Some Things I noticed while in London

-I like to walk. Its fun and refreshing and you can take in so much more.

-If you listen to music while riding the underground you cant listen to all the different accents you might hear.

-The underground is small and curved, the men are tall and thin; they have to bend when standing in the underground. That should be fixed.

-I think I need to travel with friends, then I can share all the new experiences with someone. And take better pictures too.

-I really want to be an athletic trainer

-London has a great public transportation system

-I need to find a sense of style. I really don’t mind not having one but when I travel and pack clothes I get to my destination and realize that a: the clothes I packed don’t match, b: I don’t want to wear the clothes I packed, or c: I just really don’t like them. I was very aware of these things while in London because everyone clearly has their own sense of style and is confident in it. I need to learn how to do this.

-I like the Olympics

-I like meeting new people.

-I have a great relationship with my family.

-Somehow British guys can pop their collars and look good.

-For some reason I found British guys to look better in general.

-Even though I had things to catch up on when I got back my trip was much needed. Even though I was doing “work” while I was there it was good for me to have a little change in my daily routine. 

Withdrawal

First thing today, drove to UWM from home to go to my last Introduction to Kinesiology class. Kind of a waste of time; just reviewed for the final exam next week. Then I made up the exam I missed last week for the same class. Took about 20 minutes. Not difficult.

I got my CPR/AED certifications and met with the Director of Athletic Training to talk about how to raise money for next summer’s trip to the Olympics. She was so helpful and put me in touch with someone who will set up a fund for me through UWM so that people will be donating to UWM, even though the money will go to me when I need it. So that was extremely good news! Really encouraging since I was nervous that people wouldn’t take too much interest in donating financial support to an individual. Things are in motion for next summer people! 

On to finding a place to live while I’m in London next summer!

Competition Begins!

Saturday: Today was a bit more exciting since competitions actually started for the wrestlers. I had the morning shift and was late, of course. And today the construction started on my normal route so I had to take the longer one. But it was fine and there was a lot to do once I got there. Just setting up the mats and area of competition for the matches. And then after that: I got to watch! :) It was very exciting to watch, and then my shift was done. It went by really fast and I hardly did anything.

After the shift I went downtown London and explored Harrod’s, which I had been told is a London experience. It’s a huge store, and as soon as I walked in the doors I felt overwhelmed and wanted to leave. It was huge! Six stories and out basically as far as it went up. It was way too much merchandise for me to handle. Afterward I went back to “the flat” and just relaxed for a little bit. Uel and Nina were there and had waited to have dinner with me, but before we went to dinner they took me for a little tour around London. They drove me around and told me a lot about the city. It was great! And so pretty because it was dark out so all the lights in the city and decorations were up, I loved it. Then Uel and Nina took me to dinner at an Authentic Turkish restaurant. Delicious is all I can say about that!

Sunday: Today was great. I went to church with Uel and Nina; “All Soul’s church in London”. It’s beautiful and big. I liked it a lot. Then I started my last shift. :(

I did basically the same work as I had done yesterday, still fun. Watched some wrestling, and then ran over to the weightlifting to watch my friend lift. She did really well and I was proud of her.

Fortunately, the group that carries the country flags in front of the athletes when they walk in was short today so I got to do that a bit. For basically 3 hours. I also was able to present medals at the medal ceremony. So much fun! After the competition was done my team was in charge of clean up which took an hour or two and then we were done! Goodbye’s, exchanges of emails and customary goodbye traditions followed.

Monday: Flight back to the US. 

Time Flies When You’re Having Fun!

Oh My! I will be back in the states in two days! Crazy! Time has gone by so fast and I have done a ridiculously awful job of keeping my blog updated. I don’t even know where to begin.

I wont even talk much about my second day here. I tested out my route to the ExCel Arena (where the competition was taking place), walked around a bit, and then went to Trafalgar Square in London. Which I must say is probably one of my favorite places. I’m not sure why as there isn’t much to do there but to me there seems like there is a lot to look at. In the evening I went with Nina to her Bible study group. It was good; they had been doing a study of 1 John. Tough stuff, but interesting of course and I learned a bit.

