XV Pan American Games Rio 2007

Final results, closing ceremonies and more pics!

2007-07-30T07:28:00.000-07:00

Well we were unable to beat the Mexicans in the medal race which left us in 4th overall. Yesterday we packed our boats and gear in the container during the day and walked in closing ceremonies that night. Fortunately our shuttle bus took us home from the sailing venue via the coast which gave us a chance to see some of the beautiful Rio coast! Today we are packing our bags and off to the airport! This experience has been incredible, however I can honestly say I am ready to get home! 15 days of the same food every night and sleeping in a dormitory gets old!
Here are some pictures!

Really tall men's USA Basketball player...

Starting to pack the container 8:30 AM

Container packing almost done 11:30 AM

closing ceremonies

And..apparently mullets are back in style in Argentina...

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Medal race today!!

2007-07-28T02:59:00.001-07:00

Another front passed through yesterday forcing officials to cancel all races due to lack of wind. Today's race will determine all three medal positions.
Total points going into today are:
1st: Brazil - 12 points
2nd: Uruguay - 14 points
3rd: Mexico - 18 points
4th: USA - 19 points
5th: Argentina - 25 points

What makes today's race different?
1) points count twice
2) medal race finish breaks any tie breakers in total scores
3) jury resolves all penalties on the water

Here are the strategic challenges for today's race:
1) We can win the gold if we win the race today, Uruguay finishes 4th and Brazil 5th
2) We win bronze by simply beating Mexico
3) We can win silver if we beat Mexico and put 3 boats between us and Uruguay
4) We can not let Argentina put 3 boats between us; meaning finishes can not go Argentina 1 -USA 4 nor Argentina 2 - USA 5

Today's race will be a battle. We are expecting a mix of match racing along with fleet racing.

I will be posting lots of additional picture between today and Monday.
What's left?
-medal ceremony tonight
-closing ceremonies tomorrow night
-pack the container before Monday
-Leave Rio Monday night

Day 5 started really well...

2007-07-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

Breeze was finally on today! We had 3 races. We won the first race and then made crucial mistakes in the 2nd and 3rd. We were wining all three races, but we took too many risks in the 2nd and 3rd causing us to drop places during the races. Our finishes today were 1, 5, 7. We are in 4th place, 1 point out 3rd, 4 points out of 2nd and 6 points out of 1st. Tomorrow could be another 3 day race if the breeze is on again. So, the GOLD is still in reach! Also, the medal race on Saturday counts twice.

Race day 4

2007-07-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

Frontal breeze fought the sea breeze again today! There was only 1 race in which we finished third. We are still in second place overall. At this point all top 4 boats are in medal contention. Every point counts! Racing continues until Friday. with solid breeze, the race officials can get up to 6 more races in. The medal race is on Saturday. Only the top 5 boats race in the medal race. The finish in this race counts double!

Here are some pics!

Augie and I going upwind

Pre race morning sessions with our physical therapist Shawn Hunt

The boat park in the morning

My living quarters

I forgot to post this earlier...here is a picture of us unloading the boats from the container when we arrived last Wed!

Day 3 racing

2007-07-25T03:58:00.001-07:00

We got a 1st yesterday which launched us into a tie for 2nd! There was no wind in the morning so the first race didn't start until 3:45. A massive front is sitting over Rio right now which is causing lots of rain and light winds. It looks like the front is clearing a bit today so we are hoping for a solid sea breeze day. I PROMISE to take some pictures today and will post them tonight!

Race day 2

2007-07-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

We finished 5 and 4 in race 1 and 2 respectively today. The race committee wanted to get 3 races off today to make up for yesterday's cancellations, but the dying breeze left little time for a 3rd race at the end of the day.
We are siting in 4th place right now. There are 6 more races to go plus a final medal race on Sat that counts double. This is a long event with lots of racing so staying consistent is key.

I didn't take any photos today (due to first race day jitters...). So here are some pictures from random experiences:

me at the Pan Am Games sailing venue

picture of other competitors on the Pan Am Games bus riding from the athletes village to the sailing venue

The USA Sailing team during team processing in DC:

Race day 1

2007-07-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, there were no races today. The northerly fought the sea breeze all day. Forecast is for 20 knots tomorrow! Should be a good day.
What I learned today:
1) South American male sailors take off too much clothing on hot, no wind days...tiny speedo bikinis were everywhere....
2) Beach volleyball, water polo and basket ball players are VERY tall in person
3) I am presently getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and can't think of anymore things I learned today...

Bye,
Tracy

Measurement woes…the moment of inertia test..and pin trading!

2007-07-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody! Here's me...8:15 PM on Sat updating my blog in the USA dorm here at the athletes village (a.k.a Pan Am Jail..we are locked in by guards with machine guns)

The good news is official equipment measurement is OVER and we were blazing fast in the practice race today! However we were at the sailing venue from 9:30AM - 9:45PM last night trying to complete measurement. For my non sailor friends, official measurement involves a lengthy process where an official measures and weighs almost everything on the boat to make sure it complies with class rules. At 4:00 yesterday, the officials decided to do the Moment of Inertia test for each boat. The process started at 6:00 PM and ended at 9:45. Approximately half of the boats failed the test initially. Unfortunately we were one of them. Fortunately we were able to shift the lead weights in the boat aft and forward until we reached compliance.

Moment of Inertia Test

Augie shifting the weights until our boat passed the test

Another part of measurement involved putting the official country codes on our sails
Go USA!

Me with our boat at some point during measurement..I lost track of time

Also...Pin trading is huge here...see my WIP below

Day 3...

