. I get a kick out of having each athlete stand and tell the team what they won and show their hardware to the rest of us. Proud moments for them as they share that pride with the team.

Off to bed- set out clothes for the following day, laundry, hand wash uniforms and lights out fairly soon after we break up.  Coaches always have a late night coaches meeting after our sports managers come back with details we need to know from the bigger picture. The coaches are plugged in their roles of staying back and bringing late athletes and readying the early ones and the time schedule is put into place.  It takes awhile and later talk then shifts a bit to what happened during the day. It seems this world games has gotten later at night, because, well it does and eyes start drooping before the last coach is out of the door. By then it’s about 4 hrs later than my usual bed time back home and (hopefully) I crash.  Doesn’t always happen though.

Alright, on my second cup and athletes will be waiting, so off to day three of the medal round!

Trials and Tribulations in Abu Dhabi

On Friday, I travelled to Abu Dhabi just (seemingly) a few hours having left it after opening ceremonies. In tow were the three half marathoners ( Andrew, Josh and Karen).  According to the schedule I received, we were to be picked up at our hotel and taken directly to the hotel in AD.  That was the plan.  Instead, the bus dropped us off at the spots center, and left. I thought someone would be there to greet us and send us to the hotel, but nope.  Additionally,  I didn’t even know the name of the hotel we were supposed to stay at!  So some phone calls and a bit of waiting at least got us that information.

At that point the trip becomes more complicated. We’d have to take a city bus to the main AD bus terminal, then change to another bus to the hotel.  As it turns out the drive is long, but we did get to the terminal and the correct bus.  The next drive is longer but we finally reached the hotel alongside the Persian gulf. It’s the Ethiad Towers, a monster of a hotel complex made up of about 6 tall buildings. They kinda look like chrome bananas.  Quite cool.  It takes a while to haul our overnight luggage thru to try and find a front desk.  No special Olympics folks around at all, but then it was 7:00 pm and we were supposed to be there at 1:00.  

The next hurdle, one we found a check in lady, was to, well, get checked in.  Problem is, they wanted our passports in order to do so. Our passports were in Dubai, 3 hrs

 Away.  How about a paper copy?  I had one, but it was black and white. Nope, had to be color.  We have credentials on, so this whole thing makes no sense.  More calls back and forth to our HOD and we finally get cleared and are taken to our rooms.  Fancy pancy for sure.  It’s complicated to turn on lights, open the curtains and even turn off the TV ( which has our names on it as a greeting).  Alrighty then, unload bags, head to dinner at 8.  The meal was five star help yourself buffet type of thing, so we ate, then back to the room. 3:30 am wake up.  Oh, we’re all on different floors. 

I sleep poorly worrying about all kinds of details about the athletes and the race. I think I stared at the clock afraid I’d miss the alarm.  Fast forward a bit to finally ready to go, heading down to the athletes rooms. My key only gets me to my floor (50th) !  Back to my room, call them and give detailed instructions to meet me on P2 level. Karen shows up, the guys don’t, I panic. Finally I located them on a different level and whewwwww my stress level drops. They have a box breakfast for us and we just chill waiting for a bus.  There are 20 half marathoners and then coaches and SO staff.

Off to the island where the race will be held. Except...the driver doesn’t know where it is! A coach from Morocco has a GPS on his cell and guides the driver and second bus to the venue. Thank goodness.

Once there we can focus on the race.  Parents and one of the local coaches show up to watch, but soon one of my athletes is gone, the local coach takes him to warm up....that’s my job.  Then ESPN, takes another, and I’m left with one athlete and not really sure of the other two, but  they can’t get too far I figure.  This part of the experience I didn’t really enjoy, I’m used to training distance runners and here I felt like it was out of my control.  Quickly it was race time and all is well, they are in the start chute and off. 

Now we wait, two laps of a 10km loop.

