Written by: Tucker Dupree
8/15/2008 1:10 PM

Eat, swim, and sleep is all I can do preparing for the journey of a life time. Swimming is the Love of my life. The fact that I get to travel across the world, swim in a venue that is going to hold 12,000 people, and not just swim against Raleigh athletes, but I get to swim against athletes that are going for the gold just as bad as I am. Can we say "Nerve racking?"

I depart this coming Wednesday at 5:55am to travel to Colorado Spring's. We get to stay there for 4 days. In these 4 days we have to go through team processing, collect all of our free gear, swim, do team building activities, and wait for the track and field team to arrive. On the 23rd (Saturday) we depart for Kadena Air force base in Japan. We are flying on a First class chartered DC - 10 Airplane. The team will stay in Japan for 10 days. Kadena is one hour off of Beijing, this way the teams can become acclimated to the time change. After Japan we will fly into China one day before opening ceremonies to get a tour of the village and to "see" the venues. (“see” a visual activity that is not Blind friendly)  My first day of competition is September the 9th. I will compete everyday after that. I have 6 events while I am in China. ( 50 free, 100 free, 400 free, 100 Back, 100 Fly, and 200 IM).

So that is a briefing of the journey I am faced with right now. I have four more days in Raleigh before I leave to swim the fastest I have ever swim in my life and take you guys along the way.

Till next time...

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