Paralympian arrivals

I apologize for not having pictures to accompany this post, but it's been pretty busy around here! The advance party and at least a hundred military personnel greeted the plane full of athletes and staff upon its arrival. Although their transportation was made as hassle free as possible (loaded in Colorado Springs and landed right on base without having to disembark anywhere in between), the passengers were tired and dazed upon arrival. In an enormous show of support and efficiency, the Kadena folks got everyone and their bags unloaded and to their rooms in an hour and a half. Considering we unloaded dozens of wheelchairs, that was quite a feat! The amount of support from this military community has been monumental and inspirational. Each athlete was paired with a military "sponsor" to give them assistance during their stay here at Kadena. At a place and time when these military service members are all facing their own significant personal and professional events, they greeted each athlete enthusiastically and genuinely excited to be part of the Paralympic movement.

Now that we have a day of training, eating and logistics under our belt we have a better feel for the flow of the upcoming days. I'll try to post again as soon as possible, hopefully with some visuals!