Direct from China
August 22, 2008
Team USA and Amann win Gold!
Well, it's been a roller coaster of a ride for all of us here in Beijing. The opening 5 minutes of the tournament and we were down 2-0 against Norway. It's been an uphill battle to get to the gold medal game, and every day the girls have shown strength, poise and determination. I don't think that someone could have scripted a better story for the 2008 US Women's Olympic Soccer Team. Maybe it will be a made for TV movie some day :)
The next few days will be spent relaxing, having fun, and just enjoying the moment. I can tell you from a sports physician's standpoint that it doesn't get any better than this. How many doctors can say that they took part on an Olympic Games where their team won gold? Not very many have the opportunity to say that.
I am so glad to have had this experience and feel so fortunate to have been a part of history. To know that my time, skills, and effort helped an amazing group of women realize their dreams is really quite humbling.
All I can say is that I am so thankful for this opportunity and so excited to have fulfilled one of my dreams as well.
Thanks to everyone out there who gone through this whole experience with me - my friends, family, and co-workers at Lake Forest Hospital and Illinois Bone and Joint Institute. Know that you should celebrate today, because you are a part of this as well.
All the best,
Dr. Chris Amann
Team Physician
USA Women's Olympic Soccer Team
http://wnt-ussoccer.blogspot.com/
Dr. Chris Amann and goalkeeper Hope Solo after winning the gold medal game against Brazil.
August 18, 2008
Back to Beijing!
We are finally back in Beijing, and living in the Olympic Village! It has been a long road through China to make it back to Beijing for the semifinal game against Japan. The game starts at 9:00 p.m. local time today, so the day is being spent providing treatments to the players and relaxing a little bit before the game. The organizers have told us that the game is sold out, and the capacity of Beijing Worker's Stadium is 51,000. It's always great to play in front of a capacity crowd—the noise and the cheering makes it that much more exciting.
The accommodations here in the Olympic Village are incredible. There is a common restaurant/cafeteria that serves food to all of the athletes. It has to be the largest cafeteria I have ever seen, and the food selections are endless. I had a Greek salad, grilled rib eye steak, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables for dinner last night, and it was delicious. I tried a little Peking duck as well, and it was quite good. There is a McDonald’s set up in the cafeteria, so we all had lattes after dinner and everyone was happy. As good as the food has been in the other cities, it was good to taste something familiar. Our rooms are set up like dormitory rooms—very basic, but clean and comfortable. It feels like I'm back in college again.
The weather has certainly taken a turn for the better over the past few weeks. When we first arrived in Beijing at the end of July, it was unbelievably hot and humid. But today, it is warm, sunny and less humid due to the change in weather patterns. I hope everyone back home is enjoying the Olympics. If we beat Japan, we'll be playing for gold! Go USA!
Best wishes,
Dr. Chris Amann
Team Physician
USA Women's Olympic Soccer Team
http://wnt-ussoccer.blogspot.com/
Dr. Chris Amann stands in front of the entrance to the Olympic Village.
August 15, 2008
Off to Beijing!
USA WINS! In a game where anything was possible, Team USA beat the Canadian Women's Olympic Soccer Team 2-1 in overtime. The game, which was suspended for almost two hours due to lightning, was about as physically taxing a soccer game as I have ever seen two teams play. With tempuratures in the mid 80s, humidity near 100 percent, and extra time added to the game, the combination made for a physically exhausting game. Everyone played with everything they had, and tomorrow is a travel and recovery day.
We finally get to go back to Beijing and play in the "Bird's Nest" against Japan on Monday. The outcome of that game will determine whether we play in the bronze medal or gold medal game on Thurday, June 21st.
We've had a great few days in Shanghai, but we're all ready to get back to the Olympic Village with the rest of the US teams and, hopefully, play for gold!
All the best,
Dr. Chris Amann
Team Physician
USA Women's Olympic Soccer Team
http://wnt-ussoccer.blogspot.com/
August 13, 2008
We made it to Shanghai!
It has been an up and down week for the US Women's Olympic Soccer Team. After suffering a 2-0 loss to Norway, Team USA came back to beat Japan 1-0 on Saturday and New Zealand 4-0 on Tuesday. Spirits are high, and we advanced out of group play into the "knockout rounds." Our first place title in our group has led us to Shanghai, where we will play Canada this Friday at 6 p.m. local time (5 a.m. Friday morning in Chicago). The spirit of the Olympics is alive and well in the host city of Shanghai, with Olympic signage and "Beijing 2008" logos everywhere.
The weather remains hot and humid, but our hosts here in China continue to go out of their way to make us as comfortable as possible. Fortunately, player injuries have been minor so far. One of the defenders, Lori Chalupny, sustained a concussion during the first few minutes of the game against Norway, which forced us to pull her out of the game. Lori (or "Chups" as the players call her) has had a history of concussions, so we made the medical decision to hold her out of the next game against Japan based on some neurological and exercise testing we did after the injury. She was back at full strength for the game against New Zealand and played a great game. It was nice to see her smiling again and playing soccer—doing what she loves to do.
We will spend the next two days in Shanghai and if all goes well against Canada, we will head back to Beijing on Saturday to join the rest of the US Olympic athletes in the Olympic Village! I hope everyone is enjoying watching the Olympics back home. Hopefully I'll be seeing everyone with some Olympic Gold soon! Go USA!
