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| Olympic Diary Rhadi Ferguson, Judo 100kg |
| EVERY SPORT HAS A CHAMPION EVERY CHAMPION HAS A JOURNEY AND EVERY JOURNEY HAS A STORY. WELCOME TO MY STORY. As we near the Opening Ceremonies of the Games of the 28th Olympiad, A time of reflection only seems appropriate. It was only fours years ago when I was sitting one a plane, on my way back to the United States after fighting in Korea and placing 5th. A third place finish would have allowed me to earn a spot on the United States Olympic Team, but instead I was on a plane crying until my eyes became so red and puffy that I had to make a conscious decision not to cry anymore. I thought about all of the time and energy that I poured into trying to make the team and I thought to myself, “Can I put my body and my family through this again?” I am certainly glad that I found an answer that has paid off some major emotional dividends. But through this whole process, the thing that I really learned is this: THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE “I MADE THE OLYMPIC TEAM” STORY AND THE “I DIDN'T MAKE THE OLYMPIC TEAM” STORY. Both stories are filled with hardships, pain, anguish, sacrifice, uncertainty, triumphs, wins, controversial calls, upsets, tears, smiles, workouts, sweat and blood. Both stories are from people who wake up with one goal on their mind - becoming an Olympian. And I know, more people don't make the team, than do. So, to those folks like T.C. Dantzler, Ethan Bosch, Dremiel Byers, Anastasia Krivosta, Christina Yannestos, Theo Caracostas, Michael Barnes, Steve Woods and a host of others - I say - may God Bless you and comfort you and you don't have to be an Olympian to exhibit Olympism and all of you have done that. To my fellow Olympians - I say congratulations. And to all of the people on this mailing list - I say - Enjoy, this is going to be one heckuva ride. We will begin on August 1, and we will finish with a recap when I get back to the United States. Rhadi Ferguson 2004 Olympian |
| Well, I have one more workout to go!! I am still at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The Freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling teams are still banging and everybody is really beat up, tired, irritated, and ready to go. Everybody is really on edge, kinda like the sameway we all get when the Olympic Trials get close. But now it's moreserious. Everything is on the line. All the money, all your invested time, all of your pain and inconveniences - everything - it's all on the line. John The Olympic Games is the most exciting sporting event in the world. For about 2 weeks, the whole world tunes in to see the world's best athletes "get down". Folks make their predictions and magazines like Real Judo and Sports Illustrated, give their predictions. Recently, I was in the cafeteria at the OTC and a lot of the wrestlers were pretty pissed off about the predictions made by Sports Illustrated for the Olympics. They were arguing back and forth and they were UPSET!! I had to stop and tell them - "Hey, you'vegot to be in it - TO WIN IT!! And you're in it. The editor from Sports Illustrated cannot go out there and win a Gold Medal. Only you can, so damn what they say!! You're in it - so go win it!" Everybody started laughing, but now when I walk in the cafeteriapeople say, "YOU GOTTA BE IN IT - TO WIN IT!!!" Rhadi Ferguson 2004 Olympian USA Judo |
| John I had a tremendous practice yesterday. Everything was clicking, my timing was down and I felt smooth. Today my body is hurting a little bit, I tweaked my hamstring and my shoulder slightly but all in all I feel great. I'm going to shut it down until Thursday and let my body heal and stay fresh. I need for my legs to feel nice and froggy. Good and explosive. Today I will pack. I am leaving for Fort Myers, Fl. My wife and I will drive from Fort Myers, FL to Boca Raton where I will have my "Olympic Sendoff". The sendoff will be help at the Institute of Human Performance (IHP) from 10am - 4pm. I am really looking forward to it. The sendoff will occur on the 5th and I will leave for Athens out of Miami International Airport on the 6th. Then when we arrive in Athens we will receive our gear for the Opening Ceremonies, our Olympic Village credentials, and the Olympic Clothing that we have earned as Olympians. It stands to be a very exciting time. John I am trying to take all of it in, while staying focused on the main goal which is to "Be in it to WIN IT!!" Well, I gotta go watch some film. Rhadi Ferguson, 2004 Olympian, USA Judo |
| First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone for their emails and best wishes. It just is not possible for me to reply to everyone, but try my best. Please don't think that I am ignoring you - I LOVE YOUR EMAILS!! They brighten up my day and make me feel great!! (I just wanted to get that outta the way first and let you know that.) So John, here we are - August 4th. I packed last night. I put my four judo gis in my bag, my headphones, power bars, protein shake, vitamins, contacts, saline solution, digital camera, camcorder, and everything that I thought was necessary in my bag. And then when I thought I was packed I looked on the counter and I forgot to pack my doggone scouting reports!!! I laughed, at how I could forget the most important thing of the trip [save for my Bible, I always keep that in my bookbag :-) ]. But that is how losses occur, one slight mental lapse and you're down and out - you're thrown for 3 or 5, hit with stalling or thrown for Ippon (in judo) At that time I began to think about how I need to enjoy the Olympic experience, but that I still must keep a high level of focus on the task at hand. It was something very small, but the little things are what separates the good ones from THE GREAT ONES!! Paying attention to the details is always crucial and it will be more so at the Olympics.I have to catch a plane in about 2 hours, so I will rap with you all tomorrow. Rhadi Ferguson 2004 Olympian |
