Boats, Tsunami's, and More.....

We went on another boat ride today. This one was down the Rogue River in Golden Beach, Oregon. We ate lunch at a small resteraunt called the Barnacle Bistro. They have really good garlic fries. Our boat ride was a lot of fun. We saw a two seals, two deer, a racoon, and a blue heron. Delaney made friends with a family from Califronia. We ate dinner at a resteraunt in Agnes, Oregon. Population: 75. It wasn't half bad. On our way back a lovely gentleman lost his hat. We dug it out of the river. Delaney she decided she had to go to the bathroom about halfway back. It involved a sweatshirt. That's all I'm saying. Ironically, we made an emergency pit stop for another guy, who very gracefully exited the boat and made a run for the hills whilst singing "Climb Every Mountain" (Kudos to Sarah for that one.) We stopped at DQ on the way home. All in all it was a fun trip. Oh and about the title. Instructions for a tsunami evactuation: run like HELL!

I Am Violently Claustrophobic

I have serious issues with tiny cabins that are NOT meant to house four people! And tiny showers...And hard beds....I am sick....I missed the fireworks last night...We went to Bandon today. We stopped at a shop that sells stuff made out of Myrtlewood. Then we went to a glassblowing shop. Delaney bought a really pretty glass ornament and a wood neckalce. We went on a tour of the Cape Blanco lighthouse. Gorgeous day. I bought a shirt. It was sparkly. I get distracted by sparkly things waaaaaay too easily. My mom bought a pretty necklace. Wandered around Old Town Bandond and Delaney bought a ring then headed home. She is going on a shopping spree.  Mom and Delaney went swimming and we made a midnight run to Taco Bell. Our trip is almost done....Sad face :(

Random Stuff

Something else that bugs me about Becca is that she is a six time world meadalist (three silver, three bronze) but doesn't have a world title. That breaks my heart. She missed 2011 Worlds due to her knee injury. That was when the US won a gold medal. I soooooo wish Becca could have been part of that team. She is one of the most decorated US gymnasts (the most decorated, Alicia Sacramone, Nastia Liukin, and Shannon Miller have 10 world medals.) However it just KILLS me that Becca's chance at a world title was taken away by a stupid vault. Another thing: One of my other favorite gymnasts (Alicia Sacramone) did not make the Olympic team, even as an alternate. This is extremely surprising to me. Alicia tore her Achilles at last year's worlds and made a kick ass comeback. She was trying to make the team as a vault/beam specialist. Unfortunately with such a small team and with vault and beam being two of the USA's strongest events, I didn't expect her to make the team. However, Alicia has been around FOREVER (since like 2004.) She was the captain of the 2008 team because of her experience. She was also 2nd on both her events. And she's not even an alternate!?!?!?!?! Confused. However I love Alicia to pieces. She won her title on vault back at Worlds in 2010. I was extremely happy for her. She was robbed in Beijing. I also feel that this will be the end of the road for Alicia. She is even older than Becca (26, gasp.) However I hoped that she would stay and keep going strong. It breaks my heart to think of her leaving. If she surprises me and decides to stay I will happilly do Marty's dance from Madagascar 3. However I think that both these gymnasts will lay down their metaphorical arms and retire. Neither has announced it yet but I think they might pull a 2008 Shawn Johnson and just disappear from the sport without an official announcment. I am fine with Alicia leaving the sport. She has done everything she has ever wanted and more. I just wish Becca had that opportunity. This is the Becca Bross I choose to remember http://www.uspresswire.com/image/6253612. brossisboss forever. Two days ago we went geocaching. The first was easy and the second less so. Yesterday we went to the Trees of Mystery and a hidden beach. It was gorgeous though quite a walk. Today we drove to Coos Bay and will drive to Port Orford to see the fireworks. Happy 4th of July everyone!!!!!!!

