One last Blog Post from Nancy Sr. -its a wrap of Sochi2014

24 Feb 2014 -Nancy Sr.

After the Team Pursuit Saturday, I went by USA house to say
a few goodbyes. On the way out, the short track 5k relay guys
SILVER medalists (Creveling, Alvarez, Celski, & Malone)
were in their way in...

The closing ceremonies just ended less than 24 hours ago ago.
As you know if you've followed this, this isn't how I had expected this blog run to end :( I hadn't expected it to become an indictment of the organization, but I have no regrets for reporting as I called it. Change does not happen unless there is reason to change and the results here call for "no stone to be unturned" as the USOC's CEO Blackmun said.

This is when you accept a "spade is a spade", accept failure and turn it into success. 

But in the aftermath of this storm there seems to be an attempt by the USOC to say (http://m.nydailynews.com/1.1690122#bmb=1) it was "not a step back at all...The medals were more spread out this year, which is good for the Olympics". WHAT IS THAT TO MEAN...REALLY? If that statement couldn't have been made beforehand, which everyone knows would never have been an acceptable statement then, then why is it ok now?

He continued to say, "we weren't the only nation that got smoked by the Netherlands". Since when is it ok just because you're with the majority? Is that a fighting attitude? Is that how to view results that should not have happened?

It is a way to spin the facts and divert responsibility. A way to walk away and eliminate bad press. A great political move. But as you know I've been saying, just tell the truth, take responsibility, tell the athletes that it is the USOC and USS s job to lead effectively. And if the long track skaters performed so well in the fall it means they are capable again. And if they didn't, then the "just gettin smoked" is as much an organizational blunder as it could be the athletes'.
If the USOC is lending credit to the "smokin" abilities of the Dutch, they should also lend them credibility when the Dutch claim 2 reasons themselves for the US's failures:

1. that Collabo was a contributing factor. And you know USS tried to quickly eliminate that claim when they falsely claimed the 2006 team had also done Collalbo and that justifies it (from a high per base?). As has already now been revealed, Chad Hedrick chose not to go there in 2006 and the girls team completely failed at the 2006 games again after having had great success in the fall.
2. the Mach 39 suit characteristics had been tried already by the Dutch in 2006 and had failed. Where was our high performance team in investigating that one? 

And again, with such a sweeping general analysis of the USA team, you know it's not accurate and it is misleading. If you're going to create this team from a science perspective as is claimed, then pick it apart using scientific methods. And if that takes time, then don't throw misleading comments out to be devoured by the press/public. BUT that was the goal, to deflect the real issues.

So we'll wait and see if justice to the skaters will prevail.

Sorry, my last post was a bit confusing. I had wanted to get it all down before the games were over because the further away from immediacy, the less interesting. 

I came to these games with Brian to get the job done, and less than such a goal is not a satisfaction to me. Yet as I had discussed in an earlier post, after the 1000m, Brian had talked about the principle of the journey and the goal. He philosophized a lot that day and concluded that the journey needs to take a life of its own cause if it does end up as this has, then there needs to be some take away. And for us, that is the fun of the team and the life lessons I've tried so hard to instill (which I learned that from my father). 

We think we could have done a better job at both and should we all do this again, we have learned a few more lessons....(at a high cost)....We just know we did the best we could this year within the limitations given to us.

Hope this Olympic blog showed the desire to push the envelope on the need to just be honest so that you never have to fear the truth...

Thank you all again so much for your comments and encouragement over these last weeks... :)

God bless,

Nancy Sr.

Videos: 

I said I few goodbyes at the USA house, but honestly I couldn't really stay/enjoy socializing. Simply speaking, in sport as it is also true in life, the harder you work or the more you sacrifice, the harder it is to accept anything less than the win/success. I could stay and talk, but it was loud and you can't carry on a conversation of depth which is all I would want to do, so I just kind a slipped out panned the scene so you could get a feel for the last night at the Olympics...

The USA Men's Team Pursuit on the ice together before they raced. Sochi Olympics, Russia. A little more glimpse of the behind the scenes of the Team Pursuit speedskating race-day. But this is not the actual race...practice beforehand.

The USA Men's Team Pursuit on the ice together warming-up before they raced. Sochi Olympics, Russia.



More of the USA Men's Team Pursuit on the ice together before they raced. Sochi Olympics, Russia.



Brian chillin before the Team Pursuit race with Jonathan Kuck and Shani Davis on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014. Sochi Olympics, Russia.



This was Saturday morning, the day before closing ceremonies. I just wanted to give you one last look at the Black Sea from my room. The Russians faithfully kept watch over the sea front, especially every day right in front of our hotel. These mounted police this morning were stationed there for about 4 straight hours. I went from promising I would never walk outside the protected area, to walking home the last 4 nights by myself. The Russians succeeded in creating an entirely new city of venues to keeping the entire place secure from opening to closing. A job well done. Thank you Russia!