(Andrea Duran is a Selma native and infielder on the U.S. softball team, which is favored to successfully defend its gold medal.)
My flight over to Beijing went really smoothly. It did not feel very long at all I kept myself occupied by reading, eating, and napping. Playing Sudoku on my Nintendo DS also kept me occupied.
The flight wasn't that bad because I already knew what to expect because this was my third time to China.
Opening Ceremonies was so awesome. This is my first Olympics and my first Opening Ceremonies and it was a memory that will last a lifetime. Growing up I would always watch Opening Ceremonies waiting for the U.S. to walk and here I was doing it myself it was a great experience.
As I was finally walking through the tunnel after waiting to walk out on the track the entire U.S. delegation started to chant "USA! USA!" and it was an incredible moment. When I finally got to the opening of the stadium it was one big rush to see all of the people up in the stands cheering and waving for our country!! I will never forget that moment it got me so pumped to finally get these Games started.
Another highlight of my night was the Torch lighting ceremony to be there live gave me the chills, and at that moment I knew it was finally time to get down to business. This is all I have for now.
-- Andrea Duran
