Our training camp in Dalian continues to operate two practices a day.  A large number of athletes flew to Beijing, a one hour flight, to attend Opening Ceremony.  Some are returning today while others will remain at our High Performance Training facility at Beijing Normal University (BNU).  We are slowly moving our sports medicine staff over to Beijing.  We have a full staff in place there with both USOC credentialed and USATF credentialed.  We had four new staff members arrive at our training camp two days ago, another massage therapist, a chiropractor, and two athletic trainers.  I depart for Beijing on Monday, Aug. 11.  The first day of competition for Track and Field is Aug. 14.

 The big buzz at Training Camp happened two days ago when the USA team voted that Lopez Lomong should be the Team Flag Bearer.  After the vote in the evening, we were all sworn to three hours of keeping this a secret until the USOC could announce it through the Press office.   Everyone was told no texting, email, blogging, or phone calls to anyone about the selection for three hours.  It was a very emotional and proud moment for all of us watching Lopez carry the American flag into Beijing National stadium aka the “birds nest”.  Lopez returns today to our training camp in Dalian.

 Practice for the team has been going very well.  The Athletic Therapy room is open from 7am to 11pm daily, seven days a week both here at the training camp and at our facility in Beijing.  Athletes can make 30 minute appointments each day during that time period for massage, stretching, chiropractic, hydrotherapy, and any rehab modalities or to see the team physician for any medical ailments.  For those of you who are looking for the glamour associated with this type of setting, be prepared to work 18 hour days and some.  You have to be on your feet a lot.

 I have a whole routine of personal care that makes it work for me.  The key is recovery after each day and taking care of hydration during the day.  It is very hot here!  And that would be an understatement when you factor in the heat index of 100 degrees plus, each day!  You lose a tremendous amount of water and electrolytes.  All of us on the staff who work moring practices at Dalian Universtiy use electrolyte beverages to stay ahead.  We have had some athletes challenged by the heat here.

I wear SKINS compression tights during the day when I am working because they keep my legs fresh.  I also sleep in the Travel and Recovery SKINS at night which makes all the difference in my ability to work on 20 athletes a day in 30 minute blocks of time and stay on my feet!    At night, I massage a homeopathic cream (Traumeel, onto my forearms and hands especially, followed by a thick layer of Neutrogena Hand Cream, Norwegian Formula (fragrance free).  I then sleep in cotton gloves.   I also wear work gloves when we are loading massage tables and gear bags and pulling equipment carts when we travel to practices.  You have to protect your hands when you are not massaging or stretching from nicks, cuts, bruises, etc. that can occur when you least expect it.

The Chinese security continues to be tight here for the USA team.  We are probably the safest people in Dalian China at the moment.  We have three (3) training sites that we send therapist with athletes each day.  Three days ago I was at the China National training center where our throwers train (shot put, discus, javeling, hammer).  A group of Chinese physios gathered around me and wanted to ask me questions about our protocols of care.  I ended up demonstrating technique and stretching one of them because they were fascinated with the Yortho stabilizing straps that we use on all our USA team tables.  They were also impressed with the quality of the Olympic Special Edition Oakwork massage tables, which are absolutely stunning with the Olympic Rings and USA woven into the fabric.

At the end of my 40 minute inservice and demonstration, I was told by our Chinese translator that the woman who spoke with me was the Mayor of Dalian’s daughter who wants to study to be a physiotherapist and that one of the gentlemen in the audience watching me was in fact the Mayor?  Not sure on this with the translation but it appeared to be someone of importance.  Another positive cultural exchange.  Now whenever I am at the Training Center the Chinese Swat agent assigned to us has taken to addressing me as “doctor” and actually asked to take a photo with me–so I did.

All is well.  The Olympic Games have begun.  Our athletes are ready!

 Benny Vaughn LMT, ATC, CSCS

Dalian China

Beijing China 2008

Our training camp is located at a Five Star seaside resort in Dalian.  It is a beautiful hotel property, with a beach and view of the ocean with well manicured grounds and incredible service from the Chinese staff.  This type of service would be considered Ten Stars in America if there were such service available, it is truly incredible here at the resort.

Let me describe to you, without revealing security details around the USA Olympic Track and Field team, what a typical travel event through Dalian is like for us.  We travel to our training facility in Dalian and we have three training sites, twice a day.  Athletes and their coaches can sign up  for practice times.  We have a morning practice session and a late afternoon practice session.  All of our bus departure times are exact.  When Chinese security say the bus departs at a specific time, that bus departs at that time exactly for the training facility!  The security in our wing of the resort hotel is at the highest level afforded only the highest ranking government officials such as presidents and I am not kidding!  You have to see what it is like when the USA team travels through Dalian, a city of 18 million residents!

