I apologize for not having updated my blog the entire time I was out in Guadalajara.  Internet was super spotty so I barely had the opportunity to get online.  I did try to update my twitter as much as possible so I hope you guys were at least able to follow me a bit through there.  If you aren’t already following me on twitter, please go ahead and do that!

Anyway, after 10 long days in Mexico, I’m finally back in the US.  I have to give a huge shout out to the USOC.  They totally bent over backwards to accomodate us and make our stay as comfortable as possible but I have to admit that I’m totally glad to be back in the US.  After spending some time out there, I realized that I’ve been taking a lot of things that we barely give second thought to for granted.  I’ve learned to be more appreciative towards consistent internet access and hot water!

Despite some tough situations, the trip turned out to be an awesome experience and I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to get back into the international scene after being out of it for over two years.

On the competition side, we made one too many errors as a team to be able to come off with the win (we ended up with the bronze).  Clearly we were disappointed since our main goal was to win the gold but I know that all of us will take this experience back to our own gyms and use it to fuel our fire.  I’ve already returned to my normal training and I’ve never been this pumped to get back in the gym!

I honestly cannot thank the people around me enough for all the support you’ve given to me  up to this point. This meet was especially significant to me because I was actually selected to the Pan Am team back in 2003, but never had the opportunity to actually compete because I had a major accident right before the competition.  I’m incredibly glad to be back in action and to have had the opportunity to compete at Pan Ams again.

Below are random pictures from the event.  Enjoy!

The Athlete Village - This is where all of the athletes from all sports (and all of the countries) lived for the duration of the Games!

The apartment complex for the American athletes. It was awesome being able to hang out with other athletes from the US!

At the "International Zone" there were some familiar shops such as Starbucks, Burger King and Dominos

The dining hall at the Athlete's Village. This is where we ate all of our meals.

The stage at the Athletes Village. There were performances every night that we were there. Lots of dancing and singing. Good times!

One of the mascots attempting to do some stuff on pommel horse. Not bad for a big fuzzy guy!

The competition venue. I've never been in a venue with that much energy before. The Mexican fans were awesome and I had a blast competing there!