Unfinished Olympic Business

OH BEHAVE!!  Here I am in Weymouth England, the venue for the 2012 Olympic Games and this years World Championships.  I am dialed into the local conditions, I am speaking English with a British accent and I feel like I could be James Bond!  Tomorrow, yes tomorrow is the start of racing for the worlds, and I am smiling from ear to ear.  It’s been a long year of waiting and training to finally get here, the new  chapter of my journey and venue for the Olympics shall begin tomorrow!

This is the first time for me at the new Olympic venue for Sailing, and as I settle down onto the area I could immediately feel the excitement of the upcoming Olympic Games (helicopters and all).  No pink Panther though (I did look).  It is here I will spend a majority of my next 3 years of preparation.  The day after the Beijing Olympics my quest for 2012 started and that Olympics left me with some very unsettled and unfinished business to contend with for London.  So here I am, eyes focused on the new venue and most importantly the World Championships.  This is the first World Championships in my career that I have focused a majority of my season’s preparation, and coincides with a shift of how the US Olympic Team will be qualified at an upcoming worlds instead of a national trials.

Since arriving here there has been a relentless wind, blowing to over 30 knots each day, and what a stark contrast to the super hot and no wind venue of the last Olympics.  They say it can blow anything here, and so I am waiting for what else it can do but rain and blow like stink.  But I’d rather be planning along at 30 mph plus squinting in the rain on my trusty new Olympic Board than fanning the sail relentlessly through seaweed and the Chinese jungle gym.  Oh did I mention they speak English here?  What a pleasant place to just cruise the street and say hello to random strangers without feeling like a complete oddball tourist.

My sails and boards are in proper tune and today I finished putting on the 3’ by 4’ American flag on my sail, noticing how proud I am to be sailing for our country.  More proud to go out there and sail my heart out the next week and set a new personal best for a Worlds and new Olympic venue.  Time to start to finish this business!  It is tomorrow we get some progress report for that Olympic Medal I’ve been training so hard for.  So without anything more cheeky, join me this week for the world Championships!!  Thanks for all your support and special thanks to Susan and Pat Henry and the US Sailing Team Alpha Graphics for their continued support this year.  Let’s get them! I can’t wait.  I am so pumped.

Check out www.rsxclass.com for results and my website for personal updates!

I’m Back

Dear Friends,

I know, I know it’s been a while. Let me first apologize for not providing you with any more recent updates since last year. But I am finally back in the USA! I just left Kiel, Germany where I had a personal best and a top ten performance at the most recent world cup event. It is now that I am finally finding myself again since the Olympic Games last summer. Wow what an experience! I was in the Beijing Olympics, I made the dream of my life come true, but it also came with some personal changes that are hard to swallow. After investing so much time, energy and money into a such a monumental goal, I never thought of anything else but getting there and winning. I didn’t go to the Olympics to participate..I went to win. But as all obstacles that come your way, you can either let them defeat you, or you can find the resolve to finish what you started. So I found new conviction for London Olympics, with a much more mature and determined Ben, that will be as well prepared on the water as off. The countless hours of training, the endless travels, the homes that always are away from home. Bring it on. I’ve been away from home the last 3 months straight, the longest trip to Europe I’ve ever done, and sometimes it just sucks sometimes when the stores are closed, no friends are around and you don’t speak the language. But Olympic medals don’t grow on trees, and sacrifices are everywhere. This season has been steady positive progress and I am grateful to have such solid progress forward. Thankfully, we raised enough money last year that it’s kept me going well into 2009, this has helped me greatly with jump starting the 2012 campaign (and beating through the recession). Thanks again for all your support. I couldn’t be doing this without what support you have given to me. Inge, Bob, Kim, Susan, Mr. Hough, Joe…thank you so much!

I am excited to continue to share my Olympic stories, this coming week in Pensacola I will be speaking to hundreds of kids at the Junior Olympic Festival sponsored by Subway. Well I am not Jared (the success story for subway) but I can say I will have a great time discussing the ups and downs of the Olympic Games. If your around stop in, or watch some of the action on ABC news!