My Tribute To Rebecca Bross

Wohooo. Side rant: If you don't know Rebecca Bross's story, you need to hear it. Becca was an extremely talented junior gymnast. She had immense talent as a youngster but was plagued by inconsistency that haunted her into her senior career as well. That and injuries were ultimately her undoing. Becca was unlucky enough to get stuck with an extremely unlucky birthday. To be eligble to compete in the Olympics, a gymnast must turn sixteen by December 31st of that year. Becca turned 16 in 2009, which meant she would have to survive 31/2 years as a senior gymnast. She would be more susceptible to injury and burn out. What hurts even more is that, if she was age eligble, she had an excellent chance of making the 2008 Olympic team. This age curse seems to haunt WOGA gymnasts. Vanessa Atler, Nastia Liukin, Rebecca Bross, and Katelyn Ohashi all suffered or will suffer from this curse. Becca had a rough 2008. She was out with an ankle injury for most of the year. Her first competition was the qualifier for the 2009 national championships. She only competed bars and didn't compete a dismount as she didn't want to further injure her ankle. At the national championships, she was a bit of a mess. She finished with a bronze in the all around behind Bridgette Sloan and teamate Ivana Hong. At the world championships in the all around, Becca had a great competition up until floor exercise. The all around title was hers to win or lose. She was perfect up until her final tumbling pass and.....she didn't make it. She lost the world title by less than 1/10th of a point. She went on to win a bronze on uneven bars. Becca started 2010 off with a bang winning the 2010 Tyson American Cup over fellow American Aly Raisman. She went on to become the national champion. After her win, she was hailed as the next Olympic All Around Champion. Whispers started about the third Olympic AA Champ from WOGA after Carly Patterson and Nastia Liukin. Right before they left for the 2010 World Championships, Becca was diagnosed with several stress fractures in her ankle. She led Team USA to a team silver contributing the highest score to the team total. In the All Around she once again had a good competition up until beam, where she came off on her standing arabian. Never seen her fall on that before. She came back to hit a fantastic floor routine and came away with the bronze. Her score on floor (a 15.233) is the highest score on floor in this quad in an international competition. She went on to win a bronze on the uneven bars and a silver on the balance beam. After worlds she had surgery to repair the fractures in her ankle. She was out for most of 2011 and made her comeback at the 2011 National Championships. Becca was a hot mess Day 1. She came off uneven bars (one of her best events) and fell twice on beam (one was unexpected; the other less so.) Becca was competing one of the most difficult dismounts in the world. She had landed it decently well until her injury. After that she couldn't seem to put it to her feet. That Patterson continued to haunt her. She had a great floor routine and struggled on vault. WOGA also has a tendency to produce weak vaulters. Hollie Vise, Nastia Liukin, Ohashi, and Bross all struggle on vault. Consequently they are all excellent beam and bar workers which really says where Valeri Liukin's expertise lies. Unsurprisingly, Valeri was a weaker vaulter and a strong bars worker. That explains a lot. Becca's vault was servicable but scary. In hindsight, she shouldn't have been competing it. On Night 2, Becca hit bars and floor but sat down her Patterson. She went up on vault as her last event. She was underrotated and still twisting as she hit the mat. Her reaction broke my heart. Becca is one of strongest gymnasts I know. Seeing her cry broke my heart. You could HEAR her kneecap dislocate. It was incredibly sad. She was out for 2 months after having surgery to stabilize her right kneecap. She made a comeback at the 2012 WOGA Classic. She fell on her Khorkina II transition on bars and her Patterson off beam. Becca had decided to ditch the All Around and try and make the Olympic team as a bars/beam specialist. Some part of me knew it wasn't going to work even back then but I wanted her to make the Olympic team soooooo badly. She earned it. She was named to the Jesolo team. She came off bars but nailed the shit out of her Patterson She cowboyed it, landed with her face at her knees, and her feet a mile apart but she STUCK IT! YAY! Becca hit bars at Classics but sat down her Patterson. At the National Championships Becca hit bars both days but sat down her Patterson both days. She petitioned into Olympic Trials but sat down her Patterson. She hit bars. On Day 2, she fell apart on bars. She came back and hit a solid beam routine. She is now 18 almost 19 years old. I believe that Becca will retire now. That breaks my heart. I wanted Becca to make an Olympic team. That was her goal in life. I just don't think that her body will hold up any more. I want to cry because I don't want Becca to go out the way she did. I want to see her continue and fulfill her lifelong dream. She became one of my favorite gymnasts. Her 2010 World Championships AA Floor Exercise is my highlight of that Worlds. I don't want her to leave the sport with that 10.50 on bars. However I think it is inevitable. I loved Becca's gymnastics. She was tough as nails and she was a fighter while supporting and loving everyone else. After Olympic Trials Becca left a good luck note for her roomate Mckayla Maroney. I can't imagine how much strength that took. Her roomate had made the Olympics but she hadn't. But somehow she stayed strong and wished her teamate the best of luck. I can respect that. I love you Becca and hope that your life is all you've ever wanted. I hope you can earn back all the smiles, tears, and frustration you gave your fans. Go wherever your life will take you and know that your fans will always love you. Side rant ended. We drove. And drove. And drove. I think you get the point. Now to cap this off with something positive. If you want to watch something beautiful go watch Anna Pavlova's 2008 Olympic AA Floor Exercise. No words can describe how beautiful that is. My highlight of the quad.

