08.08.08.  The day had finally arrived—and we couldn’t go.  We had made peace with the fact that we couldn’t attend the Opening Ceremonies at these 29^th Olympic Games, but it was still hard to sit back and watch the events unfold on tv when we knew it was our given right as Olympians to march into the Bird’s Nest representing our country.  Yet, it also would have meant hours and hours on our feet, hours on a bus, and getting to sleep at around 4 am—not really an ideal way to prepare for a match-up against China the following day. 

So what did we do instead?  We could have simply retired to our rooms after supper and sulked in private, but our team wasn’t going to be denied the Opening Ceremonies; one way or another, we were going to find a way to participate, albeit at a distance.  We got geared up in our proper outfits— parachute jackets paired with prim white skirts—and went down to the meal room.

(There was some confusion as we went downstairs, though, as the soccer organizers tried to usher us into tennis venues.  We assured them that the skirts were a one-time outfit, and they let us back into the hotel.)  Once downstairs, we were met by our Chinese staff here in Tianjin (translators, chefs, waiters, managers) who seemed equally as primed to make our little exercise as fun as possible. 

The CBC was there to capture our every move, and when we were given the official signal, we marched in, cameras flashing and flags waving.  If you closed your eyes for a second, it really felt like we were all there with the rest of the Canadian contingency of athletes, celebrating our arrival into Beijing and announcing our intention to compete with the best in the world. 

Actually, it didn’t feel like that at all.  In all honesty, it felt like we were dressed up with nowhere to go.  But the enthusiasm on this team is infectious, and we took full advantage of the occasion to whoop it up and find a way to make the day memorable.

Prior to all this taking place, a group of us gathered to watch some of the spectacular artistry on display during the first hour of the ceremonies.  From the “box people” who made the center of the Chinese scroll move in waves to the mass of people adorned in lights who made a human version of the Bird’s Nest stadium, we were all blown away by the effortless synchronization, the awe-inspiring acrobatics and the technological creativity. 

Candace (Chappy) probably had one of the funnier comments of the evening when she exclaimed, as we were watching hundreds of martial arts people run in and out of formation:  “They are so good at lines!”  Yup, they sure are.

Tomorrow is our second group match against China, and we should be in for a tough match.  We are more than capable of beating this team, but after seeing them fire on all cylinders against Sweden the other night with the entire stadium cheering their every move on the pitch, we are in for a fight.  I am now off to bed—Goodnight.