| John Hey today was a tough one. I arrived in Boca Raton last night late. Then I got to the Institute of Human Performance for the Morning News show at 4am. The show was at 5. We did it live and then a taping until 730am. After that I had to help set up and then before I knew it - it was 1030am. So there I was doing interviews for the local paper and then I did another demonstration at 1pm and then I had a tough workout at 2pm in front of about 150 people. I was a good PR move, but a tiring day. I am ready, all of my times for my circuits dropped I am feeling okay, even though I'm tired and I'm ready to go. It is now 5:35 pm. John I leave for Athens tomorrow. Take care and I will write again in about 2 days and tell you about the flight, about Athens and the accreditation process. Peace, Rhadi Ferguson 2004 Olympian |
| John It finally hit me!! I woke up this morning - IN THE OLYMPIC VILLAGE!! I just couldn't believe where I was. I looked over at the dresser and saw my credentials and I had to pinch myself. I was looking at my picture and underneath it reads: "Rhadi Ferguson - ATHLETE United States of America" and in the right corner is reads "ATHENS 2004". Goodness GRACIOUS!!!! At 6am Grecian time, I had a smile on my face that could have lit up the whole complex! Well, enough about that let me tell you about last night. I got a little bit hungry so I decided to head over to the cafeteria, which is open 24 hours a day. In the cafeteria, you have you choice of whatever food you would like. There is a McDonalds, an Asian Station (with sushi!!), a cold cut section, a pasta and pizza section, a fruit section and a beverage section. I know I'm leaving stuff out, but the list would be too longotherwise. The cafeteria is awesome. Inside of the cafeteria, you could see athletes from all over the world!! It was just a beautiful sight to just see everybody getting along and shaking hands, bowing and smiling. This is what the world is supposed to be like, this is how we are supposed to govern ourselves as human beings. And to be honest with you, sometimes it takes sports (which tends to bring out the highest levels of diplomacy in individuals) to teach us that. Well, I'm off. This morning we will finish the credentialing process and receive our Olympic outfitting (hat, shoes, bags, shirts,etc.,.) Take care, Rhadi Ferguson, CSCS 2004 Olympian USA Judo |
| John Just got out of practice. It was very hot, but I feel great. Crisp and smooth. My teammates look good too. I am really impressed with Celita Shutz, Brian Olson and Jimmy Pedro. Hey John, I ran into Rulon Gardener today at theAmerican College of Greece. He looks fit and ready to go. Most of the Americans train at the American College of Greece instead of at the village of at the venues that are available to the other countries. At The ACG we have a setup that is very similar to the Olympic Training Center. We have a Sports Medicine Div, a sports Psych division, we brought the chefs from the Olympic training center so the food is similar to what we are used to and we have our own strength and conditioning facility. It's all gravy!! After practice today I went to Sports Med and got a massage and then saw chiropractor to get my hips and back loose. Things are going okay, we (the judo team) are staying downstairs from the Softball team. I got Jenny Finch to autograph a picture for me. And yes, she is as beautiful as all the magazines make her out to be (but my WIFE'S GOT HER BEAT BY A MILE!!! :-) The Greco Roman wrestling team got here yesterday and the freestyle team will be here on Wednesday. That's about it. Going for the Gold, Rhadi Ferguson USA Judo |
| Today is the 11th of August - 2 more days until Opening Ceremonies. Most of the Lightweights are not practicing today. I think I am going to do 2 hard randori rounds (for my wrestling fans - that's 2 five minute goes). I will get on the track and do "my warmup" and then change into my gi and fight. It is important to do "your warmup". I don't train with the people here on a regular basis so when other people lead the stretching routine it bothers me because I have certain things that I want to do in my warmup routine - so I find a way to break away as soon as possible. This morning I just asked the coaches if I could do my own thing so I can make sure that I am ready and that my warm up is sufficient for this climate. It is very hot!!! It feels like South Florida here. Drinking water is a must. I strained my left bicep muscle yesterday which was due to dehydration (hurts like hell :-) ) but it's not bad just irritating. I am getting real excited about the Games getting ready to begin.Yesterday I was hanging out with the track and field athletes. They have got to be the funniest athletes on the planet. They have a wide array of personalities and charisma. I took some pictures with Maurice Greene yesterday, he's a pretty small guy, but of course fast. I will have a picture CD made and then after the Opening ceremonies - I will put some up. Gotta go to practice. Take it easy, Rhadi Ferguson 2004 Olympian USA Judo |
