Monday, August 18, 2008

A few things to remember

I wasn’t sure how to start this blog post. I have experienced so much in the last few days that I don’t have a clue where to begin.

A few things I want to always remember about last night:

-How awesome I felt before the competition. I had a great warm up. I was “up” and full of adrenaline, but calm at the same time. I couldn’t have asked to be in a better place mentally. This was a stark contrast to how I felt going into the prelims, so it was that much sweeter to feel so ready.

-Knowing when I was done that my coach was truly proud of me. We’ve been in it together for a long time. Both of us were overcome with emotion. I am so thankful I have a coach who cares so deeply.

-Knowing my family would be waiting outside of the pool (and on the phone!) when I was done. And there they were, full of love.

My performance was far from perfect, but at the risk of sounding cliché, I really did give it my
all. I felt great, I went for it, I held nothing back. And I got 8th.

I’ve always been a firm believer in the saying, “The journey is more important than the destination.” And I believe that is true even when I find myself at a slightly different destination than I had dreamed.

I’ve got alot more processing to do over the coming days and weeks. But in the mean time, I plan to soak up every last minute of my time here, cheer my teammates on to their victories, spend some quality time with my family, and of course to do a little shopping.

10 comments:

emily said...

Nancilea, you have no idea how proud I am of you! It was amazing to watch you and to pray for you and to know your heart behind it all. What an amazing experience for you. I will continue to pray for you as you process through everything and you enjoy the rest of your time there. Love you sister!

Anonymous said...

Hi Nancilea! You made us so proud and you did an amazing job! It was so amazing watching you over the past few days and to know you gave it your all. You are an amazing athlete. Congrats on all of your accomplishments! We're praying for you on the rest of your journey. Hope to see you in London!

Kimberly Worley said...

Nancilea, You did an awesome job. You are such a wonderful inspiration. Chris and I are so proud of you. Enjoy the rest of your time there. We love you so much. Thank you for making this Olympics so special for us. We wish we could have been there cheering you. We will come to the next one in four years. Love you.

Spaceboydave said...

Hooray for "Aunt" Nancilea!!!!
You are the #1 diver in the USA and 8th overall in the world...as well as the best thing to watch on TV at our house!!!!! :) I can't tell you how impressed our family is by you and your faithful example. The fact that you took time out of your schedule at the Olympics and in China to check on us and Abbygail speaks volumes to me about the kind of person that you truly are!

Know that you are loved by us!

David, Holly, Bethany, Carys, Allyson, JAK, Kayleigh, and Abbygail - whew!

Anonymous said...

Nancilea, we don't know you, but my family and I were with you when you were diving. My 2 year old got so excited watching all of the divers and cheered you all on. What you do is amazing. The hard work and dedication all leading up to the honor and prestige of representing the US. God bless you and all of the olympians! Maybe in 2024, you will be watching my daughter as she dives for USA. Great job with all of your accomplishments!

grace said...

Nancilea! It was so fun watching you this past weekend. I know its been a long road for you and I'm so proud of the way you gave it your all. Way to represent Conroe/The Woodlands/Oakridge. :) I hope you have tons of fun with your remaining time in China. What a cool experience.

Anonymous said...

You Rock Nancilea!
I'm sure you could hear the Bianco girls yelling for you through the TV from Nebraska all the way to China (HA!) You are a true champion. You demonstrated grace, poise, strength, talent, sportsmanship, faith and joy. You are a wonderful example for Marisa and Tori. Dianne B.

Anonymous said...

You Rock Nancilea!
I'm sure you could hear the Bianco girls yelling for you through the TV from Nebraska all the way to China (HA!) You are a true champion. You demonstrated grace, poise, strength, talent, sportsmanship, faith and joy. You are a wonderful example for Marisa and Tori. Dianne B.

Anonymous said...

Nancilea, I bragged on you for weeks at work and to anyone who would listen. The whole Schutze family watched and cheered you on. We watched all of the diving just to see if we could catch a glimpse of you in the stands. We even saw Holly with her blue wig on one day! You are a wonderful example to all of us and I am so excited for you and the entire experience. You should know that a lot of people who have never watched diving watched you and called us after it was over to pass along their well wishes. Congratulations from all of us here and Congratulations on an awesome achievement!!! ~Stephanie (Schutze) Cowart

Anonymous said...

Nancilea,

Sorry to have taken so long to write. You have an amazing support system through your friends and "family in Christ." I wanted to post for the world to see that your "family by blood" and "family blessed through Christ" could not be more proud of you. It has been wonderful for me to live vicariously through you to see just how God works in our lives and how others are blessed through the things we do. I, like all of the others listed, have been telling anyone that would listen about your journey. I wanted to let you know that alot of the people I have told were blessed through your experience and smiled when they asked how you were. It was great for people to come up to me to ask me how my cousin did or how she was feeling. I always answered "#1 for the US and blessed through the experience." EVERY time they would smile and feel the blessings of your achievement. I can't wait to see you when you get home. Please call me so I can tell you I love you. Be careful, stay safe and God bless. PS-you should hear Ganmuzzie talk about you. It has been great to hear her so excited. Love ya, DK