Until later,
Dr. Chris Amann
Team Physician
USA Women's Olympic Soccer Team
http://wnt-ussoccer.blogspot.com/
Getting ready for a chartered flight to Shanghai.
Dr. Chris Amann takes a minute to pose with two of the many Beijing 2008 Olympic volunteers.
August 5, 2008
Game day tomorrow!
It's the day that everyone has been waiting for - the start of the Women's Olympic Soccer tournament! Due to the number of both men's and women's soccer games during the Olympics and due to all of the other events taking place, the soccer tournaments actually start before the opening ceremonies. The game against Norway is scheduled for Wednesday, August 6th at 7:45 P.M. locally, which is Wednesday, August 6th 6:45 a.m. in Chicago (we are 13 hours ahead of Central Daylight Time). The game will be televised on MSNBC, the NBC Olympic Soccer Channel, and Universal HD. The Norway match should be the most challenging game in our group, and with temperatures expected to still be 80 degrees with 90 percent humidity at game time, the elements will prove a challenge for both teams. We will be using the cooling vests at half time, and making sure that the players have plenty of access to fluids. Additionally, we will be putting some extra electrolytes (i.e., salts) in the fluid replacement drinks to hopefully prevent any cramping, which usually occurs in humid environments toward the end of games. I will be reminding all of the girls tonight at dinner to add a little extra salt to their next few meals, as I have seen cramping seriously impair the last several minutes of a soccer match in similar climates. The team is ready to play and we are ready to get started.
The past few days have involved 'tapering' our training so that the girls can be at peak performance tomorrow. We are using heart rate monitors and tracking the players' heart rates in real time to make sure they are training at an optimal heart rate and to evaluate the heart rate "recovery," which can help as an indicator of cardiovascular fitness.
Lastly, I'd like to say a special "thank you" to all of the physicians and staff at Lake Forest Hospital. I appreciate all of the support and wouldn't be here without you!
Until later,
Dr. Chris Amann
Team Physician
USA Women's Olympic Soccer Team
http://wnt-ussoccer.blogspot.com/
(pictured from left to right) Women's Olympic Soccer Team Defender Heather Mitts, Team Physician Chris Amann, and Press Officer Aaron Heifetz pose outside of the "Temple of the Sea Goddess" at the beginning of the Great Wall in Qinhuangdao, China."
July 31, 2008
Training in Quinhuangdao
We have spent the past few days acclimating to the time change and climate here in Qinhuangdao (pronounced "ching-hong-dow"). Yesterday, we had the opportunity to scrimmage with the Chinese Women's Olympic Team in a "closed match" session at one of the local soccer fields. The weather was actually a bit cooler that it has been in previous days, but the players still worked up a good sweat. Nike has been kind enough to provide the USA Women's Olympic Team (and several other Olympic athletes) with new Nike cooling vests. They look similar to bulletproof vests, but they have frozen water (ice) embedded inside. The players seem to really like the vests, which are designed to help them cool down rapidly at halftime. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are always concerns when exercising in such a hot and humid climate, and hopefully these vests will help prevent such conditions.
Today is a day off from training, and the women are on their own for conditioning. Most of them are going out for a run or going down to the hotel gym for a workout. Our opening game is in just six days. We will start to taper the intensity of the training sessions over the next few days to make sure everyone is at peak physical performance for the opening match against Norway on August 6th.
After conditioning is completed today, we have time for some more sightseeing. We’re going to visit another section of the Great Wall—about 20 minutes away from the hotel—where the Great Wall begins and actually rises out of the sea. Everyone is excited to see this bit of history, and we plan to do some shopping after we visit the site.
Many players and staff (including myself) are missing their favorite American foods. The Chinese have done an admirable job cooking Western-style dishes, but a fantastic dinner at Lovell's or Francesca's Intimo would really be welcome right now. More to come in the days ahead...
Dr. Chris Amann
Team Physician
USA Women's Olympic Soccer Team
http://wnt-ussoccer.blogspot.com/
Above: Dr. Chris Amann and other staff members of the USA Women's Olympic Soccer Team visit the Great Wall of China.
July 28, 2008
"We made it to China!"
After a long day of processing the team at San Jose State University, Team USA boarded a plane from San Francisco to Beijing, China. The flight was uneventful, and most of the players watched DVDs, read books or slept on the 12-hour flight. Upon arrival at the hotel, we were greeted by members of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), who traveled to China earlier in the month to set up at Beijing Normal University (BNU). Both the USOC and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) have worked countless hours to replicate the training environment at the USOC Olympic Training Centers at home. The training facilities here are topnotch, and BNU will be home to the US Olympic athletes prior to moving into the Olympic Village for the games.
We spent the first few days acclimating to the time change and the weather. It is very warm and humid, which takes some getting used to, especially for players who are not from that type of environment. For the first couple of days we have been sightseeing, with a few light training sessions mixed in. As a team we traveled to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, followed by a visit to the Great Wall at Ba Da Ling the next day. We climbed a section of the Great Wall, which made for a day's workout in and of itself. The Great Wall of China, which spans nearly 3,000 miles, is one of the most impressive sights I have ever seen.
Tomorrow we travel to Qinhuangdao, which is the Chinese city that will host our first two games. The next week will include more training sessions, followed by daily treatment sessions for the athletes to keep them at their best.
Stay tuned for more from China!
Dr. Chris Amann
Team Physician
USA Women's Olympic Soccer Team
http://wnt-ussoccer.blogspot.com/