There are 2,000 police, military, and plain clothes Chinese government security involved with each bus transport event with the team.  You really have to see this production to believe it!  We have five police vehicles that escort our team bus.  There are police, government agents, etc. that are stationed along our route.  All traffice is stopped for our team bus, the townspeople line the streets in certain areas to catch a glimpse of the American team.  When we travel through Dalian, our team bus never stops!  It is a continous direct drive to the track stadium in Dalian from the hotel and we never stop!  The Police literally stop everything on the street for us to travel!  And that was not a typo at the beginning–we have two thousand (2,000) Chinese security officers from various branches providing protection for the USA team.  You cannot get into our section of the hotel without passing through several layers of very tight security.  On the grounds of the hotel at each security station you will find a stoic military security policeman standing motionless at attention at all times and I mean to tell you they are seriously stoic and at attention. 

 A Chineses SWAT officer rides at the front of our team bus while we are surrounded by ground police escort.  The Plain Clothes agents seem to be the highest ranking security agents.  They all wear the same type of vests that US Security details for the President of the United States wear and yes that are all carrying firearms.  I have never felt safer anywhere I have ever been on the planet than I do in Dalian China at this very moment.

We began our first evening of sports performance care for US athletes who arrived today at training camp.  Most of what we did today were massage and stretching to work out jet lag and travel tightness and kinks.  The food service is incredible for us.  We have an American chef from Denver supervising the kitchen with a staff of Chinese chefs and service staff.  The food prepared for us each day is as good as it gets here in Dalian.

I was assigned to cover our first practice at the China National team training facility in Dalian.  Besides all the police cars in the parking lot and SWAT team van standing by and all the townspeople trying to get a glimpse of Amercia Olympic team athletes, it was a pretty normal two hour practice for our athletes.  When I began stretching one of the USA sprinters who will run the 100 meter race, I drew an audience of Chinese coaches and athletes watching my every move and soaking it all in.

We have more USA athletes arriving tomorrow, Saturday and we will have a very full and long day.  Our clinic area operates from 7am to 11pm seven days a week with emergency after hours service  So far, so good.

 The Olympic Games are near but first things first, training camp began in earnest today.

 Benny Vaughn

 Dalian, China, 2008

I arrived in Beijing China yesterday afternoon (Wed. July 30, 2008). The USA Track and Field sports medicine staff all met in California on Monday, July 29 for Olympic Team processing. This was held at San Jose State University campus. We all flew into San Francisco and were bused to San Jose where processing took place for the entire day for staff and all USA athletes. We spent the night on campus in dorms and flew out direct to Beijing the next day, Tuesday and arrived in Beijing on Wednesday–a 12 hour flight pretty uneventful.

The Olympic Team processing is quite an operation. All staff and athletes go to multiple stations where you are fitted with your Olympic gear including Opening Ceremonies Parade uniforms and Olympic Village wear. The USA delegation is the largest at the Games followed by China. We will have over 600 members of the USA delegation with Track and Field being the largest team with 123 athletes. It is the Track and Field team that I will be working with.

The Team processing center was an efficient and fast paced operation with tailors from Polo Ralph Lauren fitting and doing alterations to Parade Uniforms through the night to have jackets and pants ready for athletes and staff departing on early flights the next day. The processing center operates for the entire week. You bascially enter the center with a shopping cart just like you would at a large grocery store. You push your cart around to various stations where you carry a clip board with a checklist of all the gear you are required to collect. You are fitted for hats, shoes, dress shirts, belts, more shoes, polo shirts, olympic pins, roller bags, shoulder bags, back packs and everything an athlete and staff will need while representing the United States of America. It is quite an operation to see–dozens of athletes from all sports pushing shopping carts around picking up clothing and gear. This place would be a sports fan mecca to see all the USA stars all in one place.

The USOC staff and Volunteers did an amazing job of making this experience smooth and efficient. They were simply great preparing our athletes to look great at the Games! By the way, wait until you see the USA delegation enter the Olympic Stadium (the Bird’s Nest) in the Polo Ralph Lauren designed suits! They look specatular and will proudly represent the USA look!

In Beijing: Our arrival at Beijing Internation airport was great. This new airport in Beijing is beautiful and very modern. We have flights arriving every day for the next 5 days of various USA teams. We were greeted by official China Olympic organizing committee officials who then escorted our group through customs and Olympic processing. There are special Olympic processing lanes in Customs to make the process smooth. The official Olympic mascot made an appearance and was a big hit with many USA athletes getting their photos with. You will see this mascot plenty once the Games begin.

With a truck load of gear and USA bags we were bused to Beijing Normal University in downtown Beijing. This is the where the USOC High Performance Training Center is located. This is a University Campus that the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) will house athletes and staff for training and preparation for the Olympic Games. This is a hotel–dorm style living with training facilites spread throughout Beijing. Our dining facilites, here at the USOC Training Center is as good as any Five Star restaurant and I am not exaggerating folks! America’s Olympic athletes are treated well, as they should be. These women and men have worked hard to reach this moment of being an Olympian!