Wednesday: I went to the ExCel for “training”. It wasn’t very informative, basically just information about the arena itself and important people we should know. Kind of a waste, but then we got a tour and saw where the wrestling competition would take place and got a small feeling of the magnitude of the event the volunteers will be involved with. We finished a little bit early, I got back to “the flat” about 8pm had dinner and went to sleep planning to wake up early and check out more of London on Thursday.

Thursday: Epic Fail. I did not wake up early enough to go into London. Just made it to Starbucks and the Underground to get to the ExCel. My shift was pretty boring. The athletes did arrive today, which was great. Got to see the American’s, didn’t talk to the guys I knew but they were training and looked good. My job consisted of sitting in the equipment room and walking around watching the different countries train. Unfortunately I cant say too much about what I do, which is quite silly because I don’t do much. But if you think of me like a gopher for athletes (or anybody really) then you’d be close to my job description.

Friday: The days started blending together on Friday, but today I DID wake up early. I felt very accomplished by the time I got to my shift at the ExCel. I left “the flat” about 10am and got to Covent Garden by 11. My shift was at 1:30 and I didn’t have to hop back on the underground until 1 so I had a lot of time to “bum around”. Covent Garden is basically a bunch of shops and boutiques together in a concentrated area. It’s very similar to Quincy Market (in Boston) for those of you who have been there. I also visited the Royal Opera House and walked past, because I was to scared to go in, the Royal Ballet. Kind of exciting. I also went down to Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace. I walked up right as the changing of the guard started and got to see the whole thing sitting on a stone “fence”. I walked up to the palace once the crowds had left and the gates were open, the flag was on the palace (so the queen was there), and a car was leaving! But there wasn’t anyone important in the car, you could see through the windows and it was just two guys. Not very exciting. Then finally I made my way to the ExCel. My shift was pretty much the same as Thursday, athletes practiced, I sat around, and drank tea J. I also individually labeled the 50+ stress balls that were supposed to be used for the draw for the competition.

They were never used.

I'M IN LONDON!!

December 5, 11

So I’m in London. No Big Deal. Got in yesterday morning and arrived at my host’s “flat” about 730am. My host’s are extremely nice and so much fun. I enjoy talking with them and felt at home right away. They have given me a lot of space and have been so helpful with everything like getting around, what to see, where to eat, etc.

Yesterday when I got in I planned to take a nap from 10-11 and then go out and sightsee. My one-hour nap turned in to a 6-hour nap. I woke up about 430, freshened up and still went out despite the darkness. It gets dark much earlier here in London, about 4 o’clock, and it doesn’t get light out in the morning until about 9 or later. I went out to “Upper St.” and walked around. It’s a very busy and nice street. There are lots of boutiques and restaurants. I stopped in at a Starbucks and got some coffee. I didn’t want to be out when my hosts (Nina and Uel Barklay) got home. So I was out for about an hour and when I got back to the “flat” I watched some Friends on tv and skyped with my family.

            Even though I hadn’t done much I was tired and went to bed relatively early at about 1030pm.

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-0!

There is no countdown anymore!
Tomorrow I will leave for O'hare International Airport at 10am and hopefully be on a plane to London at 3:50pm. It's going to be a long day but worth it.
I was successful in accomplishing 2 of the 3 things I had planned to do before I left.
I completed my math exam. It was difficult and my professor said she would curve our scores...good thing
I took ballet with my old instructor. It was a lot of fun and so good to really dance (I take ballet at UWM but it sure doesn't seem like really ballet). I packed....but I was mostly packed on Friday and had just a few small things to put in my suitcase, and packing wasn't really one of my 3 things anyways, but I wanted you all to know that I did pack.
Unfortunately though because I'm leaving at 10am I will not be going to church. Definitely sad for me but already I have had encouragement from members of my church in Wauwatosa so I will be happy to see them when I come back.
All thats left to do is sleep and pack my toothbrush in the morning. Next blog may come from over the ocean!