| We had a team meeting today and Jimmy Pedro gave a talk that would have knocked your $@#%#$^(% socks off!!! Man, I got so hyped from that speech is was unreal. He basically explained, after having been to 3 Olympic Games (this being his fourth) that nothing happensat the Olympics the way you expect it to. He said that every Olympic Games there has been a nobody that you have never heard of before the Games that gets on the medal stand and then after the Games he's a nobody again, but on THAT DAY he was the man. He said, if you believeyou can get to the stand, you'll be there. He told us how he was favored to win in 2000 and ended up fifth and how he wasn't favored in 1996 and ended up 3rd. He talked about believing that you can do it and leaving the naysayers in the dust. It was truly moving. We had press conference today. It was the first time that I've been on a discussion panel having questions fired at me. I felt like Micheal Jordan :-) Practice was good. My legs feel a bit heavy. I will take 2morrow off, get an ice bath a massage and get ready for................ THE OPENING CEREMONIES BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As you can see.... I'm slightly excited. Oh one more thing. I had a great conversation with Flavio Canto (81 kg judoka from Brazil). We were just talking about how this is the culmination of all of our hard work and training and sacrifices. He was talking about the magic of the Olympics and how this is his last hurrah. It was moving. We talked for about 40 minutes. Man, everybody here has a story. I'm just glad that you have chosen to read mine. Take care and I'll write again. I will probably shut down a day or two b4 I compete. I compete on the 19th of August. Rhadi Ferguson 2004 Olympian USA Judo |
| Last night was INCREDIBLE!!!! The Openining Ceremonies of the Olympics has to be the most amazing sporting ever!! I was there on the worlds' stage, with the worlds' best athletes, with the whole world watching!! I really enjoyed myself. I had an opportunity to take lots of pictures which I will probably share after the judo competition ends on the 19th and I took lots of video footage. John Yao Ming has to be the tallest individual that I have every seen in my life!! He was literally heads and shoulders above everybody else. Most disappointing moment. John Some of the members of the Men's USA Basketball Team refused to take pictures with the other Olympians!! I will not mention any names because I don't want to go there. I will just say their behavior was not received well by a large contigency of the US athletes. I was really surprised that they would act in such a way. We are all the best' at what it is we do. We all practice hard and long, sweat and bleed, and we all are here to compete for the USA. That part of the evening really left a bad taste in a lot of the athletes mouths. I know for a fact there are some jerseys that I will not spend my money on EVER!!!! Hey, I talked to Andy Roddick today - what a cool dude. He is really down to earth and just a smooth cat. It was a pleasure to talk with him and grab a couple of laughs. It was real refreshing to rap with him after the behavior of the basketball players the other night. Well, I gotta go. Just got a massage and got iced up. I'm going to domy laundry and get something to eat. Rhadi Ferguson 2004 Olympian |
| Jimmy Pedro wins the Bronze Medal!! In a hard fought match against France - Jimmy tired the Frenchman out and pinned him. Well, really Jimmy submitted him because the guy tapped. I think Jimmy pushed him to the brink of exhaustion. I am very happy for my man Jimbo. Hey the Korean won. He threw everybody for Ippon. What an amazing day!! Jimmy really showed his perseverance in hanging in there and coming back after a loss. Hey John one more thing - Rick Hawn (81kg) and Ronda Rousey (63kg) are up tomorrow. I am not sure how Ellen Wilson did today. I just didn't follow that well. I was working out earlier today to drop these last couple of pounds and I didn't follow. As a matter of fact I missed Jimmy's first match. 73 Kg final Korea Rus - Makarov USA - Pedro BRA - Guilerho (Jr. World Champ) This was an exciting day!!!!!! Take care, Rhadi Ferguson |
| Okay Okay Okay... John Jimmy Pedro got in last night around 3am and when I heard him rustling around, I got up and grabbed him and hugged him. I was so proud of him. I told him, "Man in two of thosematches I was wondering how you were going to do it. The guys were stronger than you, you were getting pushed around and I was just asking myself how in the world is he going to do it." He said, "I was thinking the same thing" And we laughed. Jimmy fought 7 matches and they all looked like World War III. Awesome, just awesome. I just got done working out today. It is my last judo workout. I am scheduled to get my cortisone shot for my shoulder in about an hour.I will stay in the village and chill for the next couple of days. I will probably help Olson warm up tomorrow. It is just tooemotionally draining watching everybody. Right now I am not even watching the "live feed" in the village. It makes my heart hurt to see people lose and I get too exciting when people I know win. So I will just sit back and write you all :-) I talked to Jason Gatson (USA Gymnastics) this morning. He's still riding on a high. The US won a silver medal yesterday and he hasn't removed his smile yet. Japan won the gold (go figure). Andy Roddick and his partner lost in doubles competition yesterday. What else...... oh, Rick Hawn and Ronda Roussey are fighting today and I'm up to bat in 2 days!!!! Rhadi Ferguson 2004 Olympian Going for the Gold!!!! (why go for less?) |