March 10, 2012 Olympic Training Center-Colorado Springs, CO
OK, so a little catch-up during the lull before the next adventure. We’re now officially half way through our 10 events! Taekwondo (phase three), Water Polo (USA vs. Netherlands), Wrestling, Taekwondo (phase eight) and Men’s Volleyball. But I missed writing about the final Taekwondo event. So here’s a short recap.
The qualifying process began in early 2010 with the first of eight phases. In some of the competitions, the athletes were attempting to qualify for the USA Olympic Team. In others they’ve been competing internationally to earn the USA’s spots in the Olympics. We can send four athletes and needed to secure those through these competitions. It sounds rigorous and complicated to me, but I guess the athletes are used to the process.
By the way, points are scored by contact of punches and kicks. Points are awarded by the officials as well as an electronic vest worn by the competitors. Coaches are allowed to challenge the officials calls and a video review determines the outcome. There were many challenges and it definitely disrupted the flow and rhythm of the competition. But about 50% of the rulings were changed, so I suppose in the end it does benefit the athletes.
Eight Olympic hopefuls took the mat, two female pairs/two male pairs, four weight divisions. The top seed in each weight class only had to win once against the #2 seed. The #2 seed had to beat the top seed twice to qualify for the Olympic team, so the deck was definitely stacked against them. In the end, three of the four Olympic berths were won by the #1 seed in the first match.
The exception was an exciting competition between 2008 Olympic Silver medalist Mark Lopez and Terrance Jennings. Mark won the first match, forcing a second fight. With a scoring kick, Jennings broke a scoreless tie with just 15 seconds remaining to earn his first Olympic trip. Afterwards Terrence said, “This is probably one of those moments I will never forget. The fact that I can now officially call myself an Olympian — it means the world to me.”
Team USA :
Diana Lopez– 28 years old. 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and 2005 world champion
Paige McPherson- 21 years old. First time Olympian
Terrence Jennings– 25 years old. First time Olympian
Steven Lopez- 33 years old. Olympic gold in 2000 and 2004. 2008 Olympic Bronze medalist and 2009 World Champion
Older brother Jean, who coaches the three siblings, has been named one of the coaches for Team USA. But it’s definitely going to be a bittersweet Olympics for the Lopez family who will be competing in London without brother Mark. Interesting question. Is there another team in London in which one family makes up 50% of the team, including the coach? Will do some research, but I’m guessing probably not!
The Olympics is where you can shine in front of the whole world. It is complete bliss! All the sacrifices–blood, sweat, and tears all for this, the Olympics! I live for it! ~Diana Lopez
In Celebration of Sport!