Josh has a super race, 4th best half marathon time in the world on this day and at these games. But he’s in the top division, so he’s 4 place there as well.  Great time and performance. Andrew is silver and Karen is the gold medal winner in her race.  We have cool down, change and get thru awards....back on a bus to the hotel, then shower, change, and try to find lunch (unsuccessful) and our bus back to Dubai.  Bus was late, then change the bus and then a rather cramped ride back, in which the driver again, needed our help in getting us to the track.  I was so happy to be back there, at the track, with my team, with my family.

The team congratulated our runners, so it was a nice welcome home. For me, it was back to catch up with the rest of the events which would be finals, in the afternoon.  The other coaches had things way under control, so I just helped out with warm up, staging or where ever needed. I have a great staff of key coaches.  All goes well, except awards, which run painfully slow and late. Our 200 meter girls were the last to be presented around 8:00 that night.  Team meeting, dinner, to bed, then coaches meeting where my eye lids kept slamming shut. The day was over and I was out within a minute of the meeting being done.  

Today, off to a big day on the track, 26 athletes compete for medals.  I’m on my second cup of Americano coffee...I’ll need it.

Alyse

High fives and smiles surround Alyse for an half hr after the pentathlon 400 meter race.  Not so unusual, but on this day it was especially satisfying. She’d circled the track in an unspectacular time, a half a lap behind her opponent from Canada.  But, she finished. That’s the important thing. 

Earlier in the day, Alyse was staring down the final two events in the pentathlon division.  Based on her results, she’d be placed in the proper division for the finals later this week.  Since she was one of two female athletes, there wouldn’t be any shake up overall.  The challenge ahead was she’d had an injury last November and recovery had been slow.  At training camp we saw a talented hard working young woman, and remaining so, this injury was especially difficult to work through. The previous day here in Dubai, she’d re-injured the knee on the first attempt of her long jump. An audible cry went out when she landed in the pit and our hearts sank.  Medical attended to her and she was able to move off the track and later attempt another mark.  It was too painful, and her coach Caleb, scratched the final attempt.

Her shot put went as well as can be expected, but not her best on the tender leg.  Ice would take over for any cool down and we would just hope for the best on day two of the trials.  

Temps warmed up quickly on the tennis courts next to the track, our “field event warm-up area” as it was named.  In the early morning, we had most of it to ourselves-the pentathlon high jump would be the first event. Our male pentathletes joined Alyse in warm ups and she had a heavily wrapped knee and brace.  Fingers were crossed it would help.  At this point, we knew the Canadian athlete would be untouchable, so the goal turned to finishing the pent and taking satisfaction in the fact that this was the world games and she was here completing. 

It quickly became apparent that the knee was weak and she was a bit shy to place a great deal of power on it.  Caleb asked if I could work to switch up take off approach side, a difficult technical challenge even on healthy legs.  It took a while, but we got the rhythm down and although probably feeling very foreign, she could get some lift after an approach from her “wrong side.”  I was hopeful.  She just needed to clear one meter.  

At the apron of the high jump, each athlete took several warmup jumps.  Alyse had difficulty making this totally opposite side work for her. A combination of the weak leg and fleeting confidence was just too difficult to overcome.  After an attempt, it was decided to scratch the remaining jumps.  Caleb would submit a previous performance to keep her in a division she belongs in.  In Special Olympics, it’s a complicated calculation, but needless to say, the fair thing was to keep her in the F01 division against Ragen, the Canadian girl.

More treatment followed and one event remained.  The 400. Arguably the most painful sprint in all of track.  She just need to finish.

Mentally, Alyse had to push through doubts of finishing, the pain, and the humbleness if she had to slow or walk and not being able to run like she’s capable of.  Team drs assured us that if she just took it easy, she’d be fine.  Both Caleb and I had heart to heart conversations with her and shared stories of other athletes in similar situations at world games.  She decided the effort was worth it to compete on this World Games stage. She deserved to be here. 

The gun fired and both young women took off from the far corner of the track.  I’d set up on the 100 meter side for yelling/encouragement/finger crossing.  Alyse kept up a steady pace- running, albeit slowly, but steady. Yes!  All eyes on our team were glued on her as  she ran the back straightaway, slowed, then picked up again.  At the last 100, my heart lightened as she picked up the pace and took it home.  

