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Posted by Kyle Shewfelt | Jul 22, 08 05:54 PM

As of today, we have less than one week before we blast off to Beijing on July 26. I have been on an incredible roller coaster of emotions over the past week, sometimes having 100 per cent belief in myself that I am ready and other times having zero confidence.

We started our final Olympic camp on Thursday and the day went well. It was kind of weird because this camp really blended into the camp that ended a week before. It didn't even feel like I had a week of training at my home gym in between. My first question to myself when I arrived at Calgary Gymnastics Centre was, "Did I actually train last week or was that just my imagination?"

On Friday we had our first model training. It was tough.

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Posted by Kyle Shewfelt | Jul 15, 08 07:05 PM

This morning when I woke up I was a little panicked. The thought that I am actually leaving for Beijing and the Olympic Games felt very real and it freaked me out.

As I turned off my alarm clock a million thoughts and questions came rushing to my fresh and recharged morning mind.

Am I ready? Will I be able to deliver the performance I need to? Will I be able to withstand the Olympic pressure? Have I worked hard enough? Have I done enough routines? Do I need more time? Will my legs hold up? Is my difficulty high enough? What if I don't win again? What if I mess up during the qualification? What if I can't get my second vault? What if I forget how to do gymnastics?

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Posted by Kyle Shewfelt | Jul 9, 08 05:30 PM

Yesterday, at the conclusion of our final Olympic selection camp, our team was finally named. Let me introduce you to the gentlemen who will represent Canada at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games:

Grant Golding, David Kikuchi, Adam Wong, Nathan Gafuik, Brandon Oneill
and...me!

This is an incredibly strong team. I don't think we even know how good we are. I believe we are going to be the surprise of the Games and I am proud and honoured to be a part of this group. Our goal as a team is to place in the top eight in the qualification and move on to the finals where anything can happen. I look forward to experiencing success with my teammates, and the celebrations afterwards are going to be insane!

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Posted by Kyle Shewfelt | Jul 4, 08 11:10 AM

Today was the start of our second Olympic selection camp and it was a great day. The sun was shining, there was intensity in the gym and everyone looked like they brought their A game. By the end of the camp on Monday we will know who will represent our country in men's gymnastics at the Beijing Olympic Games.

This week, I am looking forward to showing the improvements I've made since our last camp. My confidence is higher, my trust and belief in myself are elevated and my physical condition is way better than it was a week ago. Everything that I wanted to start coming together is coming together.

I am also looking forward to testing myself again in a competition situation. We have two test meets, one on Saturday and one on Monday, and I am feeling very prepared.

My heart and soul are deeply invested in this process. It's like I have fallen madly in love with the potential this dream holds. There have been a few days in the past week when I have been on the verge of tears, not because of sadness, but because of joy and pride. I love my physical, mental and emotional conditions.

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Posted by Kyle Shewfelt | Jun 27, 08 02:22 PM

Thought I would give a quick update as to how this week has been going. I feel old, tired, achy and a little cranky. I’ve had a few freak-outs and screamed more than a few profanities that drained much frustration from my mind and body.

As for my plan to get tired mentally and physically I guess I can now say, “Mission accomplished.” And I still have one day to go, which I'm way too excited about.

I am actually nervous about going to bed tonight because I don't know if I will be able to walk like a normal human being tomorrow morning when I wake up. I am pretty sure that I am going to have to limp, tiptoe, shuffle and heave myself to the bathroom in the morning. Ahhh, the life of an Olympic gymnast. Gotta love it.

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Posted by Kyle Shewfelt | Jun 24, 08 12:56 PM

I am home now from our first Olympic camp and I feel incredibly energized and motivated. I feel a huge sense of belief in myself and a desire to rise to the next level, which I guess would be the Olympic level.

I wasn't dreading last week’s camp before it started, but I was very anxious about it. I had some restless sleeps in the week beforehand thinking about the possibility that I would fail and leave the camp feeling defeated. I definitely didn't want that to happen, but in times of doubt those negative thoughts can come creeping in and rent way too much space in your head.

I knew the day would come when I'd be put into the uncomfortable position of competing again. I say uncomfortable because when you haven't competed in a while, it's pretty scary to step out there and have all eyes on you.

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Posted by Kyle Shewfelt | Jun 20, 08 02:36 PM

I have to admit, I was pretty nervous in the day leading up to last night's
competition. I tried to be calm and cool and just conserve my energy so that
I would be able to explode when it was time to compete.

During warm-up I tried to stay relaxed by taking lots of deep breaths and
moving at a slow pace between turns. I didn't want to go off and then
have nothing left for the competition. I just wanted to get warm and hit one
of each skill.