THREE

I can hardly believe I’m three days away from going to London for the Test Event. Time has gone by so quickly and it is unbelievable. To think that over a year ago I filled out the application to volunteer and over 6 months ago I had my interview is crazy! But here it is.

Now that its so close I'm getting much more excited. Still a little nervous about the initial arrival and getting to my host family but God is watching. He will protect me so I should be fine. 

I'm packing and trying to think of everything I will need. The big thing right now is will I need my rain boots? Or as my wonderful British friend, Caroline, calls them; will I need my "wellies"? Of all the things I should be thinking and asking about that is the one question I can't answer.

Its wet in London right? Correct. I looked up the weather for the next 10 days, from today, and it is going to rain every day. So it makes sense to bring them I think. But it also probably violates whatever kind of volunteer uniform is in place. Bummer. I really like my "wellies". 

Let's see, I've been trying to think of how to make this blog more interesting. I don't want to bore people because all of this is exciting to me but how do I keep you interested. Since its three days till my departure I'll tell you one thing that I'm going to do each day. Probably none of them related to my trip either.

Friday: Take a math exam. YAY!!! Math is my absolute least favorite and worst subject. 

Saturday: Take a Ballet class. For real YAY!! It will be taught by my old instructor and I absolutely love taking his class. It'll be a good send off. Oh and I will probably pack too...

Sunday: Go to church. Its important. My church is like my family. And this trip is important to me, and I have the full support and prayers of my church family. I can't just skip out on the body of Christ that has supported me my whole life.

So maybe that was more interesting. Maybe not. The next post might be from London...might be from over the ocean, might be from O'hare international airport; or from my room the night before I leave because I can't sleep. We will see. 

5

My encouragement for the day. Knowing that God has this all planned out, everything. Not just my trip to London, or my career, but my whole life. He knows what He's doing and I need to have faith in Him.

"Now Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen...By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made by things that are visible."

Hebrews 11:1,3 (English Standard Version)

S-I-X

So I didn’t start the countdown from the traditional 10, or even a week out at 7. Thanksgiving festivities and family were more important, so I’m starting the countdown at 6. I don’t think I will even write a blog a day so the next one after this will probably be something like 4 or 3.

Thanksgiving: AMAZING!!! What an awesome holiday. I was thoroughly blessed this year by my family and friends. It was so nice to be home and to not worry about school or work. I enjoyed my 7-week-old niece as much as she would let me, and I was able to spend time with my brother and sister in law. It is definitely difficult to be without them close. Phone calls, texts, facebook, and email do not take the place of in person conversations for me. I miss them….Daily.

I was also so thankful to have my friend Alexis stay with us for a few days. It had been a few years since I last saw her or spent time with her and its refreshing to connect with her again and know that we are still able to talk about anything even after minimal communication over the last few years. It’s so encouraging, to be able to form that connection with someone. I think its very rare and I am blessed with two non-family members who I’m able to do that with. I thank the Lord every day for Ashley Nelson and Alexis Polito. Both have been with me through the good and the bad and we still have great friendships.

Back to school today, which was difficult after a holiday, and since I only have one class. I could have done without it and apparently so could my teacher since he actually left 10min into the class. He must not have had a good Thanksgiving.  I am working my best to polish of the items on my to do list. Not very effectively though, especially considering my to do list is in my head. That’s never very helpful. But I did email a few important people and do a quiz or two. So I feel like I’m getting things done at least.

6 more days and I’ll be in London. I better have my to do list empty by the time I leave for the airport. 

The All too Familiar “Countdown”

Everybody does it when they approach something exciting and new, they countdown to that event. I was never that kind of person. I just went through my daily routine, school, work, homework, sleep, etc. and before I know it Thanksgiving is upon me. Two weeks from Thanksgiving I will be in London. Not on my way, or making preparations, I will be there in the middle of my 10 day stay, working, volunteering, sightseeing, and probably NOT freaking out anymore because I will have adjusted by then.

Now its real, I’m going to London. I’m going to London to volunteer. I’m going to London to volunteer for the OLYMPICS!!! Up until now it seemed like a dream. I knew of course that it was reality all along, but December seemed so far away, and like it would never come. And now its here, it has hit me in the face, in full force, just how much I need to do before I actually go to London. Even though it will go by quickly, two weeks is plenty of time for me to get in order what I need to. But what do I need to get in order?!