The effort to reach that finish line may have been the hardest race Alyse has ever run.  

Hugs from coaches and teammates brought smiles to an otherwise difficult day for this New York athlete.  Now she’ll have a few days break, with Opening ceremonies tonight and an off day tomorrow, and maybe enough rest to bring back some confidence and stronger legs.  We’re all hoping so.

First Impressions

Dubai....interesting place.  As some of the locals have said, Dubai is like NYC, very very diverse culturally with only 10% of the people living here native Arabs while the rest are ex-pats working and living here.  There seems to be quite a disparity between the two groups incomewise. In chatting with some of the volunteers here, the cost of living is high, but income is okay, but like back in the states, it’s tough to get ahead for normal working people.  I’d heard about Dubai in that there were Ferrari’s on every road etc, but I’ve yet to see even one super car.  Mini vans, SUVs and small white cars rule the day.  Actually the two most unusual cars I’ve seen are a Chevy 1500 pickup and a new Ford Mustang! Odd to see here.

So Dubai is very open and accepting....it is a Muslim country (Emirates) and you have to respect that part of the country, but it also is less conservative than Abu Dhabi. We keep asking about customs and things like touching and hugging, which is okay within our team ( hugging an athlete for instance) but isn’t proper with natives.  Hospitality is the name of the game here and the people are so very friendly. I’ve enjoyed talking to everyone I’ve met.  We are treated so well and our hosts will bend over backwards to help.

Speaking of...well, speaking, English is really the second, or even first language here.. all signs are in Arabic and English and as I take it, all the foreign nationals living here use English as the main language....lucky for us.  Our bus guide, in conversation talked about how in Dubai, with so many different cultures mixing, that it really is a very tolerant place, much more so than back home.  Maybe not in every way, but people here have no concern of what nationality you are or the color of your skin.  In some ways, that mimics what we experience in Special Olympics at a world games.  

With all the disappointing rhetoric we hear lately in the US, it’s a refreshing attitude.

On the bus ride from AD to Dubai, it was like sensory overload as far as commercialism.  I’ve never seen such huge billboards along roads and buildings were plastered with digital colorful gaudy advertising. Everywhere. This is sort of a cross between Vegas (w/o the gambling) and NYC.  This is a huge vacation destination and hub for money to be spent.  It’s a clash between traditional Arab garb and western clothing and also cultures, but it seems to coexist.

If one was in construction, this is the Mecca for that industry.  There is building everywhere. The desert is literally turning into concrete with development going on everywhere we’ve driven. Sky cranes dot the skyline line everywhere.  The sky scrapers are crazy, with such unusual architectural styles and seemingly an emphasis in going as tall as possible.  Hopefully I can get a few photos to post here at some point. 

We had our first workout today, such a relief from host town activities. The athletes just want to run.  It all went well and we start competing in trials tomorrow.  Head coaches meeting tonight, so I’ll get the skinny on all details track and field related.  Looking forward to getting in the track groove.

First imptressions and Sleep Depredations

Sleep didn’t have any excuse last night. I’ve only had a few hrs so far since leaving JFK and arriving in Abu Dhabi and Dubai...

So I had a bunch of stuff typed already and this is my third try.. iPad doesn’t like blogger I guess. Anyway, the 12 hr flight plus 10 time zones featured an athlete puking right after lift off, another in a crying jag mid way and then again later, but I did see the sunrise over Iceland ( I  think) and the Airbus was nice, even for a middle seat and not moving or sleeping much. ( BTW,a Star Is Born gets 5 stars from me and the new Queen movie also was great). The flight was fine and we landed in AD around 9:00pm I think.  Several hours there with customs and sorting 315 roller duffles and then bussing two hrs to. Dubai.  Keys, sorting said luggage again and athletes in rooms by 1:00am. SOP for a World Games.   A couple hrs sleep and we’re at it again. 

