Private island with castle
 Halkida is on an island north of Athens, a few hour drive from the airport, away from the hustle and bustle of big city life. This will be the setting for the 2002 Women's World Wrestling Championships, where the world's best women wrestlers will battle for medals and glory starting on Friday.    This morning, at the airport, three American wrestling officials were greeted outside of customs  by a driver with a Mercedes cab. Mariana, who has been a cabbie in Athens for 12 years, took us through twisting, tight sidestreets, up and down the hills of a residential part of town. This was truly a route that only a local could navigate. Although her English was limited, Mariana was proud of her driving skills, noting that "drivers in Greece are fast and crazy."    
The Greek coastline 
 The wrestling delegations are staying at the Eretia Village, a resort hotel that overlooks the sea. There is a lovely pool, and the athletes are staying in bungalos scattered around the complex. A golf cart drives new hotel guests to their rooms after checking in. There are olive trees all over the grounds, and the hotel has a number of cats and dogs that are a part of the family here.    The U.S. Women's team has been in Halkida for a few days, getting in its final preparations for the competition and becoming comfortable with the surroundings. It is "make weight" time, as all seven athletes are on an individual training schedules, in preparation for the weigh-in tomorrow night.    As a way for the team to relax and take a little break from the training, the U.S. Women's World Team and delegation were able to spend an afternoon on a yacht, cruising in the Avian Gulf, enjoying the natural beauty of the area.    
Katie Downing and Sara McMann jump in first
 The Americans are the guests of the owner of the hotel, Ted, who made friends with the U.S. team leaders and coaches earlier in the week. Ted got to know team leader Art Martori and U.S. coach Dave Bennett and soon a team outing was planned.    Ted docked his sailboat on the shore outside of the hotel, and U.S. athletes, coaches, and team leaders came aboard in the early afternoon.    It was a pleasant afternoon, not too warm, and the sun shone brightly. Ted and his captain did not put up the sails today, powering the craft with the Rolls Royce engine. The athletes posed for pictures, rested in the sunlight and enjoyed a quiet afternoon gazing at the mountains and small villages along the coastline. A stereo playing Greek music, mixed in with American rock, provided a festive setting for the day trip.    While taking a break from the intense training, Head Coach Chris Horpel was still excited about the prospect for his team this weekend.    "This team is doing really well," said Horpel, sitting at the front of the boat. "They are as prepared as they have ever been. We have probably assembled our best team ever. What remains to be seen is how much the other nations have improved as well. The addition of women's wrestling has created new resident programs in many nations. The level of women's wrestling will change significantly every year from now on."    The relaxation aspect of the cruise ended after Ted navigated his yacht to an inlet near a private island that had been owned by the King of Greece. On the island was a lovely castle, and this is where the crew dropped anchor.    Ted urged his guests to go in for a swim, and the first two brave souls to jump off the boat were World Team member Sara McMann and training partner Katie Downing. Soon, USA Wrestling director Mitch Hull was in the water. Then a power boat came and joined up with the yacht, with National Women's Coach Terry Steiner and coaching staff member Eric Betterman on board, pulling a long yellow "banana ride."    Soon, most of the team had jumped in the water, climbing onto the banana-shaped object. The power boat sped around the anchored yacht, sometimes knocking that riders off the "banana ride" and into the ocean. After that, a few tubes were attached to the back of the powerboat, and some of the team members went for a tube ride. Most of the athletes dove off the yacht at least once, and a few did not seem to want to come out once they had gotten used to the water.    Ted explained to the American guests how he does not find much time to enjoy his boat because of his busy schedule. He usually rents it out to hotel guests a few times a week, in order to provide income for his captain. Once in awhile, he is able to find time to take a ride with some friends, something which gives him great joy and gives him energy to face his challenging business responsibilities. It was obvious that the U.S. women's wrestling team had become great friends of Ted, the hotel owner.    After the captain powered the yacht back to the dock outside the harbor, the wrestlers thanked Ted for his hospitality, and went back on shore. In an impromptu team meeting on the beach, National Coach Terry Steiner organized the night's training session for athletes who needed another workout. Just 30 minutes after a glorious day on the ocean, the U.S. team was back in a van, heading to a gym facility in town where they had been doing their training all week. It was quickly back to business, back to the mission of winning World titles for the United States.    The U.S. women's team has high goals for themselves in these championships. All of the team members have competed at the Worlds before, and four have won medals. The highlight of this trip for this team will be the competition, and their quest for individual achievement. However, many years from now, looking back, the U.S. team will have some fond memories of the afternoon off from training on new friend Ted's yacht.