Olympic Trials Day 2

Whoo hoo. Women today. Not quite as excited about them as I am about the men. First of all we went on a boat tour around the San Francisco Bay. I got sea sick and the cops showed up. It was fantastic. My dad and I got to San Jose at about 4. Competition starts at 5:30. The line to get in goes down the block! Sold ou crowd tonight. It's Gabby Douglas v. Jordyn Wieber. Let's go! Gabby kills vault. Massive 16.000. Jo does a decent bar routine. That tkachev needs to go like yesterday. Nice Ray dismount. Dougie nails bars and Jo has a shaky beam routine. Dougie has a shaky beam routine and Jo kills floor. Jo puts up a decent vault and Gabby clinches the win with a pretty solid floor. On a side note: Rebecce Bross (one of my favorite gymnasts) fell three times on uneven bars and didn't finish her routine. I almost cried. She didn't deserve to go out this way. She was a fighter and probably the toughest gymnast I've ever known. Nastia Liukin falls on her Gienger. First time I've ever seen Valeri Liukin watch his gymnast fall. The man is one hell of a spotter. That fall looked like it hurt:(. Aly Raisman clinches her spot on the Olympic team. Kyla Ross does her thing. That girl needs a neck brace for her floor exercise. She's going to break her neck the way she's going. Mckayla Maroney kills vault. I may not like her but she is, without a doubt, the best vaulter in the world. Reigning world vault champion in the house. The men's team is announced and as we are waiting for the women's team to be announced they start the wave and a Team USA cheer. They are going to be a great team. Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, and Mckayla Maroney come out in tears. Alternates are Anna Li, Sarah Finnigan, and Elizabeth Price. Congrats to the U.S. Women's 2012 Olympic Team! Good luck in London ladies!

