July
13-19, 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Michelle
Quibell sends some thoughts from Rio. Michelle is one of
7 current and former Yale Student-Athletes competing in
Rio.
After getting to Washington, checking in, receiving the
USA gear from United States Olympic Committee and Boast
apparel and familiarizing ourselves with the rules and procedures,
the US squash team embarked on our travels and arrived into
Rio de Janeiro on Monday for the Pan American Games (Natalie
joined on Wed and Latasha arrives on July 15th). We were
escorted by Brazilian police to the Pan American village-
a pastel safe haven providing all that an elite athlete
would ever need, including Bob's milkshakes (a chain that
is bigger than McDonald's in Brazil) and our very own discoteca,
an athlete packed, non-alcoholic, fog infested night club
starting at 7pm. The club is frequented by Chris Gordon
as he tries out his salsa moves and practices his Spanish
conversation skills.
Our
fears that the village would only be half done when we arrived
were calmed by the sight of the finished, vibrantly colored
high rises with bordering outdoor pools. Each building is
inhabited by different countries proudly hanging their flags
from their balconies. Other amenities provided include a
massive dining hall- buffet style- and workout facility,
both of which are available 24 hours a day. Though this
appears unnecessary, the Cubans have been known to eat dinner
at 1:30am. As a squash player, it is rare that you are given
the same resources as other more conventional sports athletes.
After all, we are 6 out of about 550 American athletes competing,
and let's be honest- we have yet to attract the same TV
and press coverage as the soccer team (though we all know
this is just lack of exposure to the sport, right?). But
I was very surprised to find that all US athletes are provided
the same services by the USOC, including our very own physical
therapist. Yet, with these resources comes restriction.
We
squashies have been denied the freedom we are so used to
in other tournaments as the USOC is very nervous of the
implications of letting us out of 'the system' (probably
a wise decision). As a result, we have seen very little
of Rio itself besides a Brazilian restaurant featuring all-you-can-eat
style service with unlimited supplies of any type of meat
covered by US Squash.
So
onto the squash, which is, after all, the purpose of our
trip to Rio. We unfortunately discovered that the squash
complex is located an hour and one half away from the village-
a sad reality that may lead to fewer spectators than we
had hoped. We are, however, playing in the same complex
as the roller sports, including the highly anticipated artistic
roller skating competition. The complex itself has stadium
seating overlooking two glass courts, one old and one new.
Because the glass courts were only erected in the past few
days and the distance to the complex is great, we have been
practicing in closer open air facilities- one racquet club
and another elementary school. It is our sly way of getting
out of 'the system' and into the real world.
And
finally- my predictions for the tournament. With respect
to the female individual competition, there is little stopping
the infallible Natalie Grainger from taking the gold medal
she has come to claim. Julian Illingsworth and Chris Gordon,
two up-and-coming PSA all-stars, will probably exceed their
seeding of 5-8. And I will say little about the unpredictable
and highly-anticipated team events- the women will be seeded
1st and the men will probably be seeded 5th. However, with
little rest and no alternate, anything can happen… stay
tuned!
