Heather Bown Blog for Aug. 24, 2008
by Heather Bown / August 25, 2008
Well, its a wrap here in Beijing... it has been an unbelievable ride and I am really happy to have some hardware to go home with.
My Dad's first question to me was "is it heavy?" and you know what... it has the weight of eight long hard years with this team. However, I would not change a single day with these girls and this program. I have grown to see a group of wonderful athletes flourish under pressure and have had the privilege to stand on an Olympic stage with them three times...an honor that not alot of women get to do in our sport.
It's been so much fun here in Beijing. From opening ceremonies to riding bikes, to decorating our apartment...which now is in total chaos...six girls trying to pack is no fun to experience... and the amount of jerseys and posters and things to sign...its unbelievable how we are getting all this stuff home.
In the end my time here in China has been worth every complaint I have ever made in all the long hours in the gym or the miserable schedules we have had on some of our trips...or the places we travel to for that matter. I'll tell you some of our hotels...oh boy.
And right now the men are playing Brazil for this shot at the Gold and I am torn between writing this and watching the game. It's been an amazing tournament for our entire program. The beach teams have done amazing and both of our indoor teams have been performing so well. It's been so fun to sit and hang out with the guys (they lived on the floor under us). We tried so hard last night not to make too much noise cuz they had their game this morning.
We did end up going to the baseball team's floor and hanging out with them a bit. They had a little get together in their room with all of their players. As you can imagine 24 athletes plus rowers and some other countries did not make for quiet hours, but I don't think there was much to be quiet about. So I talked to them for a while then came back to my room to go to bed, which didn't happen.
We had a gold medalist visitor in our room. So I caught up with a fellow Hawaii girl for a few hours and then missed the bus to the Great Wall...(sorry mom) going to bed when the sun comes up does not make for a good tourist trip. But it's ok I had the opportunity to see the Wall in 1996 when I was here and I am gonna go out on a limb and say it hasn't changed much. :)
But today will be a fun-filled day. we have a reception at the USA house for both the Men and the Women's players. And then its off to water polo finals to support our boys later today before closing ceremonies at 7 p.m.
It's crazy to think that these games are already over. Another four years to wait. The USOC uses the saying its not every four years its everyday. And I have to say for us athletes its true, however for everyone that supports and watches us its every 4 years that all of our hard work is brought to the light of day and we get the loving emails and notes and texts about how much everyone loves us and how the enjoy watching us play. And for me, that makes all the sacrifices that we endure worth it.
So thank you so much for believing in us as individuals and as a team, because in your own way, you gave us the energy to go out there and play day after day. We play for you... all of you that love the sport of volleyball.
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Blog Description
Heather Bown is a middle blocker for the U.S. Women's National Team competing in her third Olympic Games during August 2008.
Comments
Comments RSSOn August 25, 2008 Saku Koivu 11 wrote
Congratulations "Boom Boom" for this silver medal: it's a great result for you after many months of hard work. I hope you will bring here in Jesi the same smile and the same joy that you had in Beijing. Thanks for all. GO HEATHER GO!!! SK11
On August 25, 2008 Saku Koivu 11 wrote
Congratulations "Boom Boom" for this silver medal. It's a great result for you after many months of hard work. I hope you will bring here in Jesi your smile and your joy that you had in Beijing. Thanks for all. GO HEATHER GO!!! SK11
On August 26, 2008 Silvia T. wrote
Hi Heather, I can't wait to see you until you'll come to Chieri with Jesi. I wish you the best. Ciao Silvia from Torino
On August 26, 2008 Guy Nembhard wrote
Heather...you've been a beacon of light for the team from the moment you've arrived. You've been a solid contributor and a positive influence on the younger players. You now have something to show for all of the hard work you've put in over this past 8 years. One more step up on the podium maybe? I'm so proud of the USA Volleyball program in general...we've have really been stalwarts in the world of volleyball. Now we have the medals to prove it. Keep up the great work. See you soon! Hit me up... volleyguy16@hotmail.com Guy :)
On August 26, 2008 scott dorn wrote
Hi Heather, Just wanted to congratulate you and your awesome team on your inspiring performance in China at the '08 Olympics! Super! I got to watch the team last fall in the World Cup ( I think ) on tv ,and got really excited about how good your team is, coaching is, etc. and that you qualified for the Oympics! Now to see all that work, training,etc. pay off for you all, and us, as your fans is really great! Nice to see you and Danielle light it up from the middle bringing your full offensive skills to the fore! I have to say to you that you seem to have a terrific attitude - upbeat and smiling any time the camera found you, whether you were just set, or hadn't seen a set in a long while. You seem happy to do what you can for your team at any moment unconditionally. I'm sure you help settle and ground your teamates aslo. It would be great to see more of your teams play televised or available on some video format! Are there any exhibition matches or some sort of World League play coming up near Southern California? I've gotten re-inspired about volleyball due to your and the men's team play as well! This is getting a little long, but a note to Lindsey Berg for Playing such a strong role against Italy and Cuba! And Logan who I got to meet (and hug) at a Stanford USC match at USC several years ago - being so solid all around!
On August 26, 2008 Mayito Leiva wrote
Congrats to you all! Heather...thanks for letting us take a peek of what goes on beyond the courtside during the olypmics. It was an amazing ride....and I've never truly enjoyed watching volleyball unit now...thanks in part to you ladies. I am very honored that you guys represented our country. And I can't wait to see what happens next.
On November 19, 2008 Kevin Taber wrote
Great reading your blogs. Congrats on your recent success in Italy.
On December 21, 2008 Jobet Sean Roxas wrote
Heather I know this is late but CONGRATS ON THE SILVER METAL! Im in the Air Force and I was in Kyrgyzstan on Deployment watch both mens and womens teams. Im originally from hawaii so im a "local boi" and i would always say that my favorite players i watched growing up are on the olympic teams. I remember watching u back home in the islands and i remember watching you when hawaii gave u your own day. I was way young when i saw it. But seeing you, Robyn, Kim, and Clay all play for the U.S team made me have so much pride for Hawaii. Id sneak out of work (i know that sounds bad but it wasnt) and go to my dormatories on base and watch the games and sometimes i would be in the chow hall for 2 hours to wait to see you guys play. Im trying out for the U.S Air Force team this year and im trainning all this year till tryouts in May. I even bought my Clay Stanley Jersey a few days ago so I can represent the best sport!!! Any advice on making the team. Again I love all my HAWAII PLAYERS to death. I cant wait to see you guys in 2012!!! -SrA. Jobet "Flyn Hawaiian" Roxas
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