CBC Beijing The Olympic Games 2008The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic GamesCBC Beijing The Olympic Games 2008

Posted by Alexandra Orlando | Sep 2, 08 01:24 PM

Is that relief I'm feeling or just an overwhelming sense of bittersweet emotion? One minute I find myself sad it's all over and the next minute so happy I'm done. The Olympics was everything I imagined it would be and something I definitely didn't.

I didn't expect to rank where I ended up ranking. I replay my performances over and over in my head, yes still. It's been over a week since the Games have ended and I've had plenty of time to think about it, especially since I've neglected my blog so expertly. I really didn't do it purposely, but every time I went to write it I couldn't. I just didn't want or couldn't handle the world knowing what I was feeling at that moment. I felt vulnerable for the first time in my life. How can you write from a place that was so real and raw and hope that people would understand? I was feeling disappointment, relief, sadness, happiness, fear, responsibility, pressure and even joy. I didn't want to believe that my Olympic competition had been anything but perfect and didn't want anyone else to know either. I guess you could say I was on an emotional roller coaster.

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Posted by Alexandra Orlando | Aug 8, 08 02:50 PM

After all the years, months, weeks, days and let’s face it, seconds, of waiting for this moment, it’s actually here.
I boarded a 13-hour flight to Beijing yesterday and from take-off to landing you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I take that back. I think I woke up smiling. I’ve never felt so proud to walk into an airport fully decked out in my Canadian gear.

The amount of support I received from everyone I met on my way to China was incredible. From the airport employees to the flight crew to the complete strangers on my flight, they all were so excited and so proud of our athletes. I can’t begin to tell you how motivating it was.

I’ve never experienced anything like it before. I am still getting messages of support from people all over the world and every time I read one I get goose bumps. I can’t wait to get out there and compete.

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Posted by Alexandra Orlando | Jul 23, 08 04:20 PM

I seriously think that the average person believes that if you're an athlete representing your country, you've really got it made.

There's this perception that all elite athletes get to travel around the world, doing what they love on the government's credit card. These people obviously have no idea what they're talking about.

Forget about the interest of the athletes, money is the number one issue when any trip is being planned. I am not ashamed or embarrassed to admit it. It's a reality we all face.

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Posted by Alexandra Orlando | Jul 16, 08 09:42 PM

Nowadays during training camp I'm the first one up in my house so I always get first dibs on the newspaper. I usually skip right to the sports section, but today as I was skimming through the paper the horoscopes caught my eye.

I don't believe in all that stuff, but I was in the mood to see what the stars had in store for me. Call me curious. Here it is:

"You may not doubt yourself often but that little
voice in your head is beginning to wonder if, this
time, you really have bitten off more than you can
chew. You won't know for certain until the end of the
week- in the meantime, take it easy" (The Globe and Mail)

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Posted by Alexandra Orlando | Jul 9, 08 02:04 PM

The day after I flew in from Spain last week I was back in the gym for my first day of training camp in Toronto.

Usually, I take a few days off to rest after a big trip, but with only weeks to go to the Games my coach and I want to take advantage of all the training I can get. Once we head to Beijing in early August, they only give us a few hours a day in the gym so it’s a “if you don’t have it by then you’re not going to.”

It’s something my coach really believes in. If you haven’t put the work into it, don’t think just because you want to it so bad you’re going to compete at your best. It’s as simple as that.

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Posted by Alexandra Orlando | Jun 24, 08 08:10 AM

It’s already Day 9 of my rhythmic gymnastics training camp here in Marbella, Spain and it feels good to be back.

It’s weird to think of everything that has happened since I was here last. I remember flying back to Toronto in May scared out of my mind with an injury. The Olympics were only three months away and I was in such pain.

I was going home to face a hard, long, physical and mental recovery. I had no idea what to expect. My life had been turned upside down.

Somehow I managed to get my life back on track. It took some of the hardest work of my life, but once again here I am.

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Posted by Alexandra Orlando | Jun 9, 08 03:24 PM

I got home from Nationals in Montreal and for the first time ever I was a spectator. My 12th National Championships and there I was, sitting in the stands. As I sat there, surrounded by all these families and friends, I realized what life is like on the other side and I did not like it.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved watching the girls and cheering on my teammates, but I wanted to be one of them and not just another fan. I never thought that being on the sidelines would upset me so much.

It’s not about defending my title or the attention, but missing out on that feeling I get in front of a home crowd -- the adrenaline rush when I’m performing for the pure love of my sport. Internationally, the stakes are higher, there is more pressure and you don’t have the support of a community that has watched you grow and mature since you were a little girl. I have been competing for Canada since I was nine and I will cherish forever the memories of those National Championships.

The competition last weekend was held in the Olympic Park Stadium where I won my first national title when I was 11. As I watched the younger athletes compete, I saw myself out there and it felt strange. The past 12 years of my life felt like they had flown by and here I am two months from the Olympic Games.

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Posted by Alexandra Orlando | May 28, 08 09:08 PM

Had the strangest dream last night. When I woke up I had the weirdest feeling because I almost never dream. And when I do I’m never able to remember them. It sounds stupid, but it’s one of those things I just can’t do. So for the first time in my life I got out of bed and…remembered.

I was alone in the gym and it was dead silent. This familiar place where I’ve trained for years all of a sudden felt eerie. The only thing I could hear was the sound of my breathing. It wasn’t normal though, but that really heavy, heart-pounding kind of breathing.

It was like I was an outsider looking in. Standing there, looking at myself in the mirrors that lined the walls, I started working out. Element after element, over and over, hundreds and hundreds of times. It was like those intense Nike ads where athletes are giving it their all, dripping with sweat and even on TV you can feel how hungry they are to win.

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Posted by Alexandra Orlando | May 20, 08 04:05 PM

I love that first glimpse of Toronto from the clouds when you’re flying down into Pearson Airport. I’m a Toronto girl, born and raised, and I’m ecstatic that my preparation in July for the Olympic Games is in my city. Having family and friends around during that last stretch to Beijing is special for me.

For the past six weeks I’ve been training and competing in Europe. I’ve been away more than usual the past year because I’ve been living in two cities. My coach Mimi Masleva recently moved to Marbella, which is down south on the tip of Spain next to Gibraltar and Morocco.

When she told me that she was leaving Toronto the first thing that came to mind was, “OK, so how are we going to make this work?” We’ve been together 10 years and I couldn’t think of going to the Olympic Games without her, so I commuted back and forth over the Atlantic. It’s been the best thing for my Olympic preparation and a great experience.

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