Up early and this is Host Town. At a world games they usually have a couple days to get regrouped, acclimated and learn some culture. Schedules change. A lot.  We ended up having a few meetings and then heading to a mini Disney kind of place.  Theme sections and rides and overall, the athletes loved it.  Oh, it was in Abu Dhabi, so another bus ride back there.  Well, we did get to see some of Dubai in the daytime, so that was interesting.  Spent about 4 hrs there and then started the migration back. Took a few hours- waiting in que for our bus along with several thousand other athletes from 40 countries. Needless to say, it takes awhile to fill 60 busses.  Back to the hotel, supper at 9:30, get the athletes in bed by 10:30.  Coaches and staff have a few more meetings, so our bedtime was midnight. So yeah, I should have slept well. Nope. Tried my best but in the end,I did hand washing in the sink at 5:00, showered and snuck out to write.  

Today it’s off to a school ( they have school Sunday then Thursday) to get some interactions with students and then to a world experience doing activities from different counties.  The bus rides today will be too short to sleep on sadly ( for me!). Tomorrow is the head coaches meeting for me and we start to get into the track groove. Yes!  

Okay, so I was going to touch on impressions of Dubai, but I’ll try to get to that when I’ve had coffee and am a bit more coherent.   I saw a big snowstorm hitting back home and can’t say I miss it, and I love snow and winter, but it’s 75 here and sunny and it’s a nice break. ( although it looks like rain now at 6:00am)  More later...

Flight Day One

Well, a world games trip doesn’t really start out on the right foot when the first text of the day, in pre-dawn hours, is that your flight is cancelled. What was supposed to be a relaxing breakfast and easy trip to the airport turned into a tsunami of cell calls and emails and texts. No flight meant the crew from Wisconsin heading to Newark NJ was going nowhere fast. The SOUSA management team is really stellar and after a brief panic, several options started coming in.

Option 1: being booked on a flight the following morning. Ahhhh, no.  We have coaches and athletes that need to be there by this evening.  United airlines thought that was their best option to start.  Soon after a question came pinging my phone- “How close are you all to the airport?”  (just 5 minutes away.) So there is a flight in like an hour.  Goes Milwaukee to O’hare, but then a connecting flight to Newark.   SO it’s scramble scramble scramble-grab the luggage and sprint to the airport.  

Luckily, the counter wasn’t too busy, but changing tickets and checking bags takes a while.  The United folks were great and we made it thru TSA and onto the gate with no time to spare.  The group had to be split, so some of the SOWI team will catch a later flight and arrive in NJ tonight.  

If you’ve been to O’hare, well, you know-its big and spread out.  Luckily, United sent an escort to the gate and lead us thru the different concourses and to the correct one to depart. Surprisingly, United also had a little welcome for us there-kind of unplanned, as we weren’t supposed to be there then.  The Illinois team had departed shortly before, so a crew had an impromptu meet and greet with cake an introduction to the CEO of the airline!  Time just enough to hit the BR before boarding.  

The flight to NJ is about an hr and a half plus losing an hr in eastern time.  Thru all of this slight chaos, we’ll end up arriving an hr earlier than we were supposed to-well, at least some of the WIsconsin team.  

I’m banging this out on the seat tray and we’re descending.  Hurry up and wait is SOP, so each hurdle we clear gets us one step closer to Abu Dhabi. Now onto finding luggage, getting it onto a truck, a bus ride and then check in processing for SOUSA.  Just a few more hurdles on the way to Abu Dhabi. 

Packing

Three days out and somehow I'm way too prepared-the boy scout in me maybe?  Well, the roller duffle is smaller than other times I've gone to a World Games, so I think I just wondered if everything on the packing list would fit and how much it would weigh.   I've been plugging away at it from time to time in the basement, stacking clothes in different piles and labeling them.  We (as a team) try to be very specific as to what athletes and staff should pack.....and nothing else.  If one follows the list to a T, then you'll do well.

Just to complicate things, we are required to wear specific "outfits" (for lack of a better term) for different functions-to help us look like a team and identify us as we move thru airports, customs, TSA and other activities.  That's mostly good, but when there are 315 of us on SOUSA, it can be a challenge to find just the track team!