So in review of 2009 so far-

I’ve won the US National Ranking again for the 6^th time in the Miami World Cup event this past January. I set a personal best performance at that event and had lot’s of potential to improve even more considering I hadn’t sailed with fast people much before the event. For February and March I rested more than anything, but I did go to the Olympic Training center in Chula Vista California. I was tested in max strength, aerobic capacity etc. Good news was that I was the fittest guy on the US Sailing team Alpha Graphics, better news is I knew I wasn’t fit. I ate lunch with Michael Phelps, which was pretty cool, he just wanted to be treated like everyone else as a normal Joe. On the way back from California I stopped in to see my sister…I am Officially Uncle Ben. The question is what kind of doctor the “little dude” as I call him will be as both parents are just that, doctors. During March I was on my patent pending “supermodel diet” which consists of fun foods and not a lot of anything else. I wanted to lose ten pounds for the start of the season, so I ended up losing that ten pounds and ready to build up the rest of the season.

It’s a new quadrennial, and I am doing a much more scientific approach to this 4 year campaign (supermodel diet withstanding). I am working with a trainer in the US Olympic Training center and keeping steady notes and diaries of my training regime. I also needed to hire the right coach, after doing some searching I ended up deciding on Christoph Sieber, an Austrian who won gold in Sydney, who not only provides a splendid example of how to win, but mentally he is helping me isolate the right mindset for top performance. I am thankful to US Sailing Team Alphagraphics for keeping his support steady! Additionally I have a heart rate monitor and GPS stuck to me all the time while training and racing so I have more accurate feedback of exactly what I am doing, where I am going, and how fast I am getting there.

The last race of the gold fleet finals in Spain was a sign of things to come. I hit the start just right, led to the left side. Each transition was perfectly in sync with each shift. I rounded in 3rd, and realized finally, I’m back. But it’s why I race, when your on the right shift, there is no better shift. Now I wouldn’t go too far to tell you to be on the right shift in life…but I am sure you can relate. We create our own luck. We create our own energy and success and we have to be there to make it happen. I’d rather go out, knowing I gave It everything I had, than to spend the rest of my life wondering. That’s the way I was made as a person and why I can’t wait for the next regatta to show exactly that. I am sure you experience the same pride, feeling of the work you do. To strive for being better at each day, and hopefully you don’t do it for the money, you do it, because that’s what makes you tick as a person, that lets you wake up in the morning hungry and excited for the day. Well my friends, I couldn’t be more excited about this day, and the rest of the year, and in turn I hope to become the very best sailor and competitor the US has ever had competed for them in the Sailboard class. Did I tell you my feet hurt from standing so long on the board? J

I have to give special thanks for the German team for letting me stay and train with them in Kiel the last few months. I have had great sessions that have increased both my fitness and sailing tremendously. Kiel is notorious for bringing cold and rainy conditions, which is a huge departure from Florida sailing. Kiel is roughly the same longitude as where the Olympics will be, so I wanted to be based in northern Europe and work on my weaknesses in that kind of environment. The saying that even on your bad days you have to perform well was an understatement. One of the only days of racing at the last world cup my boom was cracking in half before the first start of the day, needless to say it ripped apart at the end of the second race..just long enough to keep me in the top ten. That’s lucky sailing!

Remember the goal this next campaign is to medal in London. I don’t want to start counting countries early but I have been top 10-15 countries in the last major world cup events which is a big improvement over the past campaign’s Olympic performance and look forward to getting these up even further. Sometimes I am frustrated and sometimes I am surprised at how well I am doing. But I do know that progress takes time to sink in fully, I am investing now for 3 years ahead, and I promise you all I won’t let up. I have to peak this august in England, where our worlds will be taking place at the Olympic venue. My game now turns to my equipment and lot’s of testing so that I have the edge at the worlds. This is the event of the year for me, it’s where I find out what I need to do to medal in 2012, and I look forward to showing that potential this year. Let’s go get them!!!!

