Monday, August 30    The Olympic Games are over, and two women on the U.S. wrestling team leave Athens with medals.  They are not the gold medals that they sought to earn, but they are medals to be extremely proud of, nonetheless.  Remembering the discontent that Patricia felt on the night that she won the bronze, and the pain that was all over Sara's face during the medal ceremony in which she received the silver, I was wondering how Patricia and Sara were feeling a few days after the competition was done.      Patricia reflected on rebounding from her semifinal loss, demonstrating the mental strength and resiliency that makes her such a great competitor.   She said,  "There is a point after you lose, where you must speed up a lot of the grieving process--to make your mind right in order to be able to perform again.  After you've been dealt the fact that you're not getting the gold, there's still work to be done."      She still felt pride in fighting for the highest place that she could possibly get, as she said that she owed it to herself, her team, and her country.  She persevered to earn the bronze medal, and to get her country's flag raised.  In Patricia's words, "It was not perfect, but it was still wonderful."    Sara, as she always does, had to make her peace with the results in a somewhat more unconventional way: she lost her medal.    She held her medal in her hands as she was sleeping in an MSNBC station car, on her way back from an interview.  As she slept, the medal slipped from her hands.  She did not realize the fact until some hours later, when she was preparing for another interview.      She spent two full and frantic hours looking for it, trying to remember where it was and making phone calls.  During this time, she also talked to God.  She finally realized how much the silver medal really meant to her, and she made a deal with God that if it was returned, she would be more appreciative about the silver medal that she had, rather than dwelling on not getting the gold that she wanted.    Not five seconds after she said it, she heard the security guard's voice as he was speaking into the phone, "You found it!"    It turned out that had slid under the seat in the car, and it had been difficult to see until a cameraman had shined his camera light under the seats.  The medal was taken back to the MSNBC offices, where many of the workers soon were having a great time trying it on and taking pictures with it.    Once Sara received the medal back, she kept her pact with God, and she feels that this incident has actually helped her in the healing and recovery process.  She may not have gotten the gold, but the gratitude that she found was a greater lesson to her, and the appreciation that she gained is a far more valuable gift for her to take from all this.    She said, "Being happy with what you get when you give it your all will make you happier than mourning what you didn't achieve--because life doesn't always give you everything that you want."    Losing is as big a part of wrestling as winning is.  Losses can be unbelievably painful, but I think that they make the best learning experiences.  However, as Patricia once told me, it's okay to mourn them for a little while, but then you must use them to make you better and then let them go.  I can honestly say that my own losses have done more to develop my wrestling and build my character than any of my wins have, and I think that most wrestlers would agree.    As I finish, I want to say that all of our girls--Patricia, Tela, Sara, and Toccara--represented our country well, with grace in victory and in defeat, and that it has been an honor to witness their journey.  We should all be very proud of them.    Monday, August 23    Sorry, I missed yesterday's entry, but we were busy watching the tournament and then preparing for today.     Toccara had the toughest draw, meeting Japan's 5x World Champion in her first match. After a difficult match, she fell 8-4. She came back to beat the Bulgarian by fall, but still lost her pool.    Tela pinned a Russian that had previously teched her, a big accomplishment, but then lost to the eventual silver medalist, Verbeek of Canada.    Patricia advanced out of her pool by winning three great matches, then lost to the three-time World Champion and eventual Olympic gold medalist, Merlini of Ukraine. She rebounded and beat the French girl by technical fall to win the bronze, the first Olympic medal ever awarded to a U.S. woman.    Sara lost her gold medal match in a very controversial match against two-time World Champion Kaori Icho of Japan.     After Sara's match, I looked around and saw many of our group's members' eyes shining with tears - not because we were disappointed in her performance but because we love her and we wanted it so badly for her.    But I am confident that I know Sara well and I know that any setback will fuel her fire inside her and she will come back and set her sights on the next challenge and then throw herself wholeheartedly into it. Her will and her character have the strength to withstand this blow.    None of the girls got what they wanted, but I hope they don't let that take away from their huge accomplishments. I hope that they know how proud we are of them and they are proud of themselves as well.     Sports are not merely games, especially when you invest  so much time, energy and heart into them. They can be devastating or they can be euphoric. But, even with all this, we must remember to keep things in perspective. Each of these girls have a life, the love of friends and family and adrive that will take them far in all areas of life. Someday they will come to appreciate the life lessons that they have been given simply by taking part in the greatest sport of them all, the sport of wrestling.    Saturday, August 21    Weigh-in day!!!  Competition time is so close!  The girls are getting ready to do their final weight cut in about an hour.  They are either down to weight or very close.  Katie Kunimoto is ready to cook their after weigh-in meal; the training partners have all the Olympians' drinks cold and ready.    Today's quote of the day, spoken by Marcie Van Dusen while she was giving Coach Townsend Saunders directions to the USOC Operations Center in Athens: "See that street that has the "Do not enter" sign?  Yes, go down that one."  (Note: Townsend refused.)    Patricia Miranda has had a lot of press lately and rightfully so-her admission to Yale Law School and her struggles when she was beginning to wrestle make for really good press.  Her grinding, yet technical style of wrestling makes for interesting matches.  But there is more to her than just those things.    Patricia difficult to define as a person, I still haven't quite figured her all out.  But this is what I see:  She is a very cerebral individual.  She dissects everything in her mind, carefully forming her opinions, and then sticking to them.  Patricia has a strong sense of right and wrong, and she will fight for something that might not even affect her simply by virtue of adherence to her personal values and principles.    This all makes her sound very serious, but she's really not "all business, all the time".  She is really a kind, thoughtful, and sensitive person, who cares very much about those who are close to her.  She is never too busy to listen to a friend who has a problem, and she really enjoys helping people.    Patricia is very pleasant to be around; her sweet smile and her cheerful and uplifting spirit keep those around her in a good mood.    That's it for the girls…WRESTLING STARTS TOMORROW!!!    Friday, August 20    Today is the day before weigh-ins.  The girls are all still doing very well with their weight, and things seem to be just about in place for tomorrow.  The training partners, coaches, and especially our team leader, Art Martori; have been doing the final preparations for the all important "after-weigh-in meals".  Art and the coaches have also been making the meal and rest arrangements for during the tournament, so hopefully the Olympians can be as worry-free as possible.    Continuing on w