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Home! Well, I've finally made it back. After Kasey and arrived in London, one of our connecting points, we also missed our flight because there was no wheelchair readily available for Kasey. Then, my phone got stolen while we were dashing through security to make our next flight. Then, the pay phone in Chicago chose not to cooperate. Then, when we finally arrived in Dallas, our luggage was misplaced and put onto a belt several gates away. I know I should be thankful that we made it home, and we made it home safely, but flying to Serbia was much nicer than flying home. And the food on the way back was terrible. And it didn't stop there! I was ambushed into getting an immunization shot (for those of you who don't know me, I HATE SHOTS. keyword here, HATE.) I also found out that I had a grade two tear in some ligaments in my foot. Anyways, I am thankful I got to experience the Summer World University Games. Being one of the few WORLD competitions in taekwondo, I think that it doesn't get the respect it deserves. Many countries sent Olympic, World, and Pan Am champions. I would like to thank Mr. Hatfield for working so hard to provide this opportunity. Also, I would like to thank our manager, Ernest Kuo, for making sure everything went smoothly. Thanks to Sherri LaComb, our medic, for fixing all of our various injuries; and thanks to the coaches for giving us support. And last, but certainly not least, I'd like to thank the team. Everyone fought well (I'm so proud of you guys) and it was amazing watching the team come together to support whoever was fighting. Being the "baby" of the team, I got away with a lot, just ask Bert and Ernie, so thanks guys for not retaliating! Not that you would be able to do much against me... ;) Bye for the last time,
Anees Tyaba Hasnain
Stop throwing things at us! and Adios Amigos! Well, it's our last day here. Unfortunately, no one placed after T.J., but everyone performed and I very proud of the US team. Kasey and I spent most of the day trying to trade shirts and collect pins. Since her foot was put in a cast (she injured it her first fight) Kasey had an advantage over all the other athletes wanting to trade. Our motto was, "if you don't trade with the cripple, you are a horrible person." Needless to say, it worked, and Kasey was trading shirts and getting pins left and right. She got shirts from Mexico and China, and she got a hat from Brazil! (Thanks again Kasey for helping me get my amazing China shirt!) Bonny and I also went out trying to trade shirts. By pure luck, we found the Turkey steeplechase athlete. If you do not know what steeplechase is, you need to google it. Basically, they run a ridiculous amount of laps around the track, and within each lap, they have to jump over hurdles that sometimes have miniature pools at the end of them. Obviously, there are some things wrong with this sport. 1. Why again would you want to run in a giant circle over and over and over again? 2. And then you have to jump over hurdles while running in a giant circle over and over and over again? I do have a lot of respect for the athletes that compete in the steeplechase, though. Anyways, the Turkish athlete agreed to trade with me, and out of all the shirts I offered her, which included Polo's, US team shirts, and the US team jacket, she choose my UCLA shirt! Not only that, she knew a lot about UCLA! It was pretty exciting; GO BRUINS! :) The shirt I received in return was very nice. It said Turkey on the back, and had the Olympic rings on one of the sleeves. We were offered the opportunity to watch the USA men's basketball team compete against the Serbia men's basketball team, and all but one accepted. Kasey Mallard was offered an opportunity by Athletes in Action to lead a worship. They gave her a guitar, and she led four worship songs. Many of you have probably never heard Kasey sing, but she has a really good voice. In fact, she majoring in Business and Music at Dallas Baptist University. It was an incredible opportunity for her. Back to the game. The US taekwondo team bought some paint at the market, conveniently located in the mall about ten minutes away from our apartments. We put American flags, stars, and the words USA on each other and caught the bus to go to the game. On the bus we rode with the USA women's basketball team, the USA diving team, and the USA water polo team. When we got there we were escorted by security to our seats, and were watched by security the entire game. I have to say, the US taekwondo team was the loudest group of Americans there. Although the entire stadium as booing and cheering against us, you could still hear us throughout the stadium. The game was a close one, with the final score being 68 (US) - 66 (Serbia). While walking out, many Serbians displayed their disappointment by throwing various objects at us. The US basketball game was epic, and the entire team had a great time. Most of the team finished packing when we got back. The first group to leave the village left at 4:15 a.m., so I stayed up to say goodbye to my teammates. I took a nap and when I woke up, it was my turn to say goodbye to the village, the games, and the rest of the team. I'll let you know how the flights back went later. Dovi?enja! (Goodbye!)
