Phil Dalhausser: On a roller coaster

Well, it has been a roller coaster of emotions the past few days but Todd and I have found our groove and won’t stop until we bring home the gold. After our performance and outcome against Latvia in our first game of the Olympics, we have been playing pretty well and are No. 2 in our pool. We will begin single elimination tomorrow when we face the Swiss.

Outside of volleyball, I want to give you all a quick rundown of what’s been going on. Opening Ceremonies was such a great experience.

Being in a room and chatting with USA’s best athletes was a moment to remember. Kobe, LeBron, Dwight Howard, and Carmelo Anthony. Even though it was a long day and I was up on my feet for 8 or so hours the day before I played, it was definitely worth it. Todd and I have been trying to stick to a routine while we are here in Beijing. We work out at BNU (USOC’s workout facility) during the day, hang out at our hotel, and try to catch as much indoor and beach volleyball as we can. Last night, we went to a sushi party at the Oakley safehouse and today we are gearing up for our first match in bracket play.

I want to throw out a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to fellow teammate Kerri Walsh!

GO USA!
Phil

Phil Dalhausser: Hey everyone!

This is my first of many blogs describing by experience in Beijing. Enjoy and GO USA!

Last Tuesday, our entire USA Beach Volleyball team flew up to San Jose, CA for Olympics Processing. My partner Todd Rogers had to fly up early to participate in an Ambassador’s program I had done a few months before. I got my two day Olympics Ambassador program out of the way months before Beijing and Todd, who waited until this week, only had to attend a three hour seminar!

Anyways, after arriving in San Jose we headed to San Jose State University for processing. There, we got bags and bags of USA clothing, suitcases, shoes, and everything else imaginable. We got fitted in Ralph Lauren blazers and white pants for Opening Ceremonies…not exactly my style but oh well. After getting fitted, we sat through a presentation on the Olympics and heard from past Olympians, etc. After a long day, we flew back home only to get on another plane a few days later for Beijing.

Todd and I arrived in Beijing yesterday and have just been trying to get acclimated to the time change and weather. We will be playing in the morning here in China which is great for family and friends in the US because it will be on at night but a little harder for us.

Opening Ceremonies are tonight so I will have a lot more to talk about tomorrow. Time for breakfast…GO USA!