So thanks again for all your love and support. I haven’t forgotten about any one of you. I hope to catch up soon while I am finally back home.

Hope is not a strategy! But you can’t dream without hope! I am somewhere in the middle!

Much Love,

Ben Barger

World Cup Update Princess Sofia Regatta

Well here I am in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. I just finished the first world cup event of the season in Europe, and couldn’t be more happy to be competing again this year. The event was a mixed bag, some personal best days and some bad others. But most importantly it’s my first event back in Europe after a long break this winter. Well, it was a kind of break, I have been all over the place. First stop this year was Miami, and a World Cup Event. It was important that there, I qualified for the National Team again and in turn receive funding, support and feedback. I ended having a personal best at that event and winning the National side again for the sixth time, but it’s not ever easy and a relief things have been going so well. After the world cup event I made it to the Olympic Tranining Center inChula Vista California, where I and other members of the team got tested, poked and simply just made hurt. I was in my base and recovery part of the season, I needed a break from training and from feburary to end of March and I did just that, rested. So the scores were good but no were near where I know they can be by the peak of the season. The team plans of visiting the trainng center again in October so I’ll get to see how the numbers add up! On the way back from California I stopped in to see my sister…I am Officially Uncle Ben. The question is what kind of doctor the “little dude” as I call him will be as both parents are just that, doctors.

Check out the Palma pictures:

http://www.benbarger.com/ben/palma09/index.html

The Olympics is an experience like no other. The time after is very special, one that I will never forget, lot’s of attention lot’s of questions and things that are good and bad for you. But what I enjoyed the most was just the fact of being able to complete part one of the dream by going to the games. But there is more to racing than just training, it’s the people your with when you do it. The reason I’ve done this year, is because of your generous support last year. Having prepared for tough times ahead, we are still able to do the string events this year. So thank you again for cheering me on for so long, without you I couldn’t have done it and this year is very special for me. It’s a new quadrennial, and I am doing a much more scientific approach to this 4 year campaign. First thing was to hire the right coach, after doing some shopping I ended up deciding on Christoph Sieber, an Austrian who won gold in Sydney, who not only provides a splendid example of how to win, but mentally he is helping me isolate the right mindset for top performance. Additionally I have a heart rate monitor and GPS stuck to me all the time while training and racing so I have more accurate feedback of exactly what I am doing where I am going, and how fast I am getting there. Yesterday, the last race of the regatta was the signs of things to come more often. Hit the start just right, led to the right side. Each transition was perfectly in sync with each shift. I rounded in 4^th, and realized finally, I’m back. But it’s why I race, when your on the right shift, there is no better shift. Now I wouldn’t go too far to tell you to be on the right shift in life…but I am sure you can relate. We create our own luck. We create our own energy and success and we have to be there to make it happen. I’d rather go out, knowing I gave It everything I had, than to spend the rest of my life wondering. That’s the way I was made as a person and why I can’t wait for the next regatta to show exactly that. I am sure you experience the same pride, feeling of the work you do. To strive for being better at each day, and hopefully you don’t do it for the money, you do it, because that’s what makes you tick as a person, that lets you wake up in the morning hungry and excited for the day. Well my friends, I couldn’t be more excited about this day, and the rest of the year, and in turn I hope to become the very best sailor and competitor the US has ever had competed for them in the Sailboard class.

So as we start this season, I remind everybody to, “bring it on”

Favorite quotes of the regatta:

“Where talking scorched earth here.”

Tom cruise in tropic Thunder

I’ll make sure I keep you in the loop on the rest of this season. Be fast.

Thank you again, all of you, for giving me the ability to reach my dreams. One more time to London, this time for a medal.

Yours,

Ben Barger

Miami World Cup Update

More than half way through and currently in the top 10 overall and winning the national side by a good margin. Keep those fingers crossed! I hope I can move up some more!

