Opening Ceremony

Well I am sitting here in my room while the opening ceremony is happening. There is a pretty weird vibe happening at the moment. Many of the athletes are at the opening. Those of us here are all a bit uptight about our upcoming performances tomorrow.

It's funny how many of the athletes within the Australian team don't know each other. We are all a part of the same team but in many ways at the start of the games it feels like there are many little teams put together with all the sports. I think through the games everybody will get to know each other and mix a bit more. You still see separate groups in the dining hall with the rugby boys in one spot and the athletics team in another. I think it is one of the great things of being part of a team this size getting to know each other, after all we all have many things in common. I am sure that as each athlete completes their sporting program they will be looking to get out to see the sights but also see the other sports and cheer on our Aussie team mates.

Walking into any large sporting venue is always a pretty good feeling. They are amazing buildings that in some way carry the excitement of competition even when they are empty. It is an extra special feeling walking into a sporting venue which will carry your hopes and dreams as an athlete. I think it is one of the special moments of participating in a paralympic or Olympic games. When we arrived at the velodrome there was lots to do building bikes and getting ready for training but I made sure that I went up the the middle of the stadium by myself and spent a couple of minutes to stand there and dream about what my link with this place would be in 2 weeks time.

The night before a race is always a difficult thing to manage. You know you need your sleep but there is so many thoughts going through your head that are conspiring against you to stop you sleeping.

I have some pretty mixed feelings missing the opening ceremony. I would love to be there as it is a wonderful feeling walking into a stadium with flashes going off and tens of thousands of people cheering you. In the end though I am here to ride fast and anything getting in the way of that has to take a back seat this week.

Well I have a race tomorrow so time to sleep and get ready.

MM