2 days until my adventures at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games begin! 5 days until I fly with the Swim Team to Japan for a training trip. 15 days until I am in Beijing and 19 days until the Paralympic Opening Ceremonies!
I won't be able to use my cell phone once I leave the country but I will have internet access (and a new digital camera) so I hope to add posts and photos so you can follow along on my trip (since I unfortunately can't stow all of you in my luggage). In a word of warning, this is my first time keeping up a blog, but I will try to update as often as I can while I am in Colorado, Japan, and Beijing. The links to the right are the official Paralympic websites so please visit them often for the latest news on the Paralympic Games.
I also wanted to give a little background on my swimming for those of you who may not know. My competitive swimming career started about 6 years ago when I swam for the Columbian High School swim team in Tiffin, Ohio with Coach Peggy Ewald. The following year, I moved to the east coast and began college at Harvard where I trained with the Harvard Women's Swimming and Diving (HWSD) Team. After 4 years on HWSD, I left with 6 American records set at Blodgett Pool; the most recent being about 1 month ago when I beat my own 50 free record by over 2 seconds. The incredible team and coaches have given me ideal training and preparation for a great meet in Beijing! On the National Paralympic Team I have been able to travel all over the world from Belgium to Brazil to compete for the U.S. Last summer, I was co-captain of the 2007 Para PanAmerican team that competed in Rio de Janeiro and was able to take home 1 bronze, 2 silver, and 1 gold medal. At Trials in April, I qualified for the team in the 50 freestyle and 50 backstroke. Since then I have continued to train at Harvard to prepare for the Games.
Watching the amazing Olympic swimmers shatter record after record in "The Cube" has been incredibly exciting -- especially knowing that I'll be there soon! I hope you enjoy the blog as there will surely be more posts to come!
A World Championships race recap.
9 years ago
7 comments:
Go Beth and Team USA!!! Will look forward to your reports.
Thanks for letting us join in the excitement. Enjoy every minute!!
Good Luck, Beth! We will be checking out your Blog for updates. Say "hi" to your Mom for us. Debbie Parker
Hey Beth Good Luck and thanks for sharing your venture with all of us back here in Toledo. Again Good Luck!
Swim fast Beth! We are so excited for you. "The Cube" is amazing and we know you are going to have the time of your life! Thanks for sharing it with us and look forward to hearing about your experience and success! Kris Heydorn
GO BETH!! I just had to check out your site since grandma barnes called to tell me you had a "blog". :) Have a great time, swim fast and keep us updated! Lots of luv-
your cuz meghan.
Beth your awesome! I wish had 10 percent of your determination and intelegence! -Job Jones
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