2007-07-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

My new cell phone is +011-55-21-8890-2698. I am usually available before 9:30 AM and after 6 PM.

Spent most of the day measuring our race sails and then a 2 hour training sessions with the Uruguayans and Mexicans. Breeze was on today. It was good for me to get a hard hiking session in (reminding me of the pain so I can mentally prepare for it if we get a windy race day). Unfortunately Augie has come down with a cold, but he is fighting through it. He was definitely sailing fast today!

These large international events are tough. Staying mentally and physically ready is a challenge when there are 5 pre-race measurement/logistics days prior to the actual event starts. I have been running in the morning to keep my legs strong. However the days are long since we spend about 4-6 hours a day on fine tunning our boat and Pan Am Games equipment measurement.

Tomorrow is another long day of equipment measurement. Practice race is on Saturday and the first Pan Am Games sailing race is on Sunday. Racing will last all next week. Stay tuned! Thank you for following my blog and for keeping in touch!
-Tracy

Day 2...perks here

2007-07-18T17:49:00.002-07:00

First, my cell phone broke. I am getting another one tomorrow. I will post new number then. We spent most the day unloading the boats from the container today and rigging. We got on the water briefly. Tomorrow will be a longer tuning day with measurement to follow tomorrow night.

OK now an update on what life is like here..the good & the bad:
1) GOOD: free tickets and transportation to all Pan Am Games events. We watched swimming tonight (200 free, 200 IM and 400 medley)
2) GOOD: We got to chat with the swimmers who competed in the elevator here at the athletes village
3) GOOD: 24 hour food hall open BAD: same food every night...They are trying to feed 5500 hungry athletes...The food hall is a total zoo..like a feeding frenzy
4)BAD: lines to get food in the "feeding frenzy" can take up to 30 mins...
5) GOOD: USA has a dedicated trainer who gives us deep muscle massages every day....
6) BAD: too many mosquitoes...
7) BAD: sailing venue us a 1 hour bus ride away...and every one drives in the "Pan Am Games designated bus lanes" during rush hour

mens 200 Free (qualification event)
(this one is for my swim buddies in Newport AC masters swimming)

Food hall (aka "feeding frenzy")

me participating in "feeding frenzy"

Day 1 in Rio..

2007-07-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

After 14 hours of travel, we finally arrived to Rio today at 12 Noon! Each athlete was given a cell phone. My number is +011-55-21-8889-6782 in case someone feels the urge to call me! Organization here has been impressive! All Pan Am Games athletes had special processing through customs and baggage claim at the airport. All our bags were then loaded on a truck and we were all driven to the athletes village in private buses with 3-4 police escorts! All major highways had one lane dedicated for Pan Am Bus use only so it was a quick 30 min ride to our housing. Tomorrow we unload the boats from the container, rig and tune them. The remainder of the week will be measurement and practice. Stay tuned for more pictures and updates!

Pan Am Athletes Bus

Private security for Pan Am buses

Athletes Village entrance (more security....!)

Community center inside athletes village

cross training...

2007-06-21T17:53:00.000-07:00

Ezra and I sailing our International 14

the early years....

2007-06-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

my random doping test experience....

2007-06-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

With all the doping controversy these days, all athletes competing in the Pan Am Games are subject to a random doping test. Several months ago I was required to fill out detailed forms stating where I could possibly be from now until the start of the games. I knew I would be called for a random test, but I didn't expect them to show up at my front door!

So...last Thursday the doorbell rang at 5:30 PM. I was frantically trying to wrap up my work week and start packing for a regatta I had that weekend. I answered the door and was shocked to see two USADA representatives there to collect a "sample" from me! I invited them in while they explained the testing process. I, of course, was not prepared to give them a sample on demand; so they followed me around my house while I packed and pounded glasses of water. 1 hour later I announced I was ready to pee to which they responded, "I hope your sample isn't too diluted because then we will have to wait here for another sample." Diluted, I thought? Why didn't they tell me this before? So I quickly ate 3 cookies and chased them with another glass of water in hopes of avoiding a "diluted sample".

It hadn’t occurred to me why there were two USADA representatives in my house until the female representative followed me into the bathroom to watch me “give my sample”. After the USADA reps tested my sample to make sure it wasn’t diluted, they packaged it in two bottles and told me it would be sent off for testing.

Wow, what a weird experience! Between my work and sports travel, I am still shocked that they caught me at home. I asked what would have happened had I not been here. They said they would have waited at my door for 45 mins, then called me and my primary contact, and then given me 2 hours to report to my house. Had I been unable to report in time, I would have failed my drug test....

Some interesting facts about the 07 Pan Am Games

2007-06-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.cob.org.br/pan2007/ingles/indexing.asp

Here are some facts about the 07 Pan Am Games:
Where? Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
When? July 13- 29 (measurement July 19-20, racing July 22-28, closing ceremonies July 29)
What class am I competing in? the Snipe
Who is my team mate? Augie Diaz
How many countries are competing this year? 42 countries
How many sports compete? 33 sports
Sailing Venue: Gloria Marina
My accommodations: Athlete's Village in Barra da Tijuca. The PAG Village will host approximately 7,500 athletes and team officials
Security: USOC is working with CI-RIO. CI-RIO has booked 13,000 police officers for the PAG. The SWAT team will be present at each PAG venue. All transportation to and from venues will have police escorts and they may open Olympic lanes to lessen traffic issues.

Stay posted for lots of pictures and new updates!

Cheers,
Tracy Smith