OUR TEAM
After our 5-star breakfast yesterday, for some reason, no one wanted dinner.  So it was early to bed for the Fearsome Four.  I suppose this intrepid group should be identified so you’ll know whom to blame for this coverage.
Our peerless leader is JIM SPIER, Chapel Hill, NC.  Spier is the CEO of the National Scholastic Sports Foundation and one of its original founders.  He files thumbnail sketches of all the Men’s races.
PAUL LIMMER, Huntington, NY.  Paul is an NSSF Board member and as high-spirited as is humanly possible.  His task is to provide water, haggle for better prices and keep the group in good spirits.  He does his job well. 
CHELO CANINO, Bethlehem, PA.  This Princeton grad was our first PV champion.  Her task here is…we really don’t know.  She sort of flits around the stadium and does something. 
JOY KAMANI, Cypress City, TX is our official photographer.  Unfortunately, she had to return home to take of some personal problems. 
Finally, yours truly, MIKE BYRNES, Culpeper, VA.  I handle the features and columns of interest pertaining to our presence in China.

COMPETITION
Every team that is competing here came here with high hopes and goals.  Some meet those goals and go home happy; others fall short and go home disappointed.  No one should.  Say your goal was 13.50 and a medal; you run 13.89 and finish 4th, out of the medals.  You’re still the #4 hurdler in the WORLD!  When you consider how many thousands upon thousands of kids in the world run this same event, ranking #4 out of thousands is very good.

DOING THEIR BEST…
The US team came here with high hopes.  We had nine #1 rankings in the world coming into this meet.  However, one failed make the team and another was dropped from the squad.  That still left us with seven with one athlete, WILLIE PERRY, leading both sprints (10.12 – 20.45.) 
They haven’t fared well.  Perry didn’t make either final.  GABRIELLE MAYO (#2 -11.16 - #1 – 22.28) took the silver in the 100m (11.46.) and has the 200m coming up (edit: she was 5th).  NICOLE LEACH (#1–55.35) ran a good race (55.44) but Jamaican Kalise Spencer ran a better one (55.11) and we took another silver.  ALEXANDRIA ANDERSON, (#1-11.12) was beaten rather badly finishing in fifth, 11.46. 
Thus far, the only American living up to expectation is CHRIS CARTER
(#1-49.19) and top qualifier for the final in 50.70.  He’s the odds-on favorite (edit: he won).

Only a few of our kids thus far have risen to the occasion.  JUSTIN OLIVER (#4-45.95) had to be at his Personal Best to nab the silver with a scintillating 45.78, a mere .04 behind the winner.  JOHN HICKEY, achieved a PB of sorts when he led the Shot Put qualifying, with a throw of 19.49 (63-11.5).  I say “of sorts” since they throw a 6kg (about 14+ pounds.)  Right now, he’s the best in the world at that weight.  ERIN BEDELL’s fine 4:20.64, which advanced her to the final, is her seasonal best.  For the rest of the US team, it’s been business as usual.

However, there’s a good reason (NOT an excuse) for this, our kids have literally dozens of meets at both high school and college levels.  The collegiates must peak for their conference meet, the Regional competition, the NCAA’s and the USATF Senior Championships.  The youngsters have qualifying meets for their state meet and then face the USATF Junior competition.  Many of these athletes are simply competitioned out.  No other country faces this type obstacle.  Many train exclusively FOR this meet.  So cut our kids some slack, their doing their best under less than good conditions.  Someone far more knowledgeable than me, former Penn State and Olympic coach, HARRY GROVES concurred, “These kids are tired.  They’ve run in so many meets, it’s ridiculous.” 

HORNS
The other day I mentioned things noteworthy to Beijing.  I omitted one, automobile horns.  EVERY driver uses them constantly.  When I was getting into my car that was to take me to my hotel, the vehicle behind leaned on his horn for the ENTIRE time it took me to get into the car.  In addition, the car’s driver gave me a dirty look and an expletive for good measure.  One of the reasons is these people change lanes at will.  No signal, no checking for enough room, they just move over.  The guy being cutoff honks but to no avail.  When a driver approaches an intersection, blowing the horn is automatic.  The cacophony is mindless and numbing.

A REPEAT PERFORMANCE…
REBEKAH NOBLE just became the first American girl to medal in the 800m finishing third and earning the bronze.  That’s the good news.  Now please do not take the following as a criticism, but as an informed observer’s opinion.  Noble was clearly the BEST runner in the race, absolutely no question.  Unfortunately, she was a poor racer.  Noble was out quickly and in good position for 150m.  Then she dropped to last, a position she maintained until coming off the final turn.  Her brilliant finish brought her to third and, all observers agreed, had the race been 10m longer, she’d have won.  But it ended at 800m.  Had she maintained contact with the leaders through the 600m, Noble was an easy winner.  Where was the coaching?  She’d run the same in both her earlier races, why didn’t someone emphasize, pound, scream, whatever it took, to tell her, “You MUST run the third 200?”  No one did and the best runner in the race got the bronze.

THEY DON’T COME ANY BETTER…
The usual post-race interview consists of asking predictable questions that get predictable answers.  I just did such an interview with the first American to win a gold medal, CHRIS CARTER.  He came into Beijing the favorite and never let the pressure get to him.  “I tried not to think about it,” he said, something more easily said than done.  Carter has something special going for him, he is a deeply religious person.  He attends BYU and will leave on a two-year mission beginning in 2008.  “I’m looking forward to it,” he said.  “BYU will hold my scholarship and I’ll get back in shape.”

Asked how his religion helped him in competition he responded, “First, I was fortunate to find a coach who could help me become what I am.  I think my religion helps keep me stay levelheaded and on focus.  It also helps me be in the best physical condition.  When I go to a party, I don’t drink nor smoke.  I like to be in control of myself.” 
We went on and he commented, “I could never cheat.  Taking drugs is cheating.”  I compared it to a golfer who scores a six but writes down a five.  He smiled, “Exactly.  You know you didn’t do that well and nobody matters but you,” he paused and continued, “and God.”

Hopefully, prayerfully, this nation will soon have a champion that represents everything good about sport, CHRIS CARTER (edit: He won!)