London Log-In - Chay Lapin (July 30, 2012)
July 30, 2012 | Bruin Athletics, Olympics
UCLA athletes, coaches, alumni and staff share their experiences at the 2012 Olympics. UCLA Men's Water Polo alumnus Chay Lapin writes about Team USA's trips to Croatia and Hungary just prior to the Games.
July 30, 2012
 Chay Lapin  |
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We arrived in London a little over a week ago to get fitted for all of our gear and move into our apartments. As you may already know, Team USA is sponsored by Ralph Lauren and Nike. It took over four hours to get fitted for all the gear. We received so much stuff (two full suitcases and two backpacks of gear). They gave us a large box to allow us to ship things home because we would not be able to get it back on the airplane. Some of the stuff is not my style, haha, but the majority of it is sweet!
After the two days of moving in and getting all the processing things done, we flew to Croatia. I do not remember exactly where we were because we drove about two hours into a remote city, where there was literally nothing to do. The Croatian coach likes it there because it keeps his team from getting into trouble. To be honest, those were the longest three days so far. Each day we scrimmaged the Croatian Olympic team, and by day three it got pretty heated.
After that, we headed on a three hour bus ride to Budapest, Hungary. It was a little bit of a change because we were staying at a spa resort, which is pretty nice for a water polo trip. When we first arrived, we had one day off to enjoy the spa. We spent the day in sulfur baths, steam rooms and cold baths. Some people had massages. It was definitely nice to get our minds off things and relax. After our nice spa day, we had a day and half of scrimmages with Hungary. It's always good to get some pre-Olympic training in with the three-time defending gold medalist.
Finally we were done and headed back to London! Our schedule is tight, and I want to be more detailed about our first few days back in London. More to come on our practices here and OPENING CEREMONIES!!!! Having a blast and just want to tell everyone how much I appreciate your support!
Chay Lapin
UCLA Men's Water Polo Alumnus/USA Goalkeeper