Almost there...

Saturday was a busy day.
We slept in and did nothing about all day! well that's not entriely true... me and Liz (Collins, Liz 1) tired on our racing suits and had a little photo shoot, so that definately killed some time. We had relay practice at the pool at 7pm. Relay practice consisted of relay exchanges. After that was dinner and a little chill time.
Today got up and had breakfast (which is my fav meal at the cafeteria) then went to the pool and kinda dinked around and did some loosen swimming.
Then we had a team meeting back in the village, going over protocol for the meet, like where the ready-room is and how early to be there, where to go after you swim, massage location, etc. Pierre also played some "inspirational" clips, including a Molson Canadian commercial, haha.
After that we fought the wind and found a quiet area on lawn outside our building (the wind is craaaazy today!) to do our rookie skits... There were 4 skits: one was Chanelle and coach John doing a portugese soap opear where they spoke in "portugese" and someone else translated from a script in english... very entertaining. Next was Richard and Caity's James Bond, reversed roles skit, also VG. Then Chad and Hilary did a rap to the tune of "This is why I'm hot" where they had to include everyone on the team's name somehow. it was maybe the best one. Lastly Tommy, or Sammy Taco as he is now known as, and Zsofi did "pick up lines". Tommy wrote one for each girl, while Zsofi wrote one for each boy. then just before they said them they were instructed to switch lists, so Tommy tried to pick up the boys, and Zsofi the girls. All and all it was a pretty good rookie initiation... though I've seen better. sorry.
I just got back from lunch and will probs take a nap in a bit before heading back to the pool for my "Stinger" (a hard/fast effort in the pool) " a la Kim Brackin.
The meet finally starts on Monday evening, at 7, and then I swim 100back on Tuesday night! Gaaaaaaaaaaah, I can't wait!
Results should be available on http://www.swimming.ca/ in the pan ams section, or at the Rio07 website, the link to that is also available through the above link. Go to 'Schedule and Results' on the left and then click on the day you want for swimming. I think they might be slow with the results as the open water ones weren't up for hours... ohyeah! One of our open water girls won the bronze yesterday in the 10k! (they only do the 10k at pan ams, this is the first time open water has been competed at Pan ams.) A bunch of us watched it on TV, live, it was very exciting! She, Tanya Hunks (formly of Hamilton/Brantford area), definately got us off to a great start! It was such a good close race, she was only 7 tenths of a second behind the first place girl. CRAZY!
Anyway, I should get upstairs to my nap!

LIz2

PS Hey Greg and Julia, I wanna see some pics from the party!

No Thanks, Opening Ceremonies.

Today we got up and went to the pool as usual, except we all had to go in the morning because apparently the pool closed at noon because of opening ceremonies. But then tonight at dinner we found out that the Americans had gone to the pool in the afternoon... so either they~re getting special treatment or someone on our staff is a dumbass, haha. Luckily the 8am wake-up is not bad compared to the before 7 ones we were having in Montreal.
Today was also finally a beautiful day outside. It was sunny and warm, but not too warm, well atleast I thought it wasn~t too warm, others thought otherwise.
So after swimming in the morning we had all day to do nothing... it was great. I read and made door posters/signs (we drew names and had to create a door sign for the person whose name you drew... the girls each did one girl and one boy since the boys didn~'t want to make signs for each other... ) for my people.
Also, I guess if we were not swimming on the 1st or 2nd day we had the choice of going to opening ceremonies. I wasn~t aware of this choice, but didnt want to go anyway... too much standing and waiting. We did watch a little bit of it on TV... looked like the same old, same old.
ALso, today my parents arrived in Rio. Or at least they supposed to... I'm assuming they're at their resort up the coast.

Hope Canada and Texas aren't too hot!
Happy Friday the 13th! and 24th bday Laura!!

Ciao,
Liz

Thanks HBC? haha

We got our bags last night and are now we are now settled in quite nicely.
After a pretty decent sleep we went to the pool in daylight, though it was still overcast and a bit rainy, and the pool still looks cool, but it's dirty. Amazingly dirty for how new it's supposed to be.
Anyway, swim, lunch, short rest, swim, Flag raising ceremony... were Governor General of Canada was present and said a few words, and the mayor of the Vila Pan Americana spoke to us in portugese as well (and then badly translated). It was followed by a sweet drum group of Brazilian youth doing a little drunming and dancing, it was actually really cool. They could definately challenge the Fort Henry Guard Drums...
After dinner we were sent to the basement to change sizes and get things altered of our HBC team Canada gear. The stuff is okay in terms of it fitting well and being well made; but, I would like to meet the designer and ask him or her what is wrong with him or her. It is nearly impossible for most of the males to NOT look they belong in a Gay Pride parade in a few of the shirts. And since when are Canada's colors khaki, pink, blue, gold, yellow, and green? Luckily our "Podium Wear" is red and white (and gold).
Also, this afternoon at the pool I saw team USA, including the Texas contingent, and Tinnon my roommate in Austin. They looked tired as they had just got in... us yesterday.
Anyway, I've got to get going I have a massage at 8 and a team meeting at 8:30! yay!

Ciao!
Liz 2

Door to door service in just 25 hours!