Olympic Trials Day 1

Well. Our morning started out normally. We got up showered and had leftover pizza for breakfast. We then dropped my mom and Delaney off at the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and they did their own thing (Delaney will guest star later.) My dad and I were then off to the Olympic Trials. I was trying not to jump out of my seat with excitment. We got to the HP Pavilion at 10:30 (Trials started at 12:00.) We wandered around Fan Fest for awhile. Delaney would have loved it. We headed into the arena at 11:00. We were up high but in the middle. It was actually pretty easy too see especially since routines were broadcasted on the giant big screen above the whole arena. My favorite gymnast (Jake Dalton!!!!) had a fantastic competition. He started off on pommel horse. It was a mess:( unfortuantly. Chris Brooks (another one of my favorites) also came off horse about halfway throgh. They both came back to hit very solid rings routines. Jon Horton (an '08 Olympian) hit a solid pommel and killed rings (at 26, he's basically a rings specialist.) He is up there as well. I really want all the guys to make it! But only five will:( Then the Dalton group headed to vault. Leader Danell Leyva hit two solid routines as did runner up John Orozco. Horton was in third followed by Dalton. Sam Mikulak, who was in third after day 1, withdrew from the all around due to a bad ankle. He fractured them both last year and competed on them for the rest of the competition. Yes both ankles. Ouch and you have earned my respect Sam! He competed only on horse and did a fantastic job. Dalton on vault: Super hard vault. Max score a 17.000. Nails it! Stuck and almost stright down the center! 16.350. His teamate Steven Legendre pulled a double front half out and dismounted the landing mat and almost the podium. Ouch. Jon competed a handspring double front. Close to the center, some cowboying, and a pretty decent hop. Impressive comeback since surgery for a Lisfranc injury last October. Chirs Brooks competed a handspring double pike. Straight down the center, slightly tucked on the third rotation, and small hop takes him off the center line. One of the best I've seen him do. Easier on his bad ankles. By the way, he and Jake Dalton have the most adorable handshake ever:D The world could use more Chris Brooks. He loves everybody and is super supportive of everyone else. You can hear him in the background of other people's videos and I could hear him from almost the last row up. He is the heart and soul of Team USA behind Jon. Dalton group to Parallel Bars: Dalton puts on a handstand hitting clinic. To quote Blythe Lawrence: "He's making this olympic team one routine at a time." Hit routines for Brooks, Legendre, and Horton. Horton and Brooks are from the same gym as are Jake and Steven. They are super supportive and run around chalking up bars for each other, cheering each other on, and tackling each other after routines. It's so much fun to watch them support each other. Fourth rotation, Dalton group to high bar. Not Jake's strongest event and probably not an event he would be put up on in team finals. However he can put up a high 14's or low 15's score IF he hits his handstands. Let's go Jake! Solid routine high 14's. Steven is up. He is a vault/floor specialist and unlike Jake is weak on all the other events. Jake is also a floor/vault specialist but can be put up on multiple events. Hit routine in the low 14's. Chris Brooks nails it; high15's. He's recovering from that fall on pommel. Jon nails a high bar routine. He is the reigning Olympic Silver medalist on high bar but has downgraded his routine quite a bit. Hit routines for everyone. A random fact: Alex Buscgalia (sp?) has a beautiful combo on high bar: Liukin to immidiate Gienger:D Sixth and final rotation: Floor. Jake killed this event night one. He had a 9.5 ececution score which if you're new to gymnastics is MASSIVE. Jake on floor; holding my breath. Here we go: Arabian double layout;nails it. Finished with a massive triple full. 9.4 execution score, 16.000 overall. Legendre hits floor; impressive. 16.2 is BIG. Brooks nails it as well. Proud of him:D Jon up. Clean until...Ohhhh...Puts his hands down and out of bounds. That could be costly. Mikulak nails horse by the way. Good for him. The top two male gymnasts in the all around are named to the Olympic team AS LONG AS they have 3 top 3 finishes in single events. Danell Leyva and John Orozco both fit the bill. they are being interviewed on the podium. John is crying and Danell's chillin like a villain. Orozco is from the Bronx. His story is so inspiring. His parents are crying on the crowd. Big supporter of him and his gymnastics. You can tell that his parents are extremely proud of him. The other three will be named on July 1st (today!) They are Jon Horton, Sam Mikulak, and Jake Dalton. Alternates are Steven Legendre, Chris Brooks, and Alex Naddour, who is from Arizona. I am very happy with this team and predicted that this team after the National Championships concluded at the beginning of June. As I mentioned earlier, Jake will be used on floor and vault, most likely on rings, and might be put up on P Bars and high bar in team finals but definitly in Quals. We will see what Kevin does with this team in London. Congrats to the 2012 Men's U.S. Olympic team and the alternates. Special shout out to Jon, who is the only 2008 Olympian still competing. Congrats on your second Olympic Jon! And of course a shout out to my favorite gymnast Jake Dalton! And lastly to Chris Brooks for beings supportive and classy in the face of hardship. Good luck in London gentleman!