I have a place to live while I’m there. That’s good. I know how to get there from the airport, more or less. Another good thing I suppose, as long as I do ACTUALLY know where I’m going. Do I have a packing list? Do I know what my uniform is to be while I volunteer? What kind of documentation will I need? Do I have the funds I need? Have I told all my professors I will be out of class, that I’ll miss that exam; that my assignment might be late? What if I forgot a class? Will I have my Athletic Training Application for UWM finished? Should I complete it before I go? While I’m there? After I get back? Did I make sure everyone at Milwaukee Ballet knows I’m going to be gone? Do they have someone to work for me?

These are just some questions that went through my head. There are many more that plague me on a daily basis, so much that all I can think is how unprepared I am, what a big adventure this is and how I probably shouldn’t be going. Doubts are forming in my mind, but God is there to remind me that it wasn’t just the London selection Committee that chose me for this position, He did. So I need to lay all my worries and cares at His feet, God knows what He wants for me, I just need to trust him.

So from that perspective, I’ll still make my lists of things I need to do, and I will still doubt because that’s human nature. But I need to remember God first during this time. He’s brought me this far and He’s not just going to dump me to fend for myself. So let the countdown begin. :)

The Wait is Over!

After the long wait, I finally get some more emails from the London Volunteer Organizing Committee! My wait for news, positive or negative, is over, while others still wait to hear. I feel for those who are among the last volunteers and will be waiting until March of 2012.

On October 17^th I received an email informing me that I had been selected to volunteer for the Summer 2012 Olympic Games in London with the Wrestling events and volunteer team. This email furthered my enthusiasm and shock at being selected as a volunteer. The email stated that they received over 250,000 applications, and that the selection process was very difficult for the selection committee. But apparently I did something right in that very short interview. At the time of my interview I had been confident in the experiences I had thus far in my career, now realizing how many people I had been competing against for just a volunteer position and how qualified many of them must have been, I am able to clearly see the hand of God in my life. He has all the plans for my career laid out and this is another step in His will for me. Though I am nervous about housing, food, and finances while I am over there, since nothing is provided for, I know that God is watching over me. I want to be in His will and have the confidence that He will provide for me, even on days where the needs for this endeavor seem unattainable to me, God already knows how I am going to make it through this wonderful opportunity.

Although I have the dates for my December trip, the 4^th-11^th, no dates have been given as of yet for the summer Olympics. Clearly I know the dates for the Games themselves, but as to how early or how late I will be involved is yet to be revealed to me. 

Offers Made, Offers Pending

September started with moving into my new apartment downtown Milwaukee and getting into a routine with school, work, and living downtown. I liked having an apartment (which I share with two other girls my age) so close to my school and work. It made the two things less stressful without such a long commute. Before living downtown Milwaukee I had a 45 minute commute one way every day, now my commute is cut down to 15 minutes, sometimes 20, which is so much better.

My professors loaded assignments on students right away, fortunately a few of my classes I had previously taken at my first college. UWM was having me re-take them to fully immerse me in the designed schedule they have for Athletic Training students. But due to the repeating of material these courses didn’t seem too difficult.

Soon my job was having me teach ballet classes as a substitute. This ended after about a month, when the original teacher returned from maternity leave, but every now and then I have the opportunity to substitute teach again when needed. I do enjoy teaching, which I never thought I would, but it is fun. I hope as the year progresses I will be given more opportunities to teach.

Even with my busy schedule it had not escaped my notice that it was now September and successful Olympic Volunteer applicants would be receiving news soon, whether good or bad. On September 9^th I awoke and checked my emails to find that I was a successful applicant. I had been offered a Games Maker role as a Sport Equipment member for the Wrestling Test Event! I emailed my dad right away and told my family members. I was so excited, and nervous! I had been given one week to accept the offer. Due to the response time I immediately contacted a friend who is originally from England and asked if she new of anyone I could live with. I did not want to accept the position without having somewhere to live.

