July 26, 2008
Hello everyone. The time has finally come for us to depart for the Olympics. On Friday (July 25) we left Houston on a 7 a.m. flight bound for San Francisco, Calif. Once we landed, we were shuttled to San Jose State University where we would soon go through team processing.
For those that are not familiar with what team processing is, it is our last stop before departing for the Olympics. The main thing that happens during team processing is that we get outfitted for the Games. They gave us a shopping cart and we were off to fill it up with all kinds of goodies. Once we had stopped at each station we proceeded to the check-out table. The best thing about all of this is that we didn’t have to pay a dime at the check-out stand. Thanks to the USOC, we received a ton of cool clothes and shoes at no cost.
It was an amazing experience but then it got even better when we got a special visit from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (a.k.a. the Terminator). It was so cool having him stop by and say a few words of inspiration to all of us that were going through team processing. My brother, Steven, along with Olympic weightlifter Cheryl Hayworth were asked by the USOC to present Gov. Schwarzenegger with an official team jacket. After doing that he met all the athletes and I got a picture with him. It was an awesome day and our journey has just begun.
Hello everyone. The time has finally come for us to depart for the Olympics. On Friday (July 25) we left Houston on a 7 a.m. flight bound for San Francisco, Calif. Once we landed, we were shuttled to San Jose State University where we would soon go through team processing.
For those that are not familiar with what team processing is, it is our last stop before departing for the Olympics. The main thing that happens during team processing is that we get outfitted for the Games. They gave us a shopping cart and we were off to fill it up with all kinds of goodies. Once we had stopped at each station we proceeded to the check-out table. The best thing about all of this is that we didn’t have to pay a dime at the check-out stand. Thanks to the USOC, we received a ton of cool clothes and shoes at no cost.
It was an amazing experience but then it got even better when we got a special visit from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (a.k.a. the Terminator). It was so cool having him stop by and say a few words of inspiration to all of us that were going through team processing. My brother, Steven, along with Olympic weightlifter Cheryl Hayworth were asked by the USOC to present Gov. Schwarzenegger with an official team jacket. After doing that he met all the athletes and I got a picture with him. It was an awesome day and our journey has just begun.
Today, we are headed back to the airport to catch a flight to Singapore, where we will train until we depart for Beijing on Aug. 7. We leave San Francisco at around 1 p.m. to Hong Kong and then on to Singapore. We won’t arrive in Singapore until 11:35 p.m. on Sunday, July 27. It will be a long trip and I am hoping for some good movies on the plane. Hopefully, I will be able to get a little sleep as well.
Amazing Awaits!!
Mark Anthony Lopez
Amazing Awaits!!
Mark Anthony Lopez
2008 U.S. Olympic Team
2 comments:
Marky!!! My hopes and prayers are with you and your family!!! Good luck and make history!!! I'll be watching for when you guys fight...Love Sara G.
Hey, Mark! Just left a post for Diana too. DeWayne here. We met at the Premios Fox Sports Awards Show in Miami through Cobi Jones a couple of years back. You were sooo focused back then that I am not surprised to see you on the Olympic team. :-) All of your hard work and family support has really paid off. Continued to success to you all. Your parents have to be so proud of you all. Many kudos to Jean as a coach as his caliber of coaching is definitely a rarity. He is at an entirely different level.
I am hopeful to be able to see some of the competition on television but NBC focuses more on the human interest aspect than the actual coverage. We will just have to see. All good though. I will take the Olympics anyway it can be received. :-) Such an awesome opportunity for the world. Would love to hear from you if you get the chance. Will be cheering for you and the entire Lopez family regardless. My very best to all you.
Regards,
DeWayne
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