My Olympic experience was very spectacular and life changing for me for several reasons. A bittersweet moment, my spot onto the Olympic team came due to an unfortunate training accident of one of my teammates just three weeks before the Opening Ceremonies. Emily Cook was already named to the Olympic team and ready to compete when at an event in Lake Placid, New York, she came into the kicker without enough speed to make the landing hill, breaking both of her ankles. I wrote “HI EMILY” on my gloves to let her know that I was thinking of her and hoping she would get well soon. I am happy to say that she is training with us again and jumping very well after a two-year recovery.

Olympic Village was like my own personal candy store. Every major company in the World was there to give us as many free products as we could possibly carry and I took full advantage of their gifts! The Coca-Cola Company gave us these special necklaces that allowed us to walk up to any vending machine in the valley and get out as many free drinks as our stomachs could handle! Free shoes, cameras, cell phones, watches, shampoo and the list goes on but most of all my favorite experience was getting to represent our wonderful country after the events of 9/11.

Beyond the rockstar status and free products for seventeen days, my life was changed by the accomplishments I made in my personal life. As a child I was abused and I have lost a sister to a drunk driver as well as an uncle to AIDS. My family was brought much closer from the Olympics after several years of loss and negative actions to become very close and I felt very much at ease after years of turmoil. There is not a thing in the World I would accept to take back my experiences that I had during those two and a half weeks.