A few days went by and I was beginning to get nervous, my dad told me it was a great opportunity for me in my career path and I should accept, if the Lord wants me to go He will provide what I need. So I logged onto the website and accepted my Sport Equipment role. I was ecstatic that I had been offered a role, nervous for what the role would bring, and thrilled that I would get the opportunity to be in London for some pre-Olympic events.

As the months continued I started to think about the actual summer Olympics and the offers that would be made to volunteers for that. The more I dwelt on it the more nervous I began to get as I quickly realized that being invited to a “Test Event” does not automatically entitle one to a volunteer position for the summer Olympics. So of course I automatically started thinking “this might be it, I wont actually get to go to the Olympics.” Another thought that crossed my mind was “what if I was on the edge and they are inviting me to the Test Event to see how I do? Maybe they wont like me once I actually get to work at the Test Event?” These are just a few thoughts I had during the waiting period.

Every now and then I would receive email updates saying that they hadn’t forgotten about us, or don’t worry if you haven’t heard from us in a while, there are a lot of applicants to sort through. General emails that everyone receives, always what a person anxiously waiting important news wants to receive. Offers continue to be made until March of 2012; I had a long time to wait. 

Forgotten Goals

I quickly became busy with school assignments and responsibilities and my application to volunteer at the London Summer Olympics was soon forgotten. During the first few weeks of school I got a call from Milwaukee Ballet School, where I trained in classical ballet, and was offered a part-time receptionist job. Since I had no form of income and thought it would be good to have something I accepted and began working four days a week.

It was a good job while I was adapting back to school, I knew all my coworkers and bosses well as I had been a student in the school, and was also given the freedom to do my homework during the times I worked. I liked the job I had and liked being back in the “ballet world”. I also got some perks like free tickets to Milwaukee Ballet Company performances, which I always enjoyed.

The semester was going by quickly and I was ready to be finished with school for a bit. I was still working at Milwaukee Ballet and had negotiated working full time for the 2011-2012 year. I liked the environment, people, the job, and the interactions; so I wanted to keep the job at full time if the school would let me. And they did. As things were speeding up in the school semester and professors were rushing and adding assignments to fit everything in I received an email late March.

“Your Games-Maker Interview Invitation” read the subject of the email. If I hadn’t been in a public area waiting to go take a test I would have screamed. I started shaking, feeling the nerves already coming even though the interview was a month away. I couldn’t believe after almost 5 months of waiting from the time I submitted my application I was getting an interview. Statistics for the London Volunteer program say that 240,000 people apply for a volunteer position, the volunteer committee interviews many of those applicants and finally selects about 70,000 people to volunteer for the Olympic Games, and 10,000 people for specific test events. Of course I quickly confirmed, accepted, and set up a time for my phone interview. Due to being in a different country my interview would be over the telephone, which made me a little more nervous as I like to see the person interviewing me.

After this, March flew by and the day of the interview was here. I had checked numerous websites and talked with many people to find out the time difference and what time my interview would be here in WI if I signed up for this time in the UK time zone (I hadn’t taken into account the time difference when signing up), but after my research I was confident that my interview would take place an hour after my second class had finished. I was walking from my class to the UWM-Union building to look for a quiet place to sit and concentrate and look over my question I had prepared when I got an unavailable id phone call. Of course I knew right away it was my interviewer and my calculations had been off by an hour.

I answered the phone and quickly battled through students to the “quiet” level of the Union so I could concentrate on the interview. The interview lasted about 20 minutes and went very fast. I was nervous early on but the interviewer quickly put me at ease and the interview proceeded more as a conversation than a time of question and answer. At the end of the interview I was told that I had impressed my interviewer so much she was going to recommend me for a “Team Leader” as well as to volunteer for the Paralympic Games, which take place after the Olympic Games. I was also told that volunteer position offers begin being made in September, so again I had a long time to wait.

