October 8, 2007

10:04 p.m. in Shanghai (9:04 a.m. in Texas)

Today, most of us (Texans) experienced our first typhoon!  Despite the high winds and rain though, the athletes were undeterred in their goal of winning gold medals.

We started the day at the soccer fields to watch our Texas team take on Gibraltar.  It didn't take long for the field to flood (picture this year's Summer Games and add STRONG winds); the athletes were playing in conditions that Gabe Cantu deemed "slip and slide" fun.  They played hard, but fell 6-0.  The weather also didn't deter family, friends and staff from creating a strong cheering section on the sidelines - complete with ponchos, umbrellas turned inside out and a lot of wet clothes.  Be sure to check out the pictures on the "October 8 Soccer" photos page.  It was a memorable game and the athletes had a great time!

We then moved onto drier territory to watch our basketball team from San Antonio hit the court.  They displayed great team work and played an incredible game against Sweden, sweeping with a 31-15 win.  The fans in the stands were certainly in support of Team USA; their chants helped pump up our athletes to propel them into their next round of competition.

The day ended with a trip to powerlifting, where Jordan Svehlak was competing.  His determination was evident in his expressions, and that determination landed him on the awards stands.  The heavyweight's lifts earned him two bronze medals and one silver.

It was yet another strong day of competition for our athletes, contributing to more medals!  As the results for the day are still coming in, the following are the other awards we've noted for the day thus far:
- Christine Victory - BRONZE for 5K Time Trial
- More to come!