The Golden Dream

WE DID IT!

The second we landed in Taipei, 16 girls from all kinds of walks in life shared three common things: some sort of a hearing loss, a love for the game of soccer, and the gold medal. Training sessions were trips to hell, tears were shed, and bonds were formed. The battles were hard and brutal, but we proved our worth when the final whistle wailed at the end. We ate, slept, talked, walked, dreamed of the gold medal and soccer. Our mission was to defend the gold medal and we did exactly that. We let in only a single goal in the entire tournament and we scored a total of 17 goals against various countries. The gold medal game was nerve wrecking, a scoreless first half. At halftime in the locker room, Coach Ken gave us a wake up call. He told us there was only 45 minutes left to get the gold, "Leave the field with no regrets". Coach Erin encouraged us to give it all, work so hard that we would have to crawl off the field. Our second half proved our motivation to grab the gold once again. We scored 4 goals and shut out Germany's reach of the gold medal. It was a victory worth celebrating. The second the final whistle blew, everyone ran out to the middle of the field and hugged, cried, jumped with joy. We did it, we are once again champions of the world.

The gold medal ceremony was, in a word, incredible. I can easily babble on with 20,000 words and I would still not be able to explain the exact feeling I had when we walked onto the field once again as champions. I cannot describe what I felt or thought when the gold medal was put around my neck. It is a-once-in-a-lifetime-feeling. Only those who have stood on the podium can understand it. The gold medal is beautiful, a bit heavy, and one of my most prized treasures. However, the real treasure is the bond I have formed with my teammates. The experience is so much more momentous when shared among teammates, coaches, and fans. Tears streamed down our faces as we watched the flag rise with pride. Andrealine lasted through the entire night as we celebrated in the wee hours of the morning.

I will look back fondly to this experience. The deaflympics are filled with experiences I will never forget. My photo album is filled with pictures that capture moments of agony, joy, courage, and teamwork. Each player holds a special place in my heart, I know we have formed friendships that will last a lifetime. Our goodbyes were sweet and short, for we knew we would see each other again.

Thank you to everyone who supported me along the way, I could have not done it without you! All of the facebook comments, e-mails, letters, and etc have gone a long way. Thank you! You all are wonderful.

WE DID IT, WE BROUGHT HOME THE GOLD!

Go for Gold!

Can you believe it? The past two years I have sacrificed my time, energy, blood and sweat for the ultimate achievement as an athlete. In less than 24 hours my team and I will face Germany once again, this time for the gold medal. Our game is 7pm Taiwan time. The game is at the stadium, the exact same place where the opening ceremonies took place. The team will be spending all day tomorrow focusing on the biggest game of our lives.

Three weeks have zoomed by while we have worked our way through 2 a days in 117 degree weather and 95% humidity. Rain or shine, we molded our team. The team has gone through ups and downs, but in all, we have made it to the finals! The gold medal is within our reach and I know we will do anything in our power to grab it. We have worked far too hard for this moment. We know it is ours for the taking, we just need to prove it to the world by playing the best game we have ever played as a team. The second we wake up tomorrow, we will be in total focus of the game. Our captain, Reagan, has challeneged us to prove her how much we want the gold, how passionate we are about our team. Tomorrow is our chance to prove her how much we love being on the team.

As much as we are looking forward to proving our amazing captain and the world, we cannot do it alone. We need your support. Gather around the screen with USA gear on and cheer your butts off. This is the game that wins all. Cheer so loud that it'll make its way around the world to Taipei Stadium. Be American, for we make up the red, white, and the blue. GO USA!

Next opponet: Denmark

The game against Germany was very exciting and rough, but a well earned victory! Today the team focused on first touches and spent the day cheering on the men's soccer team. They tied with Japan 0-0. The game was excellent, one of the kinds where fans are screaming their heads off thinking it'd help some deaf soccer players get some kind of energy haha!

Now we are focusing on our next game which is tomorrow: 9:30 am Taiwan time. We face Denmark for our second game. All of the girls are super pumped and focused. We are looking forward to playing a great game. 

For the highlight of yesterday is the opening ceremonies. I cannot express how inspiring the whole thing was. The fireworks, the people, the athletes. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and there is no way for me to explain how awesome it was. I was so overwhelmed with the feeling I got from walking into a stadium of 20,000 people plus all of the people who were watching on tv. It was just as AMAZING as the olympics. I hope there'll be some kind of youtube link of the ceremonies so you could have some sort of an idea of what I went through. :) 

Cheer hard for us against Denmark! It will be a good game and we will represent the red, white, and blue. GO USA!

13 hours into the future

Words cannot describe what I am feeling right now. I am 13 hours away from our first game against Germany. Our team has gone through so much to get to where we are at this moment. Tears have been shed, wounds have cut open and blood falls have flown, but it all comes down to tomorrow. We are going to face Germany tomorrow morning at 9:30 am Taiwan time. I hope you will be able to catch our game. It will be brutal and gruesome. But when we crawl off the field, we will know that we have given our country all we have.

Taipei is a very interesting city. There is so much that goes on. It is very similar to New York City only crazier and there are a TON of mopeds zooming everywhere. It has been quite an adventure looking for laundromat. Reagan and I had a great time observing the Taiwanese culture while waiting for our laundry to wash and dry. The atmosphere makes me appreciate the majestic Rocky Mountains even more.

Curfew is creeping up on me now, it is 8:04 pm and curfew is 8:30. I must sign off with dreams of victory in tomorrow's game. Cheer hard for us, so loud that we will be able to hear you halfway around the world. GO USA!