EmpowHer's Olympian Diary From U.S. Athlete Melanie Roach: I'm in Beijing

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Friday I flew to San Francisco where I met up with the rest of the U.S. women weightlifters and a few other sports like rowing, judo, boxing, cayak/canoeing and archery for outfitting and credentialing. It was like Christmas in July, we received so much we had to send half of it home. The Govenator dropped in and Natalie, Carissa and I had a nice chat about lifting and then had our picture taken with him. I spoke a little politics with him talking about my hubby Dan being up for re-election. He was happy to hear he was Republican. Ha, ha, ha!

The flight was around 12.5 hours from San Fran, it was a pretty decent flight. I slept for 5-6 hours in the beginning and then stayed up the rest of the flight. I had no problem staying up last night but have struggled a bit tonight to stay awake. Thank goodness for the free internet cafe at the Village here so I can stay awake!

We arrived at 2:30 p.m., by the time we arrived at the Athletes Village it was around 5:30 p.m. Since it was Sunday there was little traffic. Beijing looks amazing. It looks very clean and much more modern than I expected. The Village is top notch. From what I hear it is the nicest Village ever. The rooms are like condos with 3 rooms and a common area. It feels more like a mini-resort. There is airconditioning which is great. I got my first view of the Birdsnest where the opening ceremonies will be.

We trained at Beijing Normal University (BNU) which is set up with a great facility with all brand new equipment and platforms. Training went very well today especially considering I just got off a plane less than 24 hours before. I snatched 75 kilos/2, 77.5 kilos/2, 80 kilos/2, 77.5 kilos/1, 80 kilos/1, 82.5 kilos/1. They don't have the 1 kilo, 2 kilo or .5 kilo plates so we had to make due. The sports medicine is very nice. They have Doctors, Chiropractors, Trainers and massge therapist on site both at the venue and the Village. My favorite part was the cold plunge. My teeth chattered for an hour in 90 degree weather. I enjoyed being cold for the first time since we got here.

So far the expereince is awesome. John, my coach is here too which makes it that much better. It is such an honor to represent the U.S.A!

Worth the Weight

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