London2012: Day Two Preview
Sunday Sunday Sunday! Day two of the games and we have lots of WAIS representatives ready to strut their stuff today. Competing at the games is a true honour to your self, your program and your country and it’s an experience one never forgets.
I remember I competed on the un-even bars in the artistic gymnastics event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. We ended up making team finals so I got to compete on the bars a second time at those games. My bar routine lasted about 30 seconds, so when you calculate, I spent 11 years of training to compete for one minute. Now don’t get me wrong there were world championships, national gold medals and a whole college scholarship that I also gained from my career, but the Olympics was a magical experience for me. And that whole minute up on the Olympic world stage was worth year of preparation leading up to it. So let’s admire the work these athletes have done and show our support by sharing their moment of glory at the London Games.
Speaking of gymnastics, we have Lauren Mitchell and Emily little competing in the team qualifications today. Not only will they be trialling to make team finals, but Emily will be going for All-Around finals and Lauren for Beam and Floor finals. Lauren was Floor world champion in 2010 and is just as capable of doing the same this year not only on floor but beam as well. So watch out for these two stellar performers today!
Our Men’s water polo begins their games today and we have a few fierce WAIS lad on this Aussie team! The ‘Sharks’ take on Italy in the today’s preliminary round group A. Keep and eye and ear out for our Boys Aaron Younger, Jamie Beadsworth and Tim Cleland as they demonstrate their dominating skills in the pool today.
The women’s Hockeyroos team start their battle to the top today with WAIS athletes Ashleigh Nelson, Fiona Boyce, Hope Munro, Jayde Taylor and Kobie McGurk helping them do so. This is Nelson, Boyce, and Taylor’s first Olympics and second for Munro and McGurk. They are the first team up in the Hockey as they take on New Zealand. Send your best wishes and get behind the Roos!!
Our fairy tale women’s rowing (8+) team is up today including WAIS athletes Hannah Vermeersh and Alexandra Hagan. This team qualified in the sudden death regatta in Lucerne in May and we should all give them our full support and follow their progress today!
Ben Cureton and Todd Skipworth continue today in the rowing (4-).
Tommaso D’Orgsogna and the red-hot Australian men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team will chase gold today, in one of the most highly anticipated events of the swimming program in London.
The Fredericks couple continues today in the eventing in the equestrian area.
Kynan Maley paddles today in his Olympic debut in the C1 event of Slalom/Canoeing. Maley will be the first Australian man to compete in both the single and double slalom canoe events at the same games.
Last up, our men’s volleyball team will kick off their journey in the games today. WAIS’s Luke Smith is amongst the tall gents on the Volleyroos team whom surprisingly qualified for these games earlier in June. Stay tuned and keep your heads up high as we watch the Volleyroos smack down on Argentina.
– Olivia Vivian