Outfitted and (almost) ready to go!

I spent the afternoon shopping at the USOC apparel distribution in San Jose. What a fun afternoon! Pushing my shopping cart down the aisle, I got one of every thing they offered in whatever size fit me best. If things didn't fit quite right, there were alterations experts on site to lend a hand. And the best part--all the shirts, shoes, pants, jackets, and bags were completely free of charge! The volunteers and USOC staff were so helpful and friendly, and there were even representatives from Ralph Lauren (one of the clothing sponsors) to make sure all of our clothes fit just right. I can't give too much away, but I can tell you that the Opening Ceremonies outfits are quite classy and you'll see American medalists looking pretty sharp up on the medal stand!

We received all our attire from Speedo last night. So now, all we need to be competition-ready is a couple more weeks of practice and our competition suits, which are being decorated to the hilt as I type. The proto-types we've seen so far are outstanding and I can't wait to see the final products.

Beyond the excitement of the last few days (our coach Stephane called it Christmas!!), practice has been going pretty well. In the technical program we're trying to make final changes to elements to show them off. And in the free we're working on presentation and synchronization. We want people to be mesmerized by our swim! It will be back to practice as usual on Monday after a much-needed day off tomorrow. I'll probably need to spend at least a few hours finding places for all the new stuff! Only 19 days to go!