Extremely exciting news...the remaining boats for the USA's Olympic Squad were announced Friday, and...
I will be racing in the eight and representing the USA at the 2012 London Olympics!!!
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| Your 2012 USA W8+! Caryn Davies, Caroline Lind, Elle Logan, Meghan Musnicki, Mary Whipple, Taylor Ritzel, Esther Lofgren (that's me!), Susan Francia, and Erin Cafaro! |
I wouldn't have been able to do it without the support of my friends and family, and from the people who read this blog. Thank you all for
encouraging me to follow my dreams. It has been a long seven years
working towards this--being the last one cut from the eight in 2008,
again in 2009, working through injuries in 2010 and 2011, and the ups
and downs of selection this year. But all those obstacles have made
making this team and getting to race this summer even better!
It is humbling to be a part of something as big as
the Olympic Games, something that so many of my heroes--the ones I
idolized as a kid, watching the Olympics on the tiny TV my mom had
brought home from work for two weeks, and the ones I still tape into
every training journal--have made into the ultimate celebration of
humanity and sport. I am honored to be one of the athletes representing
the USA, and I can't wait to get out there and race with my teammates
and friends!
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| 2008 Non-Olympic World Championships. |
These last few weeks have also been really tough
because of what didn't happen. Several women who have done incredibly
well this quadrennium--four of them broke world records last month, for
example--did not make the London squad, including my best friend on the
team. We've trained together with the goal of making this team since
2008, when we were the last ones cut from selection for Beijing, and she
has inspired me every day of the last four years. My friend and the
rest of these women are amazing athletes and racers whether or not they
are racing in London, and our team is as strong as it is because of what
all of us have pushed each other to become.
So--a lot of emotions, a lot of excitement, and now
the hard work begins! We practiced yesterday morning wearing our Olympic
unisuits (NBC was there filming–wow!) and racing down the course, it
really sunk in for the first time that I am going to be racing and
representing our country at the Olympic Games! I can't wait to see how
much more speed and power we can find as a boat now that we are all
together, and I can't even begin to imagine what the whole Olympic
experience will be like!
Thank you again for believing in me and supporting
me, and for helping me make the Olympic team!
Go USA!
-Esther
