Tim Hutten, a two-time All-American and the 2007 Peter J. Cutino Award winner at UCI, is making his second Olympic appearance in London and will be sharing his experiences along the way.
UCI Olympic Central Website
Entry 3
Aug. 5th 2012Â
Things have changed since I was first walking out onto the track during the opening of the 2008 Beijing games. There is not as much glamor in it this time around. The village, opening ceremonies, and seeing famous athletes is just not as exciting as it was during my first Olympics.  The only things that have not changed for me are the emotions that come with winning and loosing.
Winning is an amazing feeling at the Olympics. It makes you feel like you have justified your time during the last four years, that you're right where you are suppose to be. It makes you feel powerful and untouchable knowing that you can top the best in the world. It is just plain great. Loosing on the other hand is a sinking feeling of wasted opportunity mixed with some regret. Four games into our Olympics and we have experienced both sets of emotions. After yesterday's loss to Serbia, our first of the tournament, we were not feeling good. It wasn't the loss itself but the fact that we know we were not anywhere close to playing at our best. Loosing is even harder to cope with when you know you could have or should have won. I don't think we should have won that game because we just didn't play well together. Hopefully we will see them again for a rematch down the line.
There was one good thing that came from the loss yesterday; we didn't cast blame on each other. Nobody pointed fingers or said, "You're fault!" I think that is a characteristic that makes us unique. We live and die as a team. No matter what happens we will go through it together and we are there to back each other up. We wouldn't have it any other way.
Hungary tomorrow will be our final match in the preliminary round and it will determine our placement in the quarter final elimination match. It's a big game for us. If we can work together and play to our potential then we will be successful (such a simple concept). That is where the difference lies between a "group" and a "team." It is in the ability to act as a single unit. Tomorrow will be a test to see what our team is made of.
Entry 2
July 26, 2012
As opening ceremonies grow closer, the anticipation and excitement build around the world to watch the top athletes perform at their best. The media frenzy that accompanies the Olympics is greater than any other sporting event in the world. Each country sends their teams of reporters to cover the story and bring it back to their viewers. For two and a half weeks the public eye is watching your every move. Social media websites are in full force, blogs are popping up everywhere, and interviews and analysis are never ending. There is nothing wrong with media exposure and publicity, but are the Olympics really about the athletes any more?
What most people don't understand is that the Olympics don't just occur over a 17 day period. It isn't just something that pops up and disappears until resurfacing in another four years. For an athlete it is a lifestyle. It takes four years of your life to prepare for a tiny window of time, and once it passes there is no way to get it back. Your success depends fully on how committed you are to your preparation. It is not just the athlete that is affected by a commitment to total preparation but everyone connected to the athlete as well. Wives, girlfriend, family, friends, people that the athlete depends on, these are the people most affected by such a commitment, and usually the ones who don't take credit for the athlete's success. The truth is without them the athlete would be nowhere. It takes more dedication to commit your time to someone else then to yourself, and the small communities surrounding each athlete are the gears that drive the machine into motion. Changing plans, adapting schedules, and basically restructuring their lives to accommodate the dreams of another person is the way of life for these people. There is no complaining, no whining, because they know they have a job to do and the athlete's success depends on their support.
The greatest gift anyone can give to another person is their time, and as an athlete I know that there is no way I would be where I am today without the help and support of the people who impact my life.
The Olympics are not just about the athlete. In my opinion the podium should be a whole lot bigger.
Entry 1
It's funny how fast time goes by. It seems like just last week we were returning from Guadalajara with our Pan American Games gold around our necks and our Olympic berth, ready to take on the next step towards London. Several months and countless hours of training later here we are with 17 days until our opening match at the Olympic Games. We are tired and worn out, but I guess everyone is at this stage of training. It won't do us any good to take it easy right now since our competition schedule lasts almost the entire duration of the games. We've got to be able to peak at the right time, which probably won't be until a few games in.
The attitude within the team is positive for the most part, just the usual adversity that we always face. Sickness, minor injuries, a little bit of drama between ourselves and our federation, but we are used to it and it brings us closer together. We are a tight-knit group. Some of my teammates have been playing together for 10 or 15 years and we know each other well both in and outside the pool. 10 out of 13 returning Olympians from our 2008 team have stuck it through, a true commitment to our team's potential and spirit. We are all expecting big things from this time around and know that all the hard work will pay off in the end. Every game will be a battle and it will take all we have to come out on top, but that's why we do it.
It's gonna be a blast.
Tim
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