The Oakland Raiders Are Prophetic

Our journey started out like most of our other journies. We were running around confused and ended up leaving the house 10 minutes late. Go us! Wonderful way to start our trip:D As my parents were frantically running around to try and coordinate everything I was similarly trying to follow the live updates of the prelims of the men's gymnastics Olympic Trials. Priorities, people, priorties! We made it out of the house at 6:10 and stopped at Chipolte and or 5 Guys. We left Chipolte at about 7 and headed towards Sky Harbor Airport where stuff started to go wrong. We managed to find a decent parking space (it's a miracle) and make it onto the shuttle and through the bag check okay. However once we were almost to security, my father realized he had not checked his pocket knife and ran back to the car, an ecstatic Delaney in tow, to replace it. We then proceeded through secuirty. I made it through alive but one of our bags didn't. That's what we get for trying to cram several electronic devices into one man purse. Where's Indiana jones when you need him? We headed towards our flight only to discover that the flight before us had been delayed. Hence we changed gates. It was already late at night (our flight left at 10:15.) We had probably the most comedic flight ever. As we prepared to board, one of our helpful flight attendent wannabes offered his friend up for marriage. His suitably admonsihed friend chastened him as a couple of single ladies offered their hands in order to fly free for the rest of their lives. We boarded and I was sitting with my mother and younger sister. My dad was sitting across the aisle with an unbeknowst lady. Before we took off we were treated to a wonderful display of Desperate Housewives Flight Attendent Especiale. In a Freddy Krueger voice over the intercom: "You are getting very very sleepy. You don't like peanuts. You are not thirsty. You are geting very very sleepy." As we took off at 10:35, we were once again taken through the safety measures and informed: "Smoking is not allowed on this flight. If we catch you smoking we will assume that you are on fire and will take appropriate measures." Ahhh the things flight attendents say at 10:30 pm. Delaney, ever excited and anxious, managed to spill apple juice on her pants. She was promptly remeoved from her soiled trousers (damn you Pride and Prejudice) and installed with a hastly tied jacket around her waist. Once we arrived in Oakland my father and I made a mad dash to the baggage claim while my mother rushed towards the bathrooms with Delaney. My father and I collected all of our baggage and proceeded towards the exit. My mother appeared, now peed on as well. She was supposed to wear those jeans tomorrow too. But we must take these trials as they come. As we sat outside waiting for our shuttle I mentioned to my father that Oakland scared me. He simply smiled and asked why. I informed him that the Raiders hailed from Oakland. He promptly started rolling on the floor in laughter. When I added that the fans scared me more, he rolled into the street. Unfortunate for him. Our shuttle arrived at 12:48 am. We hurried on and proceeded to our hotel. As we were driving to the hotel I noticed a Raiders billboard. I predicted that our trip was going to be rocky. Boy was I right. We unloaded our luggage and my mom headed up to get us checked in. Unofrtuantly for us, my mother had made the reservation for the wrong night. We were stuck in Oakland at 1am with no hotel. We ended up trekking a block to another hotel on Oakland at 2 am. I was waiting for Okaland Raiders fans to come out and destroy us. We made it to our hotel alive and played around with hotel reservations to make them right. We finally collapsed in bed at 3 am. I awoke the next morning to squaking parents attempting to figure out what to do about our rental car. Once we got that figured out, my father and I went to go pick up said rental car. We got there, were granted a car, and when we went to get it, discovered that there was no car. We were then granted another. This one had a Colorado license plate. It was meant to be. We drove back, picked up my mom and Delaney and then drove to Muir Woods. Delaney and I attempted to complete the junior ranger program and we left at 5:30. I got horribly sick on the drive back and am feeling better now. We have ordered dinner and are at rest. Tomorrow my dad and I are off to see the Olympic Trials. I cannot quantify my excitment:D Dream come true! Team Sooner cough Dalton cough and Team Sac! But for tonight I shall lay my worries and excitment down and look forward to the new day. Oh and thank you Oakland Raiders!