I Got up early and caught the 7:45 flight to SLC, then the 8:45 flight to Houston. Flying Delta, it was seamless, I arrived 20 minutes early in Houston. Logistics from George Bush to Downtown were easy; there's a Metro bus that that makes the run every 20 minutes for just $4.50! I arrived at George Brown at 3-pm, got credentialed and was hitting tennis balls by 3:30. I practiced with a guy from Massachusetts and hit well. The courts are very tricky, they're made of plastic! pieced together like legos. You have the funny bounces---but it's identical to playing on grass, it's very fast.
The Athletes Village is impressive, booths hawking everything from drugs to health insurance, there's a stage with performances every hour. Theres a food court. In the great hall to the right are the Volleyball courts, to the right, tennis courts, upstairs basketball. Everything is grand in scope and scale---13 volleyball matches going on at once!
The food in the Athlete Village is amazing. I had a Cuban sandwich that was sensational. All the Athletes sit for lunch and I must have chatted with a dozen different people. I had to sit and take it all in it's an amazing experience.
I went to the Volleyball venues and watched in awe as this women's 50 team from California beat an east coast team squad, they were very skilled, could have been pros. They were as good as any college team, in fact I bet they all played Division I ball. I chatted with a woman from Virginia Beach and she said the competition was tough, she played at Pitt and said most everyone in the tournament played somewhere.
Afterwards I caught a cab home, Im staying about 10 minutes away in a cheap but comfortable hotel. I couldn't afford the $200 a night, so opted for 60!
Im getting rested up tonight, will practice tomorrow, scout my opponents and get ready for my Wednesday match.
Current Affairs
06/20/2011
09/18/2010
Fall Harvest in Idaho
Soda Springs grain harvest
Across Idaho Combines are in the fields as farmers rush to get the 2010 harvest in. This time of year I spend a lot of time on the road writing stories about the harvest, snapping photos and producing videos of our travels. Steve Ritter and I just got back from Fort Hall, Pocatello, Clifton, Preston, Swan Valley, Soda Springs. We saw a lot of beautiful country!
You can see my photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jack9999p/4997898298/
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