Miami National Championships and World Cup Event

Oh yes..back in sunny and warm Miami.  Tomorrow starts racing at the first event of the 2009 season.  A race I’ve been waiting eagerly since the Olympics has ended.  It’s time to accelerate my learning curve and put out some top results this season. I feel good, I have been well prepared. I am about 5 pounds heavier than I was in China.  I have been working more on my technique and racing specific fitness.  But most important I’ve isolated my mind and thoughts, to give me this last chance.  To compete for me, to let me see how far I can live the dream.  To know I’ve left my mark in a way that I can live with satisfaction the rest of my life.  To be apologetic to those that have been frustrated in my isolation and concentration.  To know I spent every last moment enjoying the challenge, with the solitude of hopefully winning the gold medal. This is a rare position for me to be this euphoric over something I’ve done a million times.  Let’s win this thing!  Thanks for your never-ending support!  Let’s see how it goes tomorrow!

One More Time!

Having just arrived back from Madrid, where the annual conference was held for the international sailing organization, I am excited to announce my campaign for the 2012 Olympics has officially begun!!  The equipment for my sailing class was a hot topic and I did my best as a member of the athletes commission to promote that choice as well as push for some governance changes.   I also had met with the king and queen of Greece and was delighted to sit with them at the same dinner table for the awards ceremony.  Unfortunately the queen didn’t have any daughters! And of course I asked!  

As with anything in life change is met by much resistance,  but change can be for the better, as long as you make use of every change and opportunity that comes your way.   I went through all the options in front of me. I took out my notebook and listed all the goods, bads, and uglys that I had done in the past four years.  I then decided there is nothing in my life that could quite compare to competing at the Olympic games again.   If I could be there one more time, I’d do it differently, and I think I could win with proper preparation this next time around. The reality is I’ve found renewed energy for competition, something found deep inside my heart. I have not ever felt so motivated to compete again.   The reception since the Olympic Games has been a heartwarming delight and to share with schools and organizations has inspired me as well to continue competing. I’ve heard plenty of “you must be so proud to have just been there”, and I was, but I left empty handed.  Deep inside of me I want to win, and now in my new circumstances, I can do just that unequivocally.

I live for the upcoming days, and will share with you all of my thoughts and ups and downs along the way.  BenBarger.com is being completely redone and will be much more active with what matters the most, motivation and spirit.  The changes I needed to make; part personal and part competitively have fallen into place and I have now made a new plan to improve on the biggest areas needed to win. My time, my team and increased focus. So no law school right now, no jobs in management, I turned off my jobs in consulting, and am going for it all the way.  I won’t let this opportunity slip by, I have to seize it and now I know I can. Yes, I am smiling right now!

 There is sometimes never an argument with your gut feeling, and for me that gives me great certainty in continuing hard into 2009.  I hope to emerge as a player that is in serious medal contention, and nothing less.  We’ll be in touch shortly, I am after a win at the first world cup event at the Miami championships in January.  Training partners are arriving in a week, and I will not let up until I have finished this with all I have left in my heart. Thank you for cheering me on so loudly and counseling me through the losses as well as the wins.  It’s time to make a Gold happen. Until soon, don’t give up and make some history! With much love!

Ben Barger
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving! 

The white house visit

It was an absolutely fantastic trip to the White house this week, in fact one that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.  It’s not a normal day when I am able to be in the same house that the president and his family live in, be surrounded by secret service and meet up with all the other US Olympians at the same time.  To top it all off I had lunch in the west wing and just happened to bump into our secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, among others that I never thought in my wildest dreams I’d be able to meet.  I tried not to sound too surprised!  

The event started on Monday were all the US Olympic Team and Para Olympic Team spent the night in the Hilton, we all met up for dinner in the events room.  It was great, everybody had so many stories to tell, so much excitement to see each other again. Some had retired, some had been on tours with the family, and some are back to racing again. It was awesome!.

