The running order for the USA girls in Chauncey’s category, A, for the Qualifier 1 (Q1):

4, Tiffany Hensley (CA)
7, Marah Bragdon (NY)
11, Jesse Youngwerth (CO)
13, Chauncey Cox (CO)
16, Sasha Dijulian (VA)

They’ll have 6 minutes on the climb. Q2 is on the following day.

Saturday, the lead semi-finals are in the morning, then speed qualifiers, and then lead finals Saturday night. Saturday could be a marathon day.

Sunday morning is speed finals.

Today we trekked out to Blacktown, a western suburb of Sydney (even further west than where we are in the Olympic Park.) Our destination was the Featherdale wildlife park which touted kangaroos and other Australian animals. We went with Holly and Shannon Lochridge (TX) and Kirky Olsen (CO). Kirky’s going to school at CU/Boulder. Here’s a shot of Kirky and Chauncey on the train ride to Blacktown:



It exceeded all our expectations mainly because it was so up-close and personal with the animals. We were able to pick up and hold a wallaby which is like a kangaroo, but smaller with coarser hair. Read More...

Today wasn’t a huge touring day. At noon, the US climbing team shuttled off to a gym to workout together this afternoon. So, this morning the girls and I walked around the Olympic Park some more. About a city block from the hotel is a track and field venue, though it doesn’t look big enough to have been the main track and field spot...maybe a warmup track. Outside the venue was a huge sculpture, The Sprinter which was really nicely done. It was moved there after the Olympics - during the Olympics apparently it was with several other sculptures of gymnists and other sports figures and they were perched on 30 meter pedestals.

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We had a great day again in Sydney. This morning we headed into the city by ferry east on the Parromatta River from the Olympic Park and our destination was the Circular Quay (pronounced “key”) in downtown Sydney. On the east side of the Circular Quay and Sydney Cove is the Opera House.


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I just put a few pictures up in greater resolution of our day trip into Sydney yesterday. The city is awesome - everything it was touted to be (including expensive :-)

Also, just put up an album of some shots at the Olympic Aquatic center across from our hotel.

I had to get this Latitude Longitude captured on my GPS. It’s taken all day to even let it sink in that we’re in Australia.

Our flights were all on time, thank goodness, and we have a generally smooth time all the way. The girls slept well on the plane. Read More...