I have returned home from Beijing, but am not giving up the fight with the team.  I am watching all the results and cannot wait until we break through with a medal.   It was a very hard fight that the divers are going through.  I cannot tell you what everyone is going through and how bad we ALL want to see your TEAM USA on the award stand.  I wish the team all my best and GO USA

Hey all!  Well, it is Sunday over here in China.  Nancilea and I both are competing in women’s 3m finals tonight!  I am really looking forward to it and know we will both do well.  It has been amazing competing in the water cube.  First of all, the facility is so awesome!  At night, the entire place glows a deep blue and even changes color sometimes.  The other night it had Chinese letters glowing in red, and then it said “One World, One Dream”. 

I also love competing in the cube because the crowd is huge!  I have never seen so many people at a diving competition.  Diving is so big in China so they get a lot of support.  But I was impressed with how much support the USA has here.  As I marched out for my event I noticed all of the American flags waving in the air.  And when I’m standing on the board while they are announcing my name so many people are cheering.  That stuff really gets my adrenaline going and helps me dive better.  And knowing that all of you back home are supporting us is just as helpful.  So thank you for supporting Team USA! 

~Christina Loukas

Wow!  The three meter women’s prelims yesterday and especially the semi-finals today were fabulous.  The ladies dove strong in the prelims and the semis were even stronger.  Their respective coaches have them “dialed in” and much excitement was to be had on the sidelines as the team rallied to cheer them on!  The ladies had big smiles on their faces throughout the contest and were certainly enyoying the challenge of the semis.  Sitting great going into the finals tomorrow!!

Go Team USA

Winger

The 2008 Olympics started with a bang. From the Opening Ceremony to the Water Cube we dive at, it doesn’t seem to get any better. However, in the minds of the athletes and coaches for our Olympic Diving Team, one thing is better…our best performances, our team spirit and unity and lastly MEDALS.

Thus far we have completed all four synchronized events, finishing ever so close to the medals. But we are not done yet. We have come so far since Sydney and Athens and Beijing is not over yet. We have four amazing and capable events left that all can resullt in medals if we take care of business do all our jobs and believe, not letting anything bother us or stray from our goals as a team. Events are not over till the last diver hits the water. From the team members in the stands to the supporters and loved ones at home to the coaches and the athlete performing, everyone plays a role in helping each and every dive.

We have come so close and some might think still too far, but one thing is for sure, the Diving Team is not giving up. Again, until the last diver hits the water in the last event of the Olympics, we all have a chance and choice, worry about what’s happened or think about what lies ahead.

You see I have always seen amazing things happened to those who push and push on. The words “I can’t” and “we won’t” don’t exist. In fact, the words are the opposite “I can” and “we will.” We are so close and we as a team and a country can fulfill our every dream by pushing on and never giving up. Diving is a frustrating and fickle sport. One day it is all good and nothing can seem to stand in the way and the next it doesn’t seem like anything goes right and is possible. Medals are an outcome of spirit, belief, hard work and a never give up attitude. Since our team was announced, it has bonded in some of the most creative and amazing ways. From the spirit to the hard work, each and everyone is pulling and pushing for the best performances and results. I have been a part of three Olympic Teams now and this is by far the best one yet. We cheer as a team, we fight as a team, we compete as a team and we laugh as a team. So the question is what’s stopping us? My answer is nothing. To beat the best you have to fight to the end and keep nipping and clawing, never losing sight of the goal. Another way to look at this is to beat the best you have to knock them out, and I’m not talking one knockout punch but rather many many little punches over time and through rounds that ultimately lead to a TKO. But there is no better way to do this…but to FIGHT as a Team and this is what our 2008 Olympic Diving Team is doing.

Troy Dumais

Hello everyone,

Team USA is staying strong, tough, and confident.  We have had some very close contests in synchro and we have been very competitive. We are very proud of our USA synchro teams, and we are now having a day to recharge and get ready for our individual events.  The team is training well and our spirits remain very positive.  Anything can happen on any given day, and Team USA has been stepping up to the plate and getting some great hits.  The plan is to continue to stay in the batters box and get solid hits, and soon hit some home runs! Thank you all for your support of this USA Diving Olympic Team. 

Sincerely,

Matt Scoggin

August 13, 2008

Well another barn burner and another very close 4th place result.  You are going to want to watch this one over and over, what a battle!  Our Three Meter Mens synchro team was on fire maintaining medal position to the final dive.  We are proud of them and remain very hopeful for medals in the individual events.

Tomorrow is a day off of competition and will be dedicated to practice or rest depending on the future competiton schedule of the athlete.

After the competition and practice today, Team USA Diving was treated by one of our long time partners to a fine reception at a fancy hotel.  The food was great with some real steak, great salads and some fantastic desserts.  All the families of the athletes and coaching staff were invited and showed up for the shin dig!  I think shin dig might be a Chinese term?  At least it sound like it.  Thanks to the sponsor of this event some qulity time was able to be spent with our families who have come across the big pond to support Team USA.

A highlight of the event was the gifting of the Olympic Ring to Dave Burgering, as Dave is the first of our contingent to return home tomorrow.  It was a tearful event as Dave spoke on behalf of his family, his divers and Team USA.  A most fitting opportunity for Dave as he was a part of the ‘80 Olympic team that boycotted the games that year.  It is really neat to see his autograph as he does his name then USA and then “8008″  Pretty cool to be one of only Three USA Olympic Athletes in our sport to also be a USA Olympic coach in our sport.  Congrats Dave and thanks for serving in so many ways for USA Diving!

