A Whole New Ballgame

I know what you're thinking, "WAC." But you're wrong, TCU is in the underrated Mountain West Conference with the likes of BYU and soon-to-be Boise State. This stadium will be my new home field. A month from now, I'll be living in Fort Worth disguised as a Horned Frog. Don't worry, underneath all the purple paraphernalia, I'll still bleed orange. You can take the Horn out of Austin, but you can't make him root whole-heartedly for another school.

All jokes aside, I'm really looking forward to spending the next two years in "Cow Town." I've heard only good things about the school, campus and downtown area. I'm excited to explore the city. I have very little experience with Fort Worth, so I'll be starting from scratch. I can't wait to see Billy Bob's honky-tonk, try out Cousin's BBQ, drink at the original Flying Saucer pub, and peruse the city's many museums. My apartment is located on the banks of the Trinity River, near Trinity Trail and not far from the famed Fort Worth Zoo and scenic Botanic Garden.

A week from Sunday, I embark on a 24-hour flight to Singapore for the Youth Olympic Games. I've got a lot of packing to do.

Singapore tidbit: Singapore is the world's fourth leading financial center and the primary language is English.

Hello Hotlanta

Nine days. 6,500 fencers. 100 events. I saw more fencing at the USA Fencing Summer National Championships in Atlanta than I will probably ever see for the rest of my life combined. It was a great experience. I was able to see a new city, hang out with some old friends and yeah, watch a lot of fencing. The beeping of the electronic scoreboards still rings in my ears. I was able to leave the competition venue to visit the CNN headquarters (see Sanjay Gupta above), taste Coke products from around the globe at the World of Coca-Cola and experience Atlanta nightlife with a fellow Central Catholic alum.

Since returning from Atlanta, I spent one productive day in Fort Worth, where I walked around my future campus (TCU), met one of my future professors (Advertising and PR) and signed the lease on my future residence (an efficiency!). The day has got me excited to start a new chapter of my life in Cow Town. Last weekend, I was in Pittsburgh, spending time with my girlfriend and very large and very Italian family. We went to the small town of Crabtree, PA to watch fireworks and gamble by night and to witness dynamite explode and process with the statue of Mary by day. I'll explain later.

I leave for the Youth Olympic Games in less than three weeks. Until then, I have to pack for both Singapore and Fort Worth. I probably ought to do some research on the Southeast Asian country I'm about to live in for three weeks.

Singapore tidbit: Singapore is a city-state (it's own country) with a population of 5 million.

Olympic Nick is Back!

Since I last left you, I've been at home with my parents in San Antonio, alternating between job searching and soul searching. My sister got married and the U.S. made a run at the FIFA World Cup. I've volunteered as a media relations assistant for the 2010 NCAA Women's Final Four at the Alamodome and I've worked for the U.S. Census Bureua as a crew leader, supervising 20 interesting characters. Both were great experiences that did more than just fill my time.

But things started to change about three weeks ago. I received an email from my old boss at the U.S. Olympic Committee. He wanted to know if I was interested in 1) going to the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and 2) working remotely for USA Canoe/Kayak about ten hours a week. I immediately accepted both offers. In Singapore in August, I will be the lone USA representative in the Young Reporters Program organized by the International Olympic Committee. I'm now working with USA Canoe/Kayak, but also US Fencing. Turns out both sports' national governing bodies needed help and they needed it immediately. I was promptly shipped to Brooklyn, where I covered the NYC Fencing World Cup. On Monday, I head to Atlanta for the Fencing Summer National Championships. The canoe/kayak gig could potentially last through the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Things have been happening very fast. In the meantime, I'm planning to enroll in the Master's of Advertising & Public Relations program at TCU in the fall. One thing is for sure, I'm bringing back the blog, Olympic Nick is back!

And I Would Walk 500 Kilometers...

Actually, I walked 219 kilometers in Canada. The Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee gave all press members these pedometers and I wore mine everyday. 219 kilometers amounts to 136 miles. To give you some perspective:

The distance between Vancouver and Seattle is 141 miles.
The distance between San Antonio and the Mexican border is 145 miles.
136 miles amounts to more than 5 marathons.

The real reason for this final Olympic Nick blog post is to show off my comprehensive online photo album from my adventures in British Columbia. Included in the album are shots from opening and closing ceremonies, alpine skiing, curling, hockey, and the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Check it out!

Goodbye Canada, Hello Unemployment

I'm home. My last few days in British Columbia were spent in Vancouver. Among the activities were watching the U.S. lose to Canada in the gold medal hockey final, watching about a hundred thousand Canadians celebrating like madmen, watching Neil Young and other acts perform at the closing ceremonies, celebrating the end of the Games with co-workers, visiting the famous Capilano Suspension Bridge and honoring Vanessa's birthday with friends. It was a fun two and a half days and a great way to cap off my time in Canada.

The photo above is from the suspension bridge, which is just the largest of a labyrinth of bridges amongst the trees in Northern Vancouver. Locals probably consider it a tourist trap, but I had never seen trees like this before and the photo opportunities along were worth the steep price of admission. The Olympic Games were an amazing conclusion to an awesome nine-month stint with the U.S. Olympic Committee. As a way to close down this blog, I will post an extensive photo album in the coming days. Thanks for reading and see you in London 2012.

Canadian Observation of the Day: Canadian hockey fans talk trash but are otherwise completely harmless

Final Medal Count: USA 37, Germany 30, Canada 26

An Experience Worth Its Weight in Gold

Steven Holcomb and his "Night Train" crew won the 4-man bobsled competition, giving the U.S. it's 36th medal. This ties the all-time mark set by Germany in 2002. Tomorrow, the U.S. is assured a 37th and record-breaking medal in the men's ice hockey final versus Canada. Win or lose in that game, these Olympic Games have been hugely successful for the Americans. The Canadians have hosted a great party. The bronze medal pictured above belongs to Elana Meyers of the third place women's bobsled team.

Tomorrow, I leave for Vancouver where I will spend the next two nights before returning to Texas. Not sure if I'll be able to catch the Closing Ceremonies or where I will be for the gold medal hockey match but I do know that I'm just about ready to head home. It will be nice to spend some more time in Vancouver and hang out with the USOC crew down there. Go USA!

Click HERE for my flash quotes from today's men's alpine slalom event.

Canadian Observation of the Month: The Olympic Games will be considered a bust for many Canadians if their men's hockey team falls to the U.S. in tomorrow's final.

Medal Count: USA 36, Germany 29, Canada 25

Winter Winding Down

Tomorrow is the last full day of competition for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Today was the second to last day for me to stand outside in the freezing cold at the alpine skiing venue. Aside from these blogs, I haven't had too much time to reflect on my month in Whistler. I fall asleep almost immediately upon hitting the pillow. My best times for meditation have been on the ski lift rides to and from the alpine venue. On the way up, I get to see ten thousand flag-waving Olympic fans gearing up to cheer for their country. On the way down, I overlook Whistler Creekside and the forest that surrounds it. Every day brings new experiences and memories. Yesterday, I was able to visit the USA House in Whistler. This was my first time at the House on the evening after an American won a medal. I got to see the athletes and their friends and family enjoy the moment together. With their own medals hanging from their neck, the athletes present a special medal to their coaches, thanking them for all their hard work. It's a pretty cool sight to see and yes I was able to touch the medal.

Click HERE for the flash quotes from the women's alpine slalom event today.

Canadian Observation of the Day: Seems like half of the staff and volunteers with the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee are American.

Medal Count: USA 32, Germany 27, Norway 20