THE BEIJING OLYMPICS: HERE WE COME
By Rhian Wilkinson, Rhian Wilkinson Soccer
It is strange to go into a match, knowing that the outcomes of the game will change the direction of your life and future. We knew that if we won, then we go to the Olympics; if we lost, then we would have nothing ahead of us for the next three years. It is a great burden to have on our shoulders playing one game.
Winning the game against Mexico we could almost physically feel the huge weight being removed from all our shoulders. It is hard to describe how much pressure there really is, until it comes off.
We spent the entire game day waiting anxiously for the kick-off time to come. The day seemed to stretch on forever. I can attest to the fact that I was a nervous wreck from the moment I awoke in the morning. I spent the rest of the day sweating nervously and thinking about the game. I even telephoned my father, but he was as nervous as I was.
