Blogging the Journey: Sue Bird
07 August 2008
The First Tip-Off: As the Games get underway, Sue talks about the challenges that lie ahead.
Training camp just started this week and everyone’s really excited to be here. Even though it’s the first time all of us are together at the same time, we all know each other really well, so it’s just like old friends getting back together.
As for the camp itself, it’s just a little bit of a refresher course. Just re-leaning all the plays and getting used to each other again.
Overall, I’m excited for getting to Beijing and playing a lot of these teams. Especially against the countries that beat us in the past, there's definitely some extra motivation there. Each team has a different style, and with each team comes a new challenge.
But in the upcoming weeks, the main thing we have to focus on isn’t our opponents really, but ourselves. That probably comes across as selfish, or that we underestimate our opponent, but because we haven’t had a lot of training time, we definitely just need to stay focused. We are talented enough to where, if we take care of ourselves and just play our game, we can beat a lot of these teams.
I remember the Olympics in 2004, back when I was the third point guard on the team. My role was different then. I was there if needed, but it was more trying to gain the experience by watching veterans first-hand. It was about learning the ropes, so I could kind of take the reigns when need be.
And now that time has come. And more is going to be asked of me. I’m going to get more playing time. More expectations, more possibilities. So it’s definitely an entirely different experience, but one I can’t wait to have.
More on Sue
Read her Bio »
More on Team USA
See all Team USA Blogs »
Meet the rest of her team »
Training camp just started this week and everyone’s really excited to be here. Even though it’s the first time all of us are together at the same time, we all know each other really well, so it’s just like old friends getting back together.
As for the camp itself, it’s just a little bit of a refresher course. Just re-leaning all the plays and getting used to each other again.
Overall, I’m excited for getting to Beijing and playing a lot of these teams. Especially against the countries that beat us in the past, there's definitely some extra motivation there. Each team has a different style, and with each team comes a new challenge.
But in the upcoming weeks, the main thing we have to focus on isn’t our opponents really, but ourselves. That probably comes across as selfish, or that we underestimate our opponent, but because we haven’t had a lot of training time, we definitely just need to stay focused. We are talented enough to where, if we take care of ourselves and just play our game, we can beat a lot of these teams.
I remember the Olympics in 2004, back when I was the third point guard on the team. My role was different then. I was there if needed, but it was more trying to gain the experience by watching veterans first-hand. It was about learning the ropes, so I could kind of take the reigns when need be.
And now that time has come. And more is going to be asked of me. I’m going to get more playing time. More expectations, more possibilities. So it’s definitely an entirely different experience, but one I can’t wait to have.
More on Sue
Read her Bio »
More on Team USA
See all Team USA Blogs »
Meet the rest of her team »
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