The next morning we all went in 25 coach busses to the white house South Lawn, where we had to go through a borage of security before we could make it in.  Heavily fortified would be an understatement, there were secret service everywhere, who never took a break from eying the scene.  But the white house is absolutely stunning and so well maintained and pristine with a heritage that rivals anything out there.  We all made our way to the stands and took our seats waiting for the president to arrive.  This was the second time I would see him in less than a month! He also came to the fencing hall in China, and spent time with each team, I felt awfully spoiled.  His speech in person is a lot more lively than the way too serious speeches he does on TV, he loves to crack a laugh with the audience and you can see his charisma with the US team, he clearly enjoys the Olympic Spirit!  After the speech we shake his hand again, he congrats everybody and then we take a tour of the white house.  

The inside of the White House is fantastic, but basically a museum. There was the Green room, the Red room, the expansive library,  the State Dining room to name a few. Not sure what they would do with all that living space but they had each inch of the walls hung with famous paintings from artists such as George PA Healy portrait of Abraham Lincoln in 1869.  It was definitely a tour of the nations deepest roots and really touching to be this close in person.After I toured the white house, I had a lunch appointment with James Connaugton, the chairman of the council on Environmental Quality. I really didn’t know what I was getting into.  After meeting Mr. Connaugton at his office we arrived to the west wing, yes the West Wing!  A Marine opened the door for us, and the secretary greeted us by our names and lead us into the “mess” they call it, where we had lunch.  Now I have had some good lunches in my time at leading hotels (and Kim Bailey’s food), but nothing compares to going to the executive dining hall in the white house.  On the way there, I was just following along staring at the walls, and here comes Ms. Condoleezza Rice, I am taking a second look, I was like, does she work here, where I am standing???  Mr. Connaugton introduced us, it was fantastic, she was personable and enjoyed hearing my story of the Olympics.  I was in way over my head, as usual!  So we arrive to the dining hall and are greeted by the host and escorted to our table walking by all the white house notables.  As you can imagine the food was outstanding, the service was first class.  I had a great lunch with Mr. Connaugton, asked him a ton of questions about his role as advisor to the president and learned a lot about the inside business.  He was personable and very likable, I can tell why he was hired to do the job, he gave me some good advice for the future and it was inspiring.  I always love meeting people that have done something with their lives, lived with inspiration and dreams and completed them. And here I was speaking to one. Not only that, but he treated me as a success. I was flattered, I am just an average guy who lives big, goes hard and out works the rest. 

After our lunch we took a tour of the west wing, and I was surprised at how cozy or quaint the building was in person.  Much more intimate than what you see on TV.  I saw all the main conference rooms where they save the country from crisis as well as the coffee machine. But I couldn’t help but notice all the pictures of the president on the hallway, all covered in mud at his ranch mountain biking.  I really thought it was totally cool, Mr. Connaugton thought I should invite the president to a mountain bike ride.

I was like would he even read my mail? Does he read outside mail? I guess we’ll see!  We then went up stairs and saw the Chief of Staffs office, which was expansive and very bright with many windows and books everywhere.  A touch of antiqueness with a business feel would be my best explanation. We walked by the oval office and through the Economics area, and of course they were all working very diligently!

As we left the west wing we then visited the press room, where all the main press stories are aired to the public. I took to the podium and pretended for a second I was saving the country, the press crew turned on all the bright lights, actually pretty intimidating room. I took a picture (attached) and then we left the white house.

This was the most epic tour of the white house I could have ever imagined, and I definitely never thought I’d get this kind of reception from being an Olympian. It was a great honor to race for our great country, and see so many people take such pride in the games. I hope I’ll be blessed with another opportunity. I’ve been at work planning reviewing and training it up, 2012 will approach before I know it, and I need to be ready for that perfect gold medal performance. Thanks for cheering me on. We’ll be in touch.

Key to the County!

I’ve been to the city hall, the courthouse, the police station…and the key doesn’t work anywhere!!!.

Well it’s been less than a month since I have returned back from the Olympic Games in China and I am still trying to find time to relax!  I have enjoyed seeing many of you, again thanks for your unwavering support!  It is still sinking in about what an honor it was to represent our great country at the Olympics.  Yesterday I was invited to a Commissioners meeting in Pinellas county, my hometown.  There I was surprised with cameras, a standing ovation and then had to make a surprise speech, I hope it turned out well!  I was honored with the key to the county and a certificate!  Wow what a surprise, they only told me that they wanted to meet me.  This is the best part of the whole Olympic experience, seeing everybody light up with enthusiasm, sharing the dream with others and seeing them get inspired as well.  I have always learned more from the losses than from the wins, but in all times its picking myself back up again and improving with hard work and diligence.  To see some of the video from the meeting check it out here: rtsp://vstream1.co.pinellas.fl.us/bcc-2008-09-16.rm.

Next week I’ll be flying to London for a sailing client of mine for websites, and then the week after I’ll be at the white house with the other Olympians to meet the President.  I’ll tell him you said hi! (or goodbye)

Coming up I’ll be doing some lectures at local schools and other clubs, this is exciting for me, to share my enthusiasm.  That’s a dream come true.  So keep building your momentum, stop selling yourself short with excuses and attract the success you deserve into your life.

So what is the next step?  Well I do want to compete in London for the 2012 games, but at the same time I have to rest and also build some more stability for myself right now.  So first I’ll be writing and reflecting on the past 4 years, what went right, what went wrong.   After I’ll be adding more work, or studying for my masters, so my resume doesn’t get terribly behind!  Don’t worry, I’ve been training the past 15 years, and never will ever stop, but there are seasons of rest and also seasons of back breaking intensity.  I left the Olympic Games knowing I had a lot more left in me, and those days I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Until that is London, where I can finish this off properly! Stay in touch and I’ll keep you updated! 

Life after the Olympics

As I sit here..the dust is settling from the event of my biggest dreams. Yes I was there, I fought hard, I wouldn’t trade that experience in for anything.  Dreams do come true..and they were worth every penny of sacrifice.  But it’s a sacrifice extended beyond just me, it reaches to my family, my friends and all my supporters.  I think of the Olympics as a gauntlet, that tests you in ways you never imagined, a litmus test to your beliefs and preparation.  

The financial markets are under stress, hurricanes are reeling b-lines to florida, the housing market is making things look gloomy. ..and I sit here, relaxed, happy, I am living my dream.  Don’t ever give up on them you’ll only wish you hadn’t.  Don’t forget, the only person that can believe in you is you.  It’s something that you have to develop yourself and reflect upon to grow.  So it is now, I reflect on me, for me.  Pray for seas of gratitude.  I am on vacation, finally.  I never knew how hard it was until it’s over.  And what’s funny is that it’s just begun!  We’ll talk soon, Ben

It’s still Sinking in…

I love competition and I love training for it, and I still love the game even though not winning breaks my heart.  I hope I’ll get another chance to redeem myself, 2012 is a long ways away, but I can tell you deep inside me, I can’t go out like this, not now, I know I can crack this game.  I know I’ll be training as soon as I get home. I’ll have to sort out priorities, I am getting older, but there is something that always gets stronger my love for the game and my conviction to doing it with all your heart and fear.  I’ll be back, with stronger results and more experience than before, and hopefully I can convince you to give me one last shot at this.  There is no greater feeling, than to be representing our fine country on the world stage, reading every single one of your notes to remind myself to stay strong when things get tough, to take loss with my head up, to learn from this and continue to share what heck of a ride this is.

 . .

I’ve uploaded many of the videos and pictures from the games, I hope you like them..I finally got my 2^nd amendment rights reinstated!

I love you all for such strength you’ve brought, me, and I hope with sharing you the full story you understand how great the feeling is to be an Olympian, and also how hard it is.  I love my life.  It’ll take some time for me to swallow this experience, but I promise I will follow up with each and everyone of you who has sent your cheers. I congratulate Tom and Yin for winning the Gold in the windsurfing men and women. .

Yours,

Ben Barger