We remain focused on our goals!

Go Team USA

Winger

I hope this reaches you all!

Go Team USA

August 11th
Hi all, Mens 10 meter synch, despite doing the second highest scoring dive of the contest 93 points on their final dive a back two and on half with two and one half twists, the young men wound up in the fifth position a mere five points from the bronze medal score.  The contest was a barn burner with many different teams in the bronze and silver medal contention positions throughout the contest.  We will all keep scratching and clawing our way to the podium and team USA remains with its chin up!  Womens 10 meter synchro tomorrow!

August 10th
Hi all, The first two US competitors in the synchronized womens three meter dove quite well today narrowly missing a bronze medal and landing in fourth.  Four points separated this team from the bronze.  The girls although dissapointed realize that they dove well.  Mens 10 meter synchro on the docket for tomorrow. 

August 7th
Hi all, I hope this short note finds you well! 

Update from Beijing.  All goes well here! 

Training has been fabulous with the best training getting done today.  The athletes are dialing in and look great.  Today was the first day back in the water after a 1 and a half day excursion out of the Olympic Village.  One of our partners arranged through USA Diving to take us to a Chinese acrobatic show and then dinner followed by a stay in fine hotel.  The following day included a trip to the Great Wall followed by lunch in an eclectic village resteraunt called the schoolhouse where we also experienced the art of glass blowing, a presentation by several chinese glass blowing artists.  This was followed by a fabulous pizza dinner at a Belgium pub, no alcohol involved, but great pizza.  We stayed another night in the hotel and then returned to the pool and village this morning (Thursday).

The last three days have shown some really good and very close performances, “Barn Burners”.  No medals yet, but Team USA is certainly on the move and will reach the medal stand soon.  The team cheering (all dressed alike and LOUD) section has been fantastic for each event.  A special thanks to team members who are not diving and our trainer Elizabeth for showing up early and getting the primo spot for cheering and watching the contest, right next to the judges!!  Team morale is high and support from all members of the coaching staff and amongst the athletes is fabulous.  As soon as a break goes our way we will be with hardware!!

Thanks to all the fans who have traveled to Beijing to watch and support and thanks to all of you back home who have been glued to web sites and the broadcasts.  Keep praying and supporting, we are working hard to make our entire USA Diving family proud!!!

Winger

Nancilea Foster, Laura Wilkinson

Well, we had a few days of beautiful blue skies and last night the haze blew back into town.  It’s been smoggy all day today and the air feels like a green house.  It was even a little hazy in the pool, but nothing that
would affect our diving.

They were practicing fireworks the other night for the Opening Ceremonies this Friday.  Knowing the Chinese and their fireworks… I have a feeling Opening Ceremonies are going to be amazing!

I visited the ice bath, or as the trainers were calling it, the cold plunge, last night after 10 meter.  Don’t worry, no injuries, it just helps my body recover better.  It was way colder than I’m used to but a nice water polo player named Peter in the next ice bath over talked to me to help me through it.

Most of the divers are on the 4th floor of our building, but there wasn’t quite enough room for all of us, so Nancilea and I are directly upstairs from them in an apartment with 3 judo girls- Rhonda, Sayaka and Valerie.
Nancilea and I have our own room and bathroom but we share a common room. It’s been fun getting to know people from different sports!

Down stairs in our building is where the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) has set up their offices, medical & treatment rooms, and an athlete lounge. The athlete lounge has 2 rooms of computers with internet access, wireless throughout the entire floor, a room with phones that we can call home for free, and 2 rooms with tvs that you can either watch tv on or put in movies.

The dining hall is just a short 3-5 minute walk from our building and there is a huge variety of food to choose from.  But the best part about dining hall always has been and always will be… people watching!  You see that athletes come in ALL shapes and sizes and we all just stare at each other and eventually make some new friends.  My favorite past time is guessing which sport people play.

The other day Nancilea, Christina, and I ventured around the village a bit and discovered the massive workout/weight room.  It has pretty much every kind of training equipment you can think of.  That same building has massage available and steam rooms.  There’s an entertainment area that has pool tables, air hockey, shuffle board… you name it.  They also have a tv room filled with flat screen tvs hoooked up to DVD players so you can watch whatever you want.  There is also an outdoor lap pool next to it.

I haven’t visited the international zone yet, but there are apparently some cool stores there I have to check out! Very close to our building is a building called the Super Resident Center. It has a huge game room in it that makes you feel like you’re at an arcade! It also has internet and phones available for all countries. I discovered earlier this year that my website and foundation website are blocked by the Chinese web servers.  I also discovered today that while I can pull up all my emails on my webmail, my google-alerts do not download onto my computer through this server.  I had a problem with it several times.  It’s very interesting each time I discover what they do and do not allow.  I do have access to an American server though, so I will be updating the website as needed.

I just wanted to take a minute to share all of my little discoveries so far with you.

Laura

Laura Wilkinson
Olympic & World Champion
www.laurawilkinson.com
President, Laura Wilkinson Foundation
www.lwfound.org