Anees
Bert's Bronze and Kevin the Kangaroo Hey guys! Sorry I haven't blogged in a while; it's been a pretty hectic week (actually it was only three days, but it felt longer.) After my last blog, a lot of important and exciting events happened. I'll start with the opening ceremonies. The opening ceremonies began with a trek to the arena hall where the ceremonies were going to be held. It was an incredible moment; the entire US team, which included US diving, water polo, basketball, taekwondo!, and other sports, marched together. While we walked, many people clapped and cheered for us. There were many countries willing to show their support for us, and there was a group of Americans proudly waving US flags. Also, there was a group of Serbian kids practicing taekwondo. When we got to the arena, we were directed to a particular section where the entire US team could sit. While in transit, I got lost in the shuffle, and ended up sitting with the US water polo team. They were very friendly, and I enjoyed getting to know them during the opening ceremonies. (They are incredible water polo players, and they have represented the US well, both in and out of the water.) While waiting for the opening ceremonies to begin, Anthony, Johnny, and I took a walk around the stadium and met many players from many different countries. We took pictures with Saudi Arabia, China, Brazil, and Japan, just to name a few. When we noticed that people were starting to return to their seats, we quickly went back to ours. The opening ceremonies were spectacular. One of my favorite parts included when the flags from all the countries were brought in. According to the announcer, 145 countries attended the Universiade, When the US flag was brought out, our team's cheers drowned out all other noises, (An interesting fact about Switzerland- their country brought a scooter for every athlete, and their representative rode a scooter while carrying their flag... we should have brought unicycles...) Another one of my favorite moments included when we received a personal message from the International Space Station. For me, it seemed to reflect on the idea of pursuing solid academic programs and rigorous athletic programs. Astronauts not only have to be incredibly intelligent, but they also have to be in great physical condition. Next on the list of events for me was the first day of sparring competition. Unfortunately, Kasey, Johnny, and I did not advance to the medal rounds, but Terrence Jennings (also known as T.J.and Ernest's, aka Ernie's, Bert) defeated many talented opponents to win bronze. We're very proud of him; not only was he the first taekwondo athlete to medal, but he was also the first US athlete to medal! The next day of competition, Cheryl, James, Chris, and Bonny fought. They all represented the US team with class and dignity, and we were very proud of them. After the competition, a few of the US team members explored the village and looked for other competition venues. Bobby, Dennis, and I went to the artistic gymnastics venue and watched athletes from across the world practice and perfect their skills. I used to compete in gymnastics, and it was a treat for me to watch international, elite gymnasts work on their routines. Hopefully, I will be able to watch the finals tomorrow. Alicia, Bobby, and I also went out to take pictures with various countries and hopefully collect pins to put on our lanyards. We took pictures with Australia's Kevin the kangaroo, Australian team members, Hungarian team members, Ghana team members, and Kenyan team members. (Shout out to Stanford from the Kenyan swimmers!) That's all I have for now. I'm still working on uploading pictures, and possibly videos! Later!
Anees
Day 1 Hello! We made it to Serbia safely. The flights went by quickly. When we landed in Serbia, we were greeted by a volunteer carrying a sign with the American flag on it. He led us to baggage claim, and while we were making our way down there, we noticed all of the SWUG signs. We met up with another group, Terrence Jennings, Cheryl Krause, Brandi Powers, Maia Eubanks, and Aziza Chambers. We got on the bus, and about fifteen minutes later we arrived at the athlete's village. The athlete's village is amazing! Everyone is incredibly friendly! The building we are living in also houses the Canadian and Great Britian teams. Almost everyone here speaks English, so communication with other countries's teams and athletes is fairly easy. Just last night Brandi, Cheryl, Audrey, Bonny, and Aziza made friends with a team from Africa. They danced with them, ad they even got pins for their lanyards! Last night, though, a large group of us (Anees, Jason, Maia, Johnny, James, T.J. Leising, Alicia, Cheryl, Chris, Jayson, and few others) got stuck in an elevator on the way to our athlete's meeting. We were packed in there, and we had all just finished working out so we were fogging up the elevator. We stood in their like a group of stinky sardines for what felt like an hour! I'm sure you'll here more about it from Alicia.
Today we are attending the raising-of-the-flag-ceremony which should be memorable. I'll try to upload some pictures soon.
It’s Serbia, NOT Siberia I just finished packing my suitcases. Hopefully, they will make it to Belgrade before they burst. My flight tomorrow is at around 11:00 a.m., and I will be meeting Audrey Su, Bonny Su, and Kasey Mallard at the DFW airport. I am ready. I have trained hard, driven by the chance to represent my country, my taekwondo school, and UCLA at the Summer World University Games. This is my first time fighting in a tournament where the team will be staying in an Athlete’s Village, and I am excited to see what it will look like. I eagerly anticipate the day I fight; one of my favorite parts of international competitions is seeing all the different countries that send fighters. Just to
make things clear before I continue, Siberia is not Serbia. No,
I am not competing in frozen tundra. In fact, the weather is supposed
to be in the 70’s-80’s in Serbia, which will be a relief
compared to the 90-100 degree weather we’ve been having in
Texas. Since I
haven’t been to Serbia before, I am a little unsure of what
to expect. What will the people be like? What does the currency
look like? What will the language sound like? And a question very
dear to all taekwondo fighters, what will the food be like? Well, that’s all I have for now. On to Serbia!
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