I am a planner. I've discussed it here before, but planning keeps me feeling
calm and in control. I made a plan in the afternoon yesterday and I followed
it to a T during warmuup. Run, stretch, basic tumbling, vault, highbar,
rings and then floor.

After the warm-up was over, it was time to compete.

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Posted by Kyle Shewfelt | Jun 19, 08 07:04 PM

I am writing this in Edmonton before our first Olympic training camp. Things are going great and we compete in a test competition tonight. It will be the first time I'll perform my routines in front of judges in a competition setting since my injury. Exciting, but a little scary.

I'm using tonight as an opportunity to gauge where I'm at. I've been working hard in the gym and I hope tonight confirms that. I am not expecting too much. I just want to trust myself and hit my routines. Tonight is my starting off point and I keep telling myself that I need to start somewhere.

I am looking forward to the adrenaline rush that competition brings. It's been a while since I've had those pre-competition butterflies. In fact, I am starting to get them right now. I feel like my heart is beating a little faster and my hands are a little shaky. I am trying to embrace these feelings and recognize that they are good things. They will help me.

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Posted by Kyle Shewfelt | Jun 11, 08 12:25 PM

My decision to withdraw from the Canadian Championships last week was absolutely the right decision. Without the stress and worry of not being fully ready for competition, the week turned out to be incredibly productive. I was a man on a mission and I had some amazing training.

I made training my priority last week. The week of Nationals is usually overloaded with interviews, school visits and autograph signings and it’s easy to forget about taking care of Number One. I made my media schedule conducive to a little breather before my training started.

I cut off my autograph signings because I needed to get to the gym. I am usually the type of guy who will sign until the last person, but this week I needed to be a bit selfish. Hope I didn't disappoint any kids.

I was in uplifted spirits all week. You know how sometimes you see people and you tell them that you are doing awesome, but it's not genuine, not heartfelt. Well, last week I actually believed myself when I told people how I was doing because I felt bloody awesome all week! I felt like everything was starting to fall into place and I was excited about the surprises I am going to show people when I am back into the mix in a few weeks.

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Posted by Kyle Shewfelt | Jun 3, 08 12:30 PM

Over the past couple of months I have had the goal and intention of competing at the Canadian Championships (CC's). I originally thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to show how far I have progressed and to get back into the "competition" swing of things.

I wanted to be prepared to compete because the opportunity was so awesome. CC's are in my city this year: Calgary. It had so much potential to be something amazing. I don't often get the chance to compete at home. Actually, the last time I competed here was more than two years ago at the Jurassic Classic. Before that, it was our Olympic trials in the summer of 2004.

I wanted somehow to recreate the magic of trials at CC's and use it as motivation heading into the final two months of Olympic preparation. I wanted this to be a positive experience that would propel me forward. I wanted to come out of CC's feeling like I was making huge progress and that everyone in the audience would know that "Kyle" was back and ready to challenge.

But, I'm not quite there yet. I tried. I really, really tried. A week or so ago, I felt something sink inside of my stomach as the thought of competing became a real reality. I'm just not ready to go out there and make myself vulnerable. I am not confident enough yet to come out of this competition with positive feelings. I haven't been able to do the numbers that I need to in order to feel like this could be an experience that would propel me forward.

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Posted by Kyle Shewfelt | May 27, 08 11:06 AM

Hard work leads to so many things. It leads to progress, increased confidence, improved strength and a sense of pride and accomplishment. But what I am finding lately is that hard work also leads to pain and exhaustion.

For the past couple of weeks, I have been coming home after training and struggling to keep my eyes open. My usual routine is to get home around 5 p.m., visit my best TV friend, Ellen, and make some dinner.

Well, recently I have been adding a 20-minute nap to that routine. It's all I can do to feel alive enough to cook. I hope Ellen doesn¹t mind my absence for the short nap. I know, I know, I should really just dance, but it's hard to bust a move at half effort.

The reason I am so tired is because I have been working hard. So hard that when I am not in training; I am in a constant state of pain and exhaustion.

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Posted by Kyle Shewfelt | May 20, 08 03:54 AM

Today was not a good day. I was thinking too much.

I was thinking too much about Nationals. Too much about Olympics. Too much about the possibility that all of this hard work could end with me not quite making it.

I don't think this way too often. I try to believe that it will all work out in the end. I try to come into the gym with a plan and attack my work. This is the way I like to live life, but today was…different. I had no love for flips.

I was fixated on the long weekend coming up. As I watched the news this morning and saw the forecast for Calgary (basically sunny, 22-25C all weekend) I got really down. I call it the "long weekend blues." Why would I get sad when I think of a long weekend? Well, long weekends do not exist when you are preparing for the Olympic Games.

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