Well here it goes...officially my last post from London! I know I have slacked on updating the blog for the past few days, but my oh my was it one fast and furious week.
I left off the last blog with the USA Women's Soccer Team taking part in their last pool play match in Manchester, and following that, I had a week of various Olympic Events. Last Thursday night, I was lucky enough to be in Olympic Park at the aquatic center to see Missy Franklin, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte! I saw Phelps go head to head with Lochte in the 200m IM Final, as Phelps captured the gold. Any time Lochte looked like he was starting to gain any sort of group, Phelps just pulled away. It was such a cool experience to see the most decorated Olympian do what he does best - win gold! The teen sensation Missy Franklin also swam that night, and while I did not see her win a gold, she was still remarkable for a 17 year old. To think back to 2 years ago, and try and imagine being 17 and in the Olympics is just insanity. Such a great feat for a promising American swimmer.
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| Me in Olympic Park at sundown |
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| My view in the aquatic center - crazy architecture! |
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| The start of the 200 IM final |
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| The Man, The Legend |
Friday, I was able to get tickets to a random event - Table Tennis! It was the Women's team quarterfinals, and it was really interesting. The women's game is more tactics than power, so while not all the rallies had crazy, fast-paced action, the ones that did surely captivated the audience. Honestly, just being at that sort of event that isn't too big in the US but is still a great Olympic sport was unusual but one of my best memories.
Saturday, I headed back to Manchester to see a quarterfinal Men's soccer match (if you can't tell, I love my soccer!) that featured Japan and Egypt. Neither of those 2 teams has a huge draw from their name, but the stadium was almost at full capacity with 71,000 people in attendance! Egypt was picked as a dark-horse in the tournament, and while they looked great in the first half, a red card just before the intermission doomed them and theirI chances of advancing. Japan ended up winning 3-0, and had some great goals that were exciting to watch.
Sunday, took a short tube ride across London to Earls Court, where the USA Women's Volleyball Team was playing! They faced a pesky Turkish side that would not give up, almost defeating the Americans in the first set. However, once our girls calmed down, they took care of business in a crushing 3-0 victory, eliminating Turkey from the tournament. The second game of the night had Brazil against Serbia, and as one of the top teams in the tournament, Brazil followed suit of the Americans, winning 3-0 and knocking Serbia out of the competition.
Finally, my last Olympic event was Monday, and will be without a doubt my most prominent memory from the trip. A group of roughly 20 students from our trip headed to Manchester to see the USA Women's Soccer Team again, this time in the quarterfinals against our rivals up north. While we felt that our side was dominating the match, Canada took a 1-0 lead into the break. However, a never-die attitude served the Americans well. We tied the match up at 1, only for Canada to take the lead 2-1 shortly after. However, the greatest goal I have seen in a women's game from Megan Rapinoe (side note - we got a picture with her parents before the match) tied it at 2. Once again the Canadians took the lead at 3-2, but a penalty kick from Abbey Wambach in the 80th minutes tied it up once again, and sent the match into extra time.
In extra time, both sides looked exhausted, and the game looked like it was destined for a much dreaded penalty shootout to decide who would advance onto Wembley Stadium and the gold medal match. However, with 1 minute remaining in extra time, I looked to my buddy to the left of me and said "Okay, last chance!" And wouldn't you know it, Alex Morgan, in the 123rd minute, scored the game winning goal, sending the Americans to the gold medal match and a rematch against Japan, who beat us in the 2011 World Cup Final. Once she scored, the stadium erupted, and I have since had no voice. As our group of 20 walked out of the stadium, we continously sang "Oh when the yanks! (Oh when the Yanks) Go marching in! (Go marching in) Oh when the yanks go marching in, oh how I love to be an American, oh when the Yanks go marching in!" USA chants broke out as anyone wearing stars and stripes was giving high-fives all around. Our group had gone all out in decoration, painting our faces, wearing flags, and some even wearing leggings resembling the flag, so we got bombarded for pictures with little kids who surely had to have been loathing their parents for making them get pictures with us - we were loud and proud, and a bit intimidating for small children if you ask me. I can honestly say that I have never been more proud to be an American than that night, and 30 years from now I will tell my kids how I watched the greatest soccer match in Olympic history, and how I watched the American spirit persevere, and how I watched a team show the world what being an American truly is.
Just now, writing this post, I have goosebumps thinking back to last night and the craziness that it was! However, it is getting late here, and I am headed out early in the morning for my flight. This summer has been more than I could have ever asked for. The people that I have met and the experiences I have had will never be forgotten. I am looking forward to writing one last post when I get home, looking back on my time here and all that I have gained - knowledge, friendships and experiences.
Until then,
Ben
P.S. Stateside in 24 hours!!!!! Cannot wait :)
P.P.S - More pictures to follow - slow internet tonight