The hard part was over, although it was the only part the committee had to make a decision on how I would function as a volunteer for the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

Opportunities Close

           As my internship came to a close I was amazed at how much I had grown, learn, and networked during my all too short 6 months there. Six months may seem like a long time but I loved every minute of it and felt it slip by extremely fast. I met so many wonderful people, athletes, medical personnel, cooking staff, and fellow interns and expanded my network of contacts. Some friendships I made for life, others were done when the internship finished. I still keep in contact with the Certified Athletic Trainers, Chiropractors, and Physical Therapists that I worked with and learned from. They have impacted my life from a career standpoint and I value their opinions.
          I left Colorado Springs only twice during my 6 month stay. One weekend I took a trip to Los Angeles, CA with two fellow interns for fun, the other weekend I traveled back to St. Paul Minnesota to graduate with the class of 2010. My internship had impacted my life, and my academic career, in addition to my professional career. When I returned to Northwestern College, while I was happy to see my close friends, and the professor’s who pushed me to pursue beyond Northwestern, all I could think about was what I had left behind at the Olympic Training Center. I knew schedules for sports and personnel, doctor’s appointments that needed to be made, and even though I enjoyed graduation and felt the accomplishment of my hard work during college I knew where I wanted to be.  
          My supervisor at the Olympic Training Center was so impressed with my work that he asked me to stay on a few more weeks to train the two new interns who would be there for the summer semester. Due to the nature of the internship program, interns are housed on the Olympic Training Center grounds for the duration of their internship; since I would stay extra weeks I was left to find housing off complex. Fortunately I had immediately contacted a local church and had been meeting with them on Sundays and was offered a place to stay when it was announced that I was “homeless”. Once that was taken care of I had to find a car to get to work every day, again the Lord provided with transportation. Because interns eat, and live on complex I was able to form close bonds with athletes, not only because of the living situation during the internship but because I worked in sports medicine and athletes were constantly in and out of the clinic. One of the athletes offered their car to me as she did not use it often enough to need it. Moving was easy as I had plenty of athletes offering to help transport and load my stuff to my new living area.
          Two weeks went by extremely fast and again I was preparing to move, this time back home to the great state of Wisconsin. My supervisors and the interns I had trained took me out to dinner with a couple athletes the night before my last day of work. I couldn’t believe it was ending, I had found where I wanted to be and did not want to ever leave. My last day was typical; although at the end of the day many hugs were given to the staff I had relied on so heavily for the last 6 months. In my last conversation with my head supervisor, the Director of Sports Medicine for the United States Olympic Committee, I asked him what I needed to do to get back to Colorado Springs as an employee and he told me. Before I left his office he said to me, “Shayla, you really belong here, and I will keep my ears open for any opportunities that might get you back here.” That was the most exciting interaction I had for the duration of my internship. I met many famous athletes, I learned from over 20 different medical professionals, I observed Olympic sport practices, but that meeting with my supervisor will remain with me.
          Over the summer I kept in contact with my supervisor, knowing that he was keeping me as options for jobs at the Olympic Training Center. While none of the opportunities worked out, due to other job commitments, he continued to encourage me through our conversations on the phone and through email.
         Back in Wisconsin after my summer obligations, I gave myself an ultimatum of finding a job, or going back to school to start the journey for certification as an Athletic Trainer. This was one of the things I had discussed with my supervisor in Colorado and it was something I new I would have to do. But with the “Olympic itch” started I routinely checked the London 2012 Summer Olympics website for opportunities that might be open to me for involvement.
           In October of 2010 I applied to the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. At the same time I began the application process for a London Summer Olympics Volunteer. In December of 2010 I submitted my volunteer application and read the guidelines and information about the process, which is very long.
           I entered in the Spring 2011 semester as a second-degree undergraduate student to UWM. Not exactly where I wanted to be, but another step in my journey to the Olympic Training Center.

