Raising The Flag Ceremony Photos    Izmir, Turkey - It was an eventful day for two of the three U.S. wrestling teams in Turkey on Wednesday.    The men's freestyle team was given the day off from workouts to relax, something they had yet to do before today, before final preparations for their tournament on August 13-14. The team decided to visit the popular beach, Cesme (pronounced Chesh-mear).    The wrestlers left the Athlete Village at 9:00 a.m. by bus and were taken to Cesme. There, they boarded a ferry and rode around the ocean, enjoying the scenery and their first real day off while in Turkey.    Chris Pendleton, wrestling at 84 kg/185 lbs., turned into the team spokesperson after his teammates decided to get a late workout in. Pendleton said that the team really enjoyed the trip and the guys felt great. He added that most of the wrestlers were still able to continue their weight cuts, shedding off pounds under the intense heat of the sun on the ferry.    Pendleton also noted that the wrestlers from Japan, who have now begun workouts, seem to be very strong competitors, though the U.S. squad is still awaiting an official participation list.    The team will resume workouts tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. at the Ahmet Taner Kislali Sports Hall, the wrestling training facility.    Earlier in the day, coaches Lou Rosselli and Bruce Burnett traveled one hour from the Athlete Village to the Ozel Yamanlar High School Sports Hall, where the wrestlers will weigh-in and compete. Rosselli said that the arena is nice, and there is a small sauna for the wrestlers as well, but there are no hotels and a lack of restaurants in the area, making it tough for the athletes to spend a full day around the arena.    Buses will not run athletes back between competition, though, and the two-hour total drive may not be worth the hassle anyways.    Rosselli and Team Leader Dave Bennett attended the Raising The Flag Ceremony in the International Zone of the Athlete Village. Because the wrestlers had not yet returned from their ferry ride, Rosselli and Bennett represented wrestling at the event.    The Raising The Flag Ceremony is held for all competing countries, as the delegation marches to the area where the various nations' flags are flown high. U.S. Olympic Committee Chef de Mission (Chief of Mission) Gary Cunningham then made a short speech to the U.S. delegation and the village Mayor and Assistant Mayor.    Bennett noted that if Rosselli had given the speech, it may have simply stated "if you see the short guy in a hat running out of a building, follow him."    For the women's freestyle team, Wednesday was anything but relaxing. Team Leader and current Lehigh University head coach Greg Strobel was the first member of the women's freestyle team to arrive in Izmir.    The problem? He was scheduled to be the third. Coach Bobby Douglas and 63 kg/138.75 lbs. team member Alaina Berube were supposed to arrive at 2:00 p.m. However, with bad weather on the East Coast and mechanical problems, the two were re-routed through Paris. Their original flight was to take them from Washington D.C., where all teams go through processing, to New York, on to Istanbul and arriving in Izmir.    Because the flights were booked through USA Wrestling, not the U.S. Olympic Committee as many other teams at this event had done, Douglas and Berube were off the USOC radar screen when they didn't walk off the plane in Izmir at 2:00 p.m. The two were finally located about four hours later, and arrived safely.    Luckily, Strobel noted the bad weather and went to the airport five hours early, where he was able to board an earlier flight and get to his connections.    The rest of the team, coach Tadaaki Hatta, Sara Fulp-Allen (48 kg/105.5 lbs.), Mary Kelly (51 kg/112.25 lbs.), Marcie Van Dusen (55 kg/121 lbs.) and Ali Bernard (72 kg/158.5 lbs.) all arrived on time in Izmir at 8:00 p.m.    Workout times for the women's freestyle team have not yet been decided. Coaches will most likely take the women to the training facility in the afternoon, allowing them a full night of rest and a half day of relaxation. Their weigh-ins take place on August 14 and all wrestlers will compete on the 15th.    On Wednesday evening, selected captains of each team attended a meeting to decide the Flag Bearer for the World University Games Opening Ceremonies. Being the Flag Bearer for any event is a high honor in all countries. Wrestling's nominated team captain was Nate Gallick, a men's freestyle competitor at 60 kg/132 lbs.    Men's basketball plalyer Randy Foye was elected as the Flag Bearer.    Also, the Greco-Roman team is slated to arrive at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday in Izmir. All nine members of that team are expected to arrive at the same time, and so far, they are all on schedule.    Other Games Notes:  
The World University Games actually began today, even though Opening Ceremonies will take place on Thursday evening. The U.S. women's basketball team downed the Czech Republic 88-64 in the first round. Liz Shimek, who led Michigan State to the Final Four this year, posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Shimek is engaged to former Spartans wrestler Luke Moggenberg.  
Wednesday was the windiest day in Izmir since the U.S. delegation arrived. It may have been the perfect day for the athletes to take a break, as running anywhere in the village would have been quite a chore.  
As a reminder, the finals of the wrestling competition at the World University Games, and hopefully all medal matches for U.S. athletes, will be broadcast on Fox College Sports Pacific, August 18 at 7:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time).  
Turkish word of the day: Merhaba (pronounced MEHR-hah-bah), meaning "hello."