Smooth Arrival in Sochi
The last couple of days have felt surreal. Saturday morning, we finished our preparation training camp and drove from northern Italy to Germany for USA Olympic Team Processing. Yesterday we flew to Sochi and settled in the endurance village (biathlon and xc ski athletes only) on top of a mountain.
The Team Processing took place in the Munich Olympic Hall. We were outfitted with our team uniforms, including opening and closing ceremony stuff and received our credentials. There were a lot of stations to visit in a short afternoon.
Trying on the opening ceremony outfit
Craftsbury gals in our closing ceremony garb
It was a nice surprise to see a familiar face in Munich- Sam from the Lake Placid OTC kitchen was helping to organize food and logistics for team processing.
Lowell at the autograph station
Our biathlon team leader, Bernd, shares some history of the 1972 Munich Olympic Park and its democratic design. The walls and roofs of the venues in the background were made of glass so that everybody could see in and share the experience. The Park’s paths were paved after the Games based on where people had chosen walk and naturally worn in paths.
Early Sunday morning we took a charter flight from Munich to Sochi with other American athletes and staff, including a large contingent of the luge team.
Retrieving luggage at the airport: a chaotic scene. And more of our bags are yet to come!
The Sochi volunteers are hard to miss- we are loving the rainbow Russia!
Blue sky day in the city of Sochi
The Endurance Village is about an hour’s bus ride away.
View on the gondola ride up to the Endurance Village.