Well now that we're here and finally adjusted to the 8 hour time change things are getting really exciting. Last night which would be midday on the 27th for those back in the states were the opening ceremonies for the 25th Winter World University Games and what a show it was! We spent the day practicing and getting used to our surroundings which included waking up at 5:30 because nobody could sleep any later but at 6:00pm we got on the bus and headed to the enormous stadium for the ceremony. We rode over in a bus loaded with our team and the 8 Australian athletes who I didn't expect to see at the winter games. We pulled up to the stadium and couldn't believe how many people were flooding into the arena. After waiting around for our time to enter we finally lined up about half a mile from the entrance with the whole American delegation and made our way behind the flag to the entrance. Everyone had their cameras out and were yelling and hollering with excitment. Finally after what seemed like an eternity of waiting we got to the entrance and heard the huge crowd inside cheering for the countries who had entered before us.
Then it was our turn to enter and as we peaked through the entrance we heard the crowd go wild which nobody really expected. As soon as we got inside and saw the enormous crowd of 50,000 people, the place erupted and we began our long lap around the stadium. We were taking countless pictures of the crowd and the entire scene inside the arena and everyone was yelling and waving in our direction as we passed in front of them. I've never had goosebumps like that before and felt like I had the itch-less chicken pox. It was the most incredible feeling to have all those people from another country on the other side of the world show us that kind of support and you couldn't have slapped the smiles off of our faces. As we took our spot on the enormous floor of the place we watched as the rest of the countries filled in behind us to the endless roars of the crowd. As the place filled up with more and more countries we began to run around to meet and take pictures with the other countries. We traded pins and took pictures with people we had never seen before and every country was as excited as we were. It was a malay of greetings which was only fueled by the noise of the crowd.
The real noise began when Turkey entered the stadium and you couldn't even hear yourself think. It was deafening and finally everyone was inside. As the all the countries took their places on the floor we were welcomed by the president of Turkey and countless higher ups all as excited as the next to be holding the games in their country. It was an unreal sight. After they had all spoken we were moved into and empty part of the stadium seating for all the athletes and witnessed tons of local traditional dances and music. The place was going wild as horses ran and dancers danced around and a giant pyramid looking object opened in the middle of the place to unveil the torch for the games. Soon enough a horse rider threw a torch into the middle and the thing burst into a giant flame. It was like watching the Olympic ceremonies on tv with a front row seat. There were giant eagles flying around on high wires and more music and dancing commenced. The final act was performed by Turkey's big pop group whose name I couldn't try and spell or say but the local crowd loved it. The ceremony ended with a fire work show that lasted at least half an hour and soon we made our way outside to get back to the Olympic village.
Outside the place we were rushed by hundreds of Turks taking pictures with us and of us. It was like nothing I've ever felt before, we were like celebrities and everyone wanted their picture with the Americans. It was the most incredible night of my life. We finally made it back to our dorm around 1:00 in the morning and the entire village was still buzzing. We had to get to bed quickly though to prepare for our first game tonight the 28th against Kazakhstan. The games have officially begun and I can't wait to play in front of a sold out crowd tonight. Stay tuned for the results of the game tonight which can also be found in these places on the internet. Stay tuned for more!
-The tournament homepage on USAHockey.com: http://bit.ly/USAHwug-The U.S. National University Team blog: http://bit.ly/WUGblog-USA Hockey's Facebook page: http://FB.com/USAHockey-USA Hockey’s Twitter pages: http://twitter.com/USAHockey; http://twitter.com/USAHockeyScores
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