How it All Began

                  As a Kinesiology student at Northwestern College (in St. Paul, MN) I had every intention of pursuing Physical Therapy. Due to injuries from ballet I encountered in high school I was a firm supporter of physical therapy and it intrigued me that you could help improve a persons body through simple instruction. I quickly found out that Athletic Training was the profession for me.
                 During my years at Northwestern College I was exposed to the Athletic Training Room. It began as class requirement, "spend x amount of hours in the Athletic Training Room to get an A"; but quickly this transformed into, "spend as much time in the Athletic Training Room as possible because its amazing and I can learn so much from the wonderful Certified Athletic Trainers." That was my own thought of course, as a second semester freshman experiencing an Athletic Training Room for the first time. The relationship's that I was able to observe between Athletic Trainers and athletes seemed to be unique in that Athletic Trainers are with an athlete from the beginning of their pursuits. Whether the beginning of their college athletic career, the initial incident that caused an injury, to the end of injury rehab, or when that student graduates and no longer competes in athletics. Obviously this is at the college level, but this is true of Athletic Trainers at any level, high school, college, professional, medical centers, olympic level, etc. 
                  As my years blended together I found myself adding observation hours in different settings, mainly physical therapy clinics. These observations could become long and boring, I missed the constant flow of athletes in an Athletic Training room, I longed for the pre-practice set-up of water bottles, towels, and Athletic Training Kits. I grew bored of waiting for patients with scheduled appointments, downtime that was filled with paperwork and errands, and it was during these hours that I realized that my focus from physical therapy had quickly and dramatically changed to athletic training.
                Fast forward to the end of my fall semester in my senior year; I need an internship in order to graduate with my class in May. Due to some connections my dad had made I was networking, hoping, and planning to fulfill my internship in Florida at a Sports Therapy Clinic specializing in treatment for Golf Athletes. As I presented this to my superiors and the Professor who ultimately approves internships, my hopes were crushed. While I was given encouragement to look for opportunities outside of Minnesota my internship had to take place in-state. This was so my supervisors and professors could easily communicate with each other and if necessary meet to discuss my work and progress. Ever ready for a challenge I asked under what circumstances I might be approved to have an out of state internship; at this time I was extremely ready to leave the cold state of Minnesota after 4 years, the response: "Somewhere reputable or famous, if you gave me the name I wouldn't have to look it up." Leaving the offices I felt defeated, but quickly began to brainstorm on reputable and famous companies in the field of kinesiology. I had always been interested in Olympics as a spectator and recently had been amusing myself with the idea of working with Olympic athletes and athletes hoping to become Olympians. So back in my room I began researching internship opportunities with the United States Olympic Committee.
                After browsing through the USOC website I finally found a list of available internships for the Spring 2010 and proceeded to apply for the Sports Medicine Clinic Internship. In September of 2009 I submitted the application, resume, and reference letters without a second thought, until of course after I pushed enter. Then I began to worry about whether or not I had made the right decision and how stupid it was for me to even think I had a chance of being offered the internship. Finally after beating myself up I laid it all down before the Lord, and put it in His hands. Knowing that He has a plan for my life and if I wasn't going to be an intern at the USOC He had the right place for me. 
                After submitting the application I kept checking the website and seeing the updates for the application process. Interns for the Spring 2010 semester were going to be chosen and alerted but the second week of December. As the first week of December came and went I began to feel nervous as I had not made any preparation for a back-up internship and was not thrilled about staying in MN. I had put all thought of an internship with the USOC behind me when I received a call on December 29th from an unavailable number. Typically, I would ignore a call from an unavailable number but I jumped right away and got excited and answered the phone. While in a mall with my sister and good friend I proceeded to have an interview with staff at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. Not the ideal setting for a serious, possibly life-changing, interview. I felt completely unprepared, I didn't have my questions that I had written out, in early December just in case, and was very nervous. At the conclusion of the interview I was told I would be hearing from them in a few days if they were going to offer me a position. Three days later, on January 1st 2010, I received a call from Colorado Springs offering me the position of Sports Medicine Intern for the Spring 2010 semester. Immediately I accepted the position and was asked if I could arrive on January 3rd. Preparations flew into place as I went back to Minnesota, from my home state of Wisconsin, packed up my dorm room, quickly went back to Wisconsin and flew out to Colorado Springs with my dad on January 3rd to begin my crazy internship life in Sports Medicine on January 4th 2010.
                 Thats where my pursuit of being an Athletic Trainer for Olympic athletes began.