2008 Beijing Olympic Recap
To all of our extraordinary supporters and sponsors,
We have good news, but unfortunately Sarah is walking away from the 2008 Olympics with some disappointment and a broken collarbone. With Gold-Medal preparation, this can be a very hard pill to swallow, even for the most optimistic champion.
After a stressful entry to Beijing with regards to the “mask” incident, four track cycling athletes laid the base for what would be called “Maskgate.” Without a strategic plan in place to foresee, or deal with, this incident, a downward tailspin ensued as all four of my athletes were shown little to no support by those who are assigned to protect them. I did my best to absorb and wipe away this stress, but regrettably that became like jumping on a nuclear bomb. Many lessons learned… The newest article on this incident can be seen here: http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-spw-hersh10-2008sep10,0,2833120.story
What I can say is that it was not all bad for Sarah and her teammates. True, the Olympic experience that Sarah and the other athletes had dreamed about from a young age did not resemble this “dream.” But like the great competitors they are though, each one absorbed the local culture and acted as great American and cycling ambassadors. On the track, they gave it their “all” but regrettably came up short.
And in other good news, I am happy to announce that Sarah is doing great, all things considered. She is now resetting and recovering and looking forward to getting a nice and well deserved break after a challenging season. It’s been a long year with her injury and one that has well illustrated the power of extraordinarily strong supporters and sponsors. You have provided the foundation that both Sarah and I have worked upon every day. You have made Sarah’s dream of becoming an Olympian a reality!
Thank you for the support Team!
We have good news, but unfortunately Sarah is walking away from the 2008 Olympics with some disappointment and a broken collarbone. With Gold-Medal preparation, this can be a very hard pill to swallow, even for the most optimistic champion.
After a stressful entry to Beijing with regards to the “mask” incident, four track cycling athletes laid the base for what would be called “Maskgate.” Without a strategic plan in place to foresee, or deal with, this incident, a downward tailspin ensued as all four of my athletes were shown little to no support by those who are assigned to protect them. I did my best to absorb and wipe away this stress, but regrettably that became like jumping on a nuclear bomb. Many lessons learned… The newest article on this incident can be seen here: http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-spw-hersh10-2008sep10,0,2833120.story
What I can say is that it was not all bad for Sarah and her teammates. True, the Olympic experience that Sarah and the other athletes had dreamed about from a young age did not resemble this “dream.” But like the great competitors they are though, each one absorbed the local culture and acted as great American and cycling ambassadors. On the track, they gave it their “all” but regrettably came up short.
And in other good news, I am happy to announce that Sarah is doing great, all things considered. She is now resetting and recovering and looking forward to getting a nice and well deserved break after a challenging season. It’s been a long year with her injury and one that has well illustrated the power of extraordinarily strong supporters and sponsors. You have provided the foundation that both Sarah and I have worked upon every day. You have made Sarah’s dream of becoming an Olympian a reality!
Thank you for the support Team!
posted by Andy Sparks and Dotsie Bausch at 10:53 PM