So I did get everything packed into my bags yesterday with great success-they are underweight and I still have room.  Standard luggage for the team is a roller duffle that is checked, and once it starts its journey from our home states, we won't see it until Dubai.  Pack wisely!  Athletes and coaches then get a small packpack and a small roller carry-on, both need to be 15# or less.  Mine was 9.  Because I also have an old suitcase of extra competition uniforms to get to Newark New Jersey (our send-off city), I had to veer away to a different system. (I just realized how boring this post is....But I'll keep going!).  Anyway, I have a faithful backpack from a previous WG that I like, so all my carry-on clothing went in there, everything I need for NJ, for the flights and for Dubai,  our host town (in case checked luggage gets lost).  Besides, I didn't like the idea of wrestling 2 checked bags and a roller carry-on thru an airport.  The backpack would be easier.  Mission accomplished.  Big roller is 30, so 20 pounds underweight- I'll resist any temptation to bring extra stuff.  I need some room for the way back.

We're given all the team clothing we need, and I was lucky enough to have them fit.  Some coaches and athletes were not.  We're hoping some exchanging of clothes can be done in NJ if they haven't already altered them.  Besides team wear, I'll bring a couple extra T-shirts, a causal top in case we have any free time (doubtful), and some keens.

Last minute emails are flying and already I noted one change in "What to wear when" and will have to unpack and re-arrange a little.  Overall, the packing hurdle is mostly cleared, but many more lie ahead-therein is the challenge, the journey.

Poignant ....
Not always an Arnold fan, but I liked this.

Last Minute Prep...

It's been a while since I've been writing for a blog and in some ways I've missed it.  My personal page was mostly outdoor themed or photography related but somewhere along the line, that slid off the back burner.  Maybe this World Games one will jump start me back to the keyboard.  Time will tell.

So I'm fortunate to be selected for a World Games-honored really, for a chance to coach wonderful athletes from across the US in a sport I truly love.  Once a track coach, always a track coach?  I know at training camp, sliding over to the long jump and high jump pit brought back a flood of great coaching memories from all those track meets in my HS coaching career.  As I've learned, sometimes on the SO coaching end of things, it can be even more satisfying as progress can be seen in even greater leaps and bounds (pun intended).  Cues and coaching directions for SO athletes sometimes have to be altered to be successful, and that's the challenge and the reward.

Anyway-that's what ahead when we step onto the track in Dubai.

Athletics (Track and Field) and swimming will be held in Dubai, while all other sports and opening/closing ceremonies will be in Abu Dhabi.  Our half marathoners and Triathletes will also compete in AD.  The 2019 games will be the worlds largest sporting event this year.  7000 athletes from 190 countries will descend on these 2 UAE emirates in just over a week.

ESPN will televise the games again and do a fantastic job-just what these athletes deserve.

 For me, this will be quite a cultural experience. I've seen a  few promotional videos on the pre-games and what they have been doing in preparation and I was taken aback seeing SO athletes in traditional Arab clothing (or not) alongside coaches and supporters from those countries.  I shouldn't be really.  But, I think it comes from our view (as Americans) toward any middle east Muslim country-painting all people from that region with a broad brush.  In this day in age, particularly for a western country, my hope is we all will gain a different perspective. 

Okay-pretty deep stuff, and I have piles of SOUSA clothing in the basement that mostly fits, needs my name laundry markered  and some idea of where it will be packed.  Roller duffle is limited to 50#, carry on to 15#.  Frankly, it should be easier than packing for a winter games -a tad fewer layers!  (high temps should be in the 80s I guess).  My printer is running low on ink as I print way too many things for the team-rosters, schedules, rules, packing lists.....and more to come.  All little things I try not to forget.  Will have to fall back on 19 years of experience doing this World Games gig with a handful of them as a HC.  The other coaches, Sports managers and athletes (37) will make it all work.

So -7 outside now, wind and 12" of new snow out the window. Time to groom ski trails I guess and make mental notes of all the other things that need to be done soon. Packing will progress in fits and starts this week in between trapping elk and typing up Winter Severity Indexes for work and shoveling way too much snow off the roof!