Shot putter Reese Hoffa of Team USA is blogging for Fourth Place Medal from Beijing, where he just completed his competition. Check here for his full journal.

Saturday, 8/16. So I had this competition on the 15^th and I went into it thinking that I was sure to medal as long as I focused on what I worked on this year and what I worked on in practice for the last two weeks. Well the best-laid plans do not always work out the way you think and it is what you do when they do not work out that defines you.

It’s definitely not a victory for me. But a lot of positive came out of it. I started off very slow. I hit a throw that got me in the final. I made the Olympic final. So now I just go back and do what I normally do and get ready for the next season.

I think after not getting the medal in the shot put and having to walk in front of the media and have to answer the question about what went wrong and how I feel is very tough for me. I know deep down inside that I did the best I could with what I had but it is hard to express to others what I did not have on that day. I guess this is one of those life lessons that can only be learned from experience and not being told.

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Shot putter Reese Hoffa of Team USA is blogging for Fourth Place Medal from Beijing. Check back here often for updates.

Wednesday, 8/13. After having such great day with my wife yesterday it will hard to top it today but I will try. I got up early this morning -- I guess it is my body's way of telling me that it's ready to do some damage throwing today. I go to the Beijing Normal University to get some breakfast and get my fix of video games and good food to start my day off right.

While I was downstairs I teamed up with two wrestlers who helped me rock out on Rock Band. I do not remember their names but they were very nice and very good -- I hope to play with them again before I leave for the States. I then moved on to Mario Cart where I played Kara Patterson, who just so happens to be very good at the game and kicked my butt on every race we played together except for one. It was fun to have someone better than me at the game because winning all the time is not fun; it is good to mix it up a little. 

After my butt whipping I got lunch and got ready for practice. Practice was fun, and Don kept it very light knowing that I need to save my energy for the competition on Friday. I also got to hang out with Harris, an old trainer from the University of Georgia when I was just a little Hoffa trying to make his way through the world.

After a great practice I changed and got ready for dinner -- that involved me getting in my last games of Mario Cart for the day. The dinner was amazing as usual and I had two plates of chicken with peppers, onions, and salsa. I then got on the bus back to the village and got ready for my meeting with the track team. I had to give a speech that would get the team fired up and ready for the competition that is coming up on Friday. I picked up my laundry after the meet and then off to bed.

Photo via Reese Hoffa. 

Shot putter Reese Hoffa of Team USA is blogging for Fourth Place Medal from Beijing. Check back here often for updates.

Tuesday, 8/12. Well last night at about 11:30 I got a call from my wife on Skype and I was able to tell her that she got her day pass and she can see me tomorrow.  That night I could hardly sleep - I was tossing and turning. I did finally go to sleep and when I woke up it was time to get my wife in the village. Renata was nice enough to take the subway all the way to the village to save me the trouble of taking a cab.

However, before she came to the village I got a knock on my door from Doping Control and I was selected to give a urine sample. Now I am a fan of Doping Control, but since I have been in China I have been selected three times, and two of those times I also had to give blood. Now the first time I thought it was really cool to finally go through the blood giving process, but three times... I think they are just picking on me.

So after an hour in Doping Control I leave and get ready for my wife to come in the village. She got here at around 11 and we went shopping for some stuff for friends, family and her student teacher who is covering her class while she is gone for the week. We took a few pictures at the flags from all around the world and then we got some lunch from McDonalds. We were able to talk for a pretty long time and catch up on how her flights went and news from home. All in all it was a wonderful day and before I knew it, it was time for her to leave and go to the zoo with her parents.

Once she left I went to Beijing Normal University for my massage and dinner.  I talked with Don about practice and what lifts we are doing and we talked about how the swimmers seem to be getting a lot of press and looking forward to track and field. After dinner I went back on the bus to the village and I packed up another two laundry bags to have washed... and then off to bed.

Photos via Reese Hoffa. 

Shot putter Reese Hoffa of Team USA is blogging for Fourth Place Medal from Beijing. Check back here often for updates. 

Sunday 8/10: On the road again

Today is moving day for me; I check out of my room in Dalian, China and grab some breakfast. We hand our bags over to the guy that has the big truck so he can transport them to the airport. We are on the road by about 7:45 and we of course have a police escort so will not have to stop. For some reason it seems like this trip is taking a lot longer than when we arrived - I guess it must be a feeling of not wanting to leave the training camp.

We get to the airport and we have a dedicated side away from the rest of the passengers and we have boarding cards waiting for us, which makes things really fast. Before I know it I am already at the gate and they have a special waiting area that is complete with a lady handing out drinks to everyone. This is first class all the way around from entry to the airport to when we leave. They even let us board the plane first and get settled before filling the rest of the plane.

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Shot putter Reese Hoffa of Team USA is blogging for Fourth Place Medal from Beijing. Check back here for updates. 

Monday 8/4: Feeding off the crowd

This is going to be my first day of throwing, so naturally I am very excited because training is finally beginning. I grab a quick lunch and then go up to my room to talk to my wife before she goes to bed; she is looking beautiful as usual.

Then I have to get on the special bus for the throwers. I guess they don't want us to mix with the track athletes. Just kidding! Their track is in a different area. Just like when we arrived, they close down both sides of the road and we have a police escort to the training facility.

I decide to throw inside because I was forewarned that the outside area is a little sloppy. When I enter, it seems like everyone is watching me, I try to block it out of my mind and try to focus in on what I need to do. After about 20 minutes of stretching and jogging, I put all my wraps and bands on and take my first throw. It goes over 65 feet and then bounces over a five-foot ball that is 74 feet away from the ring.

Every single person in the facility starts cheering as if I did something great. I feel a little bad because I think I broke one of the heaters they have on the other side of the track. So for the next five throws, every time I would throw they would cheer, and if you cannot throw well in that kind of environment, you may not be human. I finished my throwing session with a 70-plus-foot bomb that got the loudest cheers of the day.

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Shot putter Reese Hoffa of Team USA is blogging for Fourth Place Medal from Beijing. Check back here often for more updates.

Thursday 7/31: Travel issues

Today I arrived in Beijing, and after being on a plane for about 12 hours, I'm ready to move on to the village and get some rest. Unfortunately, there were problems with my PVC, the credential that athletes are given before they enter China, so I was detained by the Chinese government until they could verify that I am who I say I am.

After talking and pleading with the passport people, they finally let me into the country, and there are four others who ran into a similar problem. We finally get on the bus, where our teammates have been waiting for about three hours. Lucky for me, my bags were there. What a relief.

Then something really cool happens when we're driving to the village: I notice that police are stopping everyone on either side of the bus, giving us a straight shot into the village. We didn't even have to stop for stoplights. We must be a big deal; I have only seen this much police protection for the president.

When I got to the village, we had a really good dinner of pizza, chicken and orange drink, followed by video games and basketball, at which I was getting my butt kicked most of the time. Then I was off to bed since I leave for training camp tomorrow in Dalian, China.

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