2000 Sydney Olympics Journal - Part 2
Kendall Cross
2000 Sydney Olympics Journal -
G'day mates!
I was called a "bloke" by my driver today. I asked him if that was an insult or a compliment. Apparently, it's Australian for "dude," or "guy," so I'm okay. I have feeling we'll be hearing a lot of these strange terms in the next ten days. I'll keep you abreast.
On to the important stuff: Prior to the trip to Canberra, I toured Sydney Olympic Park where all or most of the competitions take place. Very festive, I might add. With me, was Nancy Schultz. For those of you who don't know Nancy, she is the widow of slain Olympic Gold Medalist Dave Schultz. Some of you might recall that Dave was killed just before the '96 Atlanta Games by duPont heir, John duPont. Nancy is heavily involved with USA Wrestling. After Dave's death, she founded the Dave Schultz Wrestling Foundation, which funds and trains Olympic caliber wrestlers. I am fortunate enough to be a part of the club as a coach.
The drive to Canberra was beautiful. On the way, we saw road signs that mentioned there would be koala bears up ahead. That's definitely something you don't see in the states. Although I didn't see any koala's, my good friend, Roger Reina (Penn Univ. Head Coach) and I walked out into the bush for a peak at some kangaroos. Incredible sight to see wild kangaroo. They were very interested in us as well.
We arrived in Canberra just in time to catch the end of a workout with the Olympic team members. It seems the team's spirits are high. They are all sick of training, and are ready to just get the tournament started. If you can imagine, the hardest part is the wait. There's nothing worse than that feeling of uncertainty; of not knowing how the results will play out. But once you shake hands and the referee blows the whistle, it's all the same. So it's that moment that they are very anxious to take place. I spoke with Dan Gable about his thoughts. He was extremely optimistic. His thoughts are that all eight team members have a shot at winning gold. To be honest, I have to agree. This is one of the best teams ever assembled from the standpoint of be capable of winning. The potential for this team is tremendous. I spoke to Terry Brands, my nemesis from the '96 Olympic Trials, and found him to be very relaxed and also anxious to get things under way.
Cary Kolat didn't talk much and seemed pretty edgy. The coaches mentioned their desire for him loosen up a bit. I think Cary has one of the best chances of winning the gold. He is focused and driven. I think he's on the right track, because he said he doesn't want to have a close match. That speaks volumes about how he feels regarding his chances. Most people would say, "I just want to win it!" But Cary says he doesn't want a close match. He's way ahead in confidence. Go Cary!
The coaches mentioned that Melvin Douglas was training hard and is as ready as they've ever seen him. Melvin is the grandfather of the team. He's 37 years old.
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