It took us 25 hours but we made it to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
We left our hotel at 1:30pm EST and got here at about 4:30pm Rio time (one hour ahead, Atlantic time I guess).
We would have been here at 11am but we had a major delay in NYC at JFK... and I thought international flights didn't get delayed. It was for 4 hours and was due to air traffic control being backed up... a bunch of other flights were delayed our cancelled there too. Anyway, the flight was as bad as anticipated, I took a gravol and ended up sleeping for 5 or 6 hours (of a 9 hour flight), I was awakened occassionally by crying babies. I hate babies, especilly the ones that cry.
Once we got to Sao Paulo we were quickly deplaned and put through security, only to be put back on the same plane to get to Rio (why we had to even get off the plane in the first place, I don't know). Once in Rio we went through customs together and then got our accrediation and luggage (which still isn't at the village yet, and it's like 9pm, shitty) and got on a bus to take us to the village. We got to drive past the ghetto, which is unlike any ghetto I have ever since, I tried to get some drive-by shots but I'm not sure how they turned out. It is like a high poverty area, almost like a post-war zone, but there are soccer fields scattered throughout and kids playing the game, usually with no shoes.
When we arrived at the village I felt like I was in Miami. The village buildings have that art deco feel and are in bright colors.
After dumping our carry-ons we had a late lunch (food will be a challenge, it is not very good) and then went to the pool for a swim. As soon as we got there it started to rain and continues to.
The pool though, is breathtakingly amazing! I can't wait to race in it!!!!! and see it in daylight! haha
Well, I have to go get my HBC outfitting and make sure everything fits.
Peace,
LIz 2

(I'm Liz 2 because Liz 1 in my roommate Liz Collins (she's a few months older))

Brazil Tomorrow...?

So tomorrow is the big day, the big travel day that is. After almost 2 weeks in Montreal we are finally heading to Brazil and Pan Ams!! It is going to be a super long travel day and I am really not looking forward to it, but there will be gold at the end of this rainbow... haha.
I still have to pack up all my shit and organize my carry-ons and wash some clothes (these red hoodies and towels that have been leaking red dye onto the white t-shirts they gave us, fun!)
Last night we had a team BBQ at one of the coaches house (he lives in a suburb of Montreal). It was good times chillin in his backyard outside the noise of the city... the whole time we've been here they've been ripping apart our hotel's street. The jack-hammering starts at like 7:15am, so sleeping in is pretty much out of the question. I think I may have mentioned this in the previous post, but oh well, you would complain about it too if you were living in this hole of a hotel... the tap water in our room has been runnning brown as well, thank gawd theres a gorcery store around the corner with cheap bottled water.
Anyway, I must be off to pack and eat dinaire, team meeting at 6:30! EEEEEEEEE!
Look for the next blog from RIO!

LIz-Core

1407

yeah, we are almost in room 1408, how scary would that have been? haha
Anyway, I discovered, or was lead to, the "business centre" in our hotel today, so I am back online, yay!
I'm still in Montreal, we're doing a pre-Pan Ams training camp or staging camp, basically just putting the final preparations into our bodies and whatnot in order to swim fast in less than 2 weeks, yay!
So things are going well, all settled in and such, and into the good old routine of swim, eat, sleep repeat. hahaha. We are staying in a hotel in the heart of Montreal so there is lots to see and do if we so please. However, all I want to do is rest ie watch TV or read all day between workouts and get massages everyday :)
We only have a few more days in Montreal, we fly to Rio overnight on Tuesday... I am starting to get really excited about the meet again (after my collision/shitty weekend swims) and going back to Brazil!!

Hope all is well with all of you...

PEACE!
Liz-COre

Montreal

Well I am in Montreal and have been here since Thursday morning at 4am. Yes 4am. Our flight, mine and Pan Am teammate Tommy, was supposed to get to Montreal at 5:15pm on Wednesday, but it was cancelled, so we were re-routed through Chicago. But we had to leave Austin and that flight was originally at 12:20 but got delayed to 5:00pm. Good times in AUS, haha. So since we were so delayed in AUstin we thought we were going to have to RUN to our gate in Chicago to make our connection. So we did run, we had about 20 mins. We made it to our gate and there was a 10min delay, so we had time to grab dinner. When we got back from dinner our flight was delayed 2 more hours! so til 10pm. so we wait. and then they delay it til 11pm because our crew has not arrived. blah. Our crew arrives and we start to board. Then our boarding passes were rejected because there was a weight restriction on the flight! So the airline people are trying to get a bag count from the tarmack to see if they can let more people on board. They can let 3 more on, we are amongst them, i almost have a heart attack from relief. We finally get to montreal at 2:31am EST. it is thunder and lightening. we can't get off the plane because during lightning no one can operate the gate thingy. Meanwhile, as we sit on the plane for 45 more mins we see a continental plane arrive, deplane, and then be towed away empyt. we still sit there. Finally they let us off and we go through customs and get our bags. I arrive at my hotel at 4am! but luckily I can sleep til noon. BUT at 9:30am contruction starts down the hall and it sounds like they are in my room with sledgehammers knocking down my walls.

I am swimming okay at this Grand Prix meet. I was in a head-on collision in warm-up before my 200bk final so that distracted me and my swim suffered. But I still won, the time was just a little not so good, haha.

Anyway, one more day of the meet remains and then we start our "staging camp" on Monday.
It is cold here.

Au Revoir.
La Core de Liz.