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In the Village U.S. beach volleyball player Kevin Wong
Periodically, throughout the Games, CNNSI.com will bring you reports from athletes on life in the Athletes' Village. In this report, U.S. beach volleyball player Kevin Wong, of Pearl City, Hawaii, says that he has moved out of the Olympic Village and is looking forward to his return home. A few days ago we decided to move to the Bondi Hotel, which is closer to the venue. The Olympic Village had an electric atmosphere, but it also had a lot of distractions. Luckily we got rooms in the back of the hotel because the front was just one big party. I've been getting about eight hours of sleep each night, which is pretty normal for me. During the day I basically hung out, used the Internet and played around in the video game room in the Olympic Village. I did anything to keep my mind off of the growing pressure. It was hard to distract myself. The U.S. set up a video program where athletes can watch videos of their performances, so I did that some, too. We practiced everyday. Our practices were structured to the opponents we would be facing next. Other than that I tried to relax.
The food in the Village was great, but after I had everything two or three times, I got sick of it. I've been eating pretty well here. I went to the AT&T center the other day to see my mom, dad and brother. They have a nice setup there for families. I love that my family is here. I play well when they are around. I have to balance my time between seeing them and focusing on my sport. They understand that I can't spend every moment with them. We've worked out that difficult stuff in the past so they are no longer a distraction. Rob and I get along very well and we hang out even when we are not on the court. I've met a lot of the other U.S. athletes in the past, so this was a nice reunion. Everyone is a class act. Anyone that is at the Olympics is a hard worker and dedicated. Sydney surprised me. I've never been here before, but I had preconceived notions about it. It is a cool cosmopolitan city. It has great culture, nature and views. Now that I'm done, I'm looking to just relax and see other events. The U.S. has a lottery system to get tickets to events. I am supposed to head home on Sept. 29, but I might try to leave a little earlier.
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