Press Coverage of the Olympics

August 5, 2008 Head Games Before the First Splash By KAREN CROUSE www.nytimes.com/.../05readyroom.html The rectangular space where many swimming medals will be won or lost at the Beijing Olympics has no lane lines or starting blocks. It has no water, unless the competitors bring their own. Immediately before they race in the 50-meter pool at the Olympic aquatics arena, the Water Cube, the swimmers will be required to spend up to 30 minutes at rest in the ready room. It is like a television studio green room, except instead of hospitality, there is usually a strong whiff of hostility.... ....Amy Van Dyken, a two-time United States Olympian, cackled into her cellphone. “You want to talk about the ready room?” she asked gleefully. “You mean the white-padded room?” She described a place where the swimmers sit on metal folding chairs looking twitchy, ashen, zoned out — or vaguely threatening, as Van Dyken did before the 50-meter freestyle at the 1996 Atlanta Games. She spun her chair around to face her main rival, Le Jingyi of China, then the world-record holder. “For the next half-hour,” Van Dyken recalled, “I sat there and stared at her like you just took the last Double Stuf Oreo.” Van Dyken won the gold, touching out Le by 0.03 of a second....

August 5, 2008 Head Games Before the First Splash By KAREN CROUSE www.nytimes.com/.../05readyroom.html The rectangular space where many swimming medals will be won or lost at the Beijing Olympics has no lane lines or starting blocks. It has no water, unless the competitors bring their own. Immediately before they race in the 50-meter pool at the Olympic aquatics arena, the Water Cube, the swimmers will be required to spend up to 30 minutes at rest in the ready room. It is like a television studio green room, except instead of hospitality, there is usually a strong whiff of hostility.... ....Amy Van Dyken, a two-time United States Olympian, cackled into her cellphone. “You want to talk about the ready room?” she asked gleefully. “You mean the white-padded room?” She described a place where the swimmers sit on metal folding chairs looking twitchy, ashen, zoned out — or vaguely threatening, as Van Dyken did before the 50-meter freestyle at the 1996 Atlanta Games. She spun her chair around to face her main rival, Le Jingyi of China, then the world-record holder. “For the next half-hour,” Van Dyken recalled, “I sat there and stared at her like you just took the last Double Stuf Oreo.” Van Dyken won the gold, touching out Le by 0.03 of a second....