I am only spending one night here in Beijing. The Track and Field sports medicine staff and athletes board a flight later orning to Dalian, China. It is about an hour flight Southeast of Beijing on the coast. If you look at a map of China, looking towards Korea you will see a small penisula on Korea Bay. We will have a track and field team training camp in Dalian until several days before Track and Field (known as Athletics around the world) competition begins. During this training camp we have two practice sessions daily along with all the sports performance medical care. We will provide lots of massage therapy, stretching, hyrdotherapy baths and any other sports medicine care necessary. It is a full on operation preparing the best Track and Field team in the world!

We board our flight in two hours for Dalian. I will let you know how our operation is set up to provide best care for our athletes.

Thus far, our Chinese hosts have been absolutely awesome! Many people gather at the gates of our training center in Beijing each time a bus arrives to catch a glimpse of USA athletes arriving. The Chinese are very excited about hosting these historical Olympic Games. Stay tuned–this is going to be a great time!

Benny Vaughn LMT, ATC
Beijing China 2008

Benny Vaughn here.  I just spent 13 days in beautiful Eugene, Oregon, for the 2008 Olympic Team Trials to select the Track and Field athletes that will represent the USA in Beijing, China. We are exactly four weeks from Opening Ceremonies in Beijing.  On Friday, August 08, 2008 at exactly 8:08pm local time, the ceremonies will commence.

The role of massage therapists in the sport of track and field carries a high level of importance for many U.S.  athletes.  During the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, there were more than 30 massage therapists who volunteered their time and expertise to some of America’s most talented athletes. The majority of the top 10% of USA track and field athletes employ personal providers, of which most are massage therapists and chiropractors.  The role of soft-tissue therapy for both performance preparation and performance recovery is critical to these athletes, where most running events require several rounds of racing to advance to the finals or medal round. 

 I was employed by three elite sprinters, a decathlete, and a 1500 meter runner to provide massage therapy and stretching services.  I’m proud to say, all five of these athletes I worked with made the USA Olympic Team and will be representing the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics!

To get through four very hard sprint races in two days, as was required for the 100 meters, necessitates having good personal medical support in the form of massage therapy and chiropractic.  Ask any elite track and field athlete, from the 100 meter to the marathon,  and they’ll all undoubtedly tell you how important this is to their performance and recovery!

Many massage therapists often contact me and say they want to do what I have done with my massage career and work with top competitive athletes.  What I want to make clear, first and foremost, there is nothing glamorous about the work I do with athletes at this level.  But I enjoy my profession and my work totally–an 18-hour work day does not feel like work to me!  And I am not exaggerating when I say it’s an 18 hour work day!  I have been a massage therapy, personal medical provider for track and field athletes since 1977.  I have worked at Track and Field Olympic Trials since 1980 (’88, ’92,’96, 2000, 2004, 2008).  I have worked in Europe and Asia, including the World Championships in 2003 (Paris) and 2007 (Osaka).

 What goes on behind the scenes to ready athletes is driven by “hands-on” care! Skilled and knowledgeable massage therapists play a critical role for the athletes and coaches in this area.

During the Olympic Trials in Eugene, massage therapists like myself were known as personal medical (PM) providers. Those are the credentials we’re issued, and all massage therapists must purchase these credentials at the Trials, Olympics, World Championships, etc. to have access to their athletes.  A massage therapist working as a credentialed PM must pay $245 for the credential per person.  So for myself and my one associate, our credential cost was $490.  At the Olympics in Athens in 2004, the Athlete Support Credential cost $300 to $500 each depending on venue access. 

In my collection of credentials from track and field meets and championships over the past 30 years, I hold an Olympic Games “Infinity” credential that allows you access into most areas at the Olympic Games, and I might add, it also gives you access to some pretty good seats if I ever had time to attend any events! Ask any veteran Olympic official what it takes to be issued an “Infinity” credential, and they’ll ask in reply, “What branch of government is this person in?”  I was issued such a credential in 2004 in Athens, Greece. It is my most prized credential in my collection, next to my Atlanta 1996 credential that allowed me onto the “Field of Play” at the track in Olympic Stadium as the “athlete’s medical liaison.”

The organization of the medical and massage therapy services at the Trials in Eugene was superb by any standard!  The massage therapists and chiropractors did an incredible job of providing high quality and professional care to America’s best track and field athletes.  In the Personal Medical area, the number of athletes who have now employed personal massage therapists and chiropractors appears to have doubled from the 2004 Olympic Trials.  I can only speculate that more and more professional track and field athletes see the tremendous benefit of not only receiving regular weekly massage therapy, but also that the massage therapist is a highly important member of the athlete’s support team.

While in China, I will blog my experiences before and during the Games.  I will be in China for one month.  We have a training camp for two weeks before Track and Field competition begins in Beijing. I will share my personal experiences and much of what it is like behind-the-scenes as a massage therapist at the greatest sporting event on the planet.  Stay tuned and hold on, because I believe this may be one of the greatest Olympic Games ever!

Benny Vaughn LMT, ATC, NCTMB

Fort Worth, Texas USA