Aqua Girl's First and Second Day of Competition

Disclaimer: The following blog was written by Aqua Girl's parents.

6-28-2011
Aqua Girl swam in the female 50 meter freestyle preliminary today. She placed second in her heat of eight swimmers.  When she wasn't swimming, Aqua Girl spent the day cheering on team mates, talking with coaches and making new friends.

6-29-2011

Aqua Girl swam in three events today, two preliminaries and one final event. The preliminaries were in the 50 meter backstroke and the 4 x 50 medley relay (she swam the backstoke). In the 50 meter freestyle final, she earned her first medal, (Silver).

Stay tuned for Aqua Girl's final competitions in the 50 meter backstroke and 4 x 50 medley relay on Thursday, June 30th

The First Day of Competition

Disclaimer: This post was written by AquaGirl's Parents

June 26, 2011

Today is the first day of competition for athletes.  The swimming events were held both in the morning and afternoon. For the few athletes that had to compete this morning, they did it with only few hours of sleep after the Opening Ceremony. The other swimmers were allowed to sleep a few more hours before practicing in the outdoor pool at around 12:30.

Today was the first time we have been able to see or talk to Aqua Girl since she left for the World Games on June 18th. 

Because of pending transportation strike on Tuesday and Wednesday, parents are trying to find alternate transportation to the different venues. Registered family members were given credentials that allow them to travel on the public transportation system free during the World Games, but the strike will cause some chaos as people try to find ways to get to the different venus. We were told that taxis and the Metro Lines will still run. Given that the taxi drivers in Athens have a terrible reputation of being very creative in the way they charge their customers, we are going to stick to the Metro Lines.

Opening Ceremonies at Panathinaikon Stadium

Disclaimer: The following report was written by Aqua Girl's Parents as AquaGirl does not have a computer or internet access.

June 25, 2001- At 8 pm, 7,500 Special Olympics athletes from all over the world paraded on the stage at opening ceremonies. As each team was introduced, there were loud cheers from the audience welcoming them to the competition.  The event was also attended by many local dignitaries, family members and spectators. In addition to the parade, there were singers, people playing music on clay pots and other choreographed performances. Stevie Wonder also sang some of his famous songs. The opening ceremony was supposed to end at midnight but it actually ended later than that. Team USA athletes did not get back to their hotel until after 4 am.

Here is a picture of Team USA during the parade of athletes.  

During the opening ceremony, there were numerous logos from Special Olympics on a large screen for all spectators to see.

As is customary during Olympic Games, torches were lit and held up by partipants who surrounded the stage on all sides. It was beautiful to see them in the night sky.

The Special Olympics World Games are now  "open" so the competitions can begin!

Athens... Let the Games Begin

Disclaimer: The following content was written by Aqua Girl's parents as she does not a computer with her or internet access.

Team USA Arrives in Athens on June 24, 2011

The following information was taken from the TEAM USA blog.

Thursday morning, teams packed up all of their luggage to get checked out of Rodos Palace. .
After lunch, everyone worked together to get the luggage on the buses. The swimmers and equestrian athletes on bus two were so excited to be leaving for World Games that they were dancing in the aisle while they waited for the rest of the buses to load.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run had made its way to Old Town, so Team USA joined several other delegations back at the historic village. Athletes from around the globe packed the center square of Old Town’s castle and watched a few Greek dance performances before the Flame of Hope was carried in.
Once the ceremony was over, Team USA made its way back to the buses. We made our way to the pier, where the ferry pulled up as the sun was setting over Old Town. Most athletes were pleasantly surprised to be eating American food: chicken nuggets and french fries! After everyone had eaten, teams were able to spread out more comfortably.

Friday morning, athletes gathered on the deck of the ferry to watch the sunrise. Refreshed from some sleep, they were having a dance party and gathered around tables playing games. Team USA finally arrived at Pireaus, the port in Athens around 2:30 pm. The Team got onto buses once again and headed to their hotels.

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More than half of the sports teams are staying at the Golden Coast, which is right on the sea. The aquatics team immediately found their way to the beach, and several of them were so excited that they jumped into the water fully clothed!

The Golden Coast is a busy resort. We’ve already seen athletes from Canada, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, Honduras, Cuba, Namibia, Slovakia and Lybia.

Saturday will be a busy day. Athletes at the Metropolitan Hotel will have a meet and greet with Dr. Jill Biden. Saturday is also Opening Ceremonies! Team USA will have a couple of athletes involved in the show. You can watch it live at www.espn3.com at 1 pm Eastern.
Check out photos from Thursday and Friday on the team usa website (Specialolympicsteamusa.org as well as the team's facebook page.
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Aquatics Team Practice in Rhodes

Disclaimer: Since AquaGirl is traveling without a computer and internet access, the current update is written by her parents. You can find more specific information at specialolympicsteamusa.org

June 20-June 23, 2011
AquaGirl has been practicing with her team of 40 swimmers each morning.  She and her team mates have had some time to relax and bond with other team members. On the evening of June 23, the team will ride an over-night ferry to Athens and prepare for the opening ceremony on the evening of June 25th.

 Here is a picture of Aqua Girl during one of her training sessions.

On the Way to Rhodes

Disclaimer- Since Aquagirl is en-route to the World Games and without a computer and internet access, her parents are going to update her readers on her experiences.

June 18, 2011
Aqua Girl left Special Olympics NJ with six other team mates, Lillian Navarez, VP of Sports and a few others to drive to Baltimore  to stay at the Doubletree Inn. On the evening of June 18th, Team USA had a send off party and left the next evening for Rhodes, Greece by way of Ireland. The team arrived on June 20th.

For more complete updates of the team's stay in Rhodes, see.... specialolympicsteamusa.org

Update on our trip to Baltimore

I was a little sad to say goodbye to my parents but I am excited to be on my way to the World Games!

Leaving for Greece

On Saturday,  I leave to go to Greece. The plane is only for  Team USA.  I am excited for everything, but I am looking forward to training the most! I am looking forward to seeing the museums also. I  will miss my parents and Gold's Gym  a lot! Thank you for the party that Gold's  Gym threw me I liked the ice-cream cake. I liked the cards that everybody gave me. Please wish me good luck.

Summer Games

My toe is feeling better! I swam in 4 races at the College of New Jersey last weekend. Here are my swimming times with the Monmouth Marlins team:

100m  freestyle, heat 35, 1 min and 26 secs
4X50 medley relay , heat 73, won 1st place
4X50 freestyle relay , heat 38 , 2 min and 49 secs
100 m backstroke , heat 2, 1 min and 32 secs

I won 4 gold medals  in all of my races!!!!!! I feel very proud of myself and my Monmouth team because we worked as a team to win. I feel very confident that I will do well in Greece. I am very excited and also a little  nervous.

Hurt My Small Toe

On Tuesday Dad and I went swimming at RWJ in Hamilton. I climbed out of the pool and scraped my small toe. It hurt a lot! I hope to compete still  in the Summer Games.The Summer Games are in the College of NJ this weekend. I hope not to trip on my blue Specail Olympics suitcase in my bedroom with my
hurt toe.

My Interview

The Princeton Packet newspaper interviewed me. They asked me how many years I have been swimming with Special Olympics. It has been 14 years! Since I have been swimming for so long I am happy to go to Greece. Look out for The TIMES newspaper on June 5th and the prinction packet on June 7.