USA Ultimate

Sights, Heat, and a Train

Photo Gallery: 7/15 and 7/16
Video Clip: 7/15 and 7/16

The morning began with a filling buffet breakfast at the hotel. We consumed lots of noodles, many types of veggies, several soups, lots of tea, and many other items. Everyone was well rested and just before 8am we headed out into the city.

We began our morning by catching the red line metro through the Taipei main station and two stops later we made it to the Taipei City Hall. Back above ground we were blasted by the morning heat as we walked the 3 blocks to the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial square.

While taking in the view from the center of the massive square, someone brought a disc out and started making long throws. Several group pictures later we made our way up the memorial, giving us a great view of the whole square.

After almost losing a disc to a gardener, we headed back across the square to the metro stop. From Chiang Kai-Shek we headed 8 stops east to the Taipei City Hall station, leaving us only 4 blocks to walk to the Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world.

We made good speed on the above ground skywalk through the surrounding shopping district. Along the way we saw the central movie theater for the city along with a couple very large posters of Kobe. Towards the end of the skyway we needed to make a detour around a section that wasn't open yet, but by 10am we made it to the building.

Entering near a corner on the base of the building we all headed 5 stories up to the high speed elevator that takes everyone to the top of the building. Once the elevator started the move it took us only 36 seconds to make it to the top! (1010 meters per minutes.)

From the top of the building we had a very, very long 360 degree view of the entire region. Taller buildings are all the more impressive when there are no other buildings of considerable height anywhere near them! While at the top we all got a kick out of the window cleaners, a profession that seems even more exciting than normal when you're hanging 1,200+ feet off of the ground!

Next we climbed up 2 floors and spent a little while walking around the outside observation deck. The day was bright and not so windy, so it was quite nice to be outside.

By 10:15 we had made our way through the red Jade jewelry store and was on our way home to the Cosmos. By 10:55 we were back at the hotel and soon after 11am we were all out the door headed to the HSR station.

After doing brief battle with an automated ticket dispensing machine, we finally figured the system out and everyone got their ticket. During the 30 minutes we had to wait for the train almost everyone grabbed lunch. By noon sharp the train was in motion and we were off!

The train ride was smooth, fast, comfortable, and uneventful. We really need to build a HSR system in the States! By 1:40 we were at Zuoying station and about an hour after that we made it to the accreditation center where we all received our badges and lots of other gear. After gathering our luggage and putting on our large ID badge, we headed to the Queen where all players were let off. Greg, Meredith, and I have separate rooms at another hotel (Hotel Garden).

At 4:30 we were back on a bus, this time headed to the catering center. There we found 400+ other athletes already eating. We had a chance to talk with with the US Dragon Boat team, as well as connect with a couple of the other Ultimate teams. After filling up on many different dinner items, we were led by Emily (our local guide, provided by the IWGA) to our transport bus.

By 6:15 we made it to the main stadium and found is swarming with people. After unloading, Emily led us to the outdoor staging area where we greeted warmly by a large group of locals. We grouped up with the other US athletes and waited to be led into the stadium. While waiting we socialized with other teams. We talked to the a US rock climber as well as the US Skydiving and Sumo teams. 45 minutes into socializing the sun was down. Even with a slight breeze the weather was still brutally hot and humid.

Next we were led into the stadium via a long procession flanked by thousands of cheering spectators. After walking the length of the stadium and hearing the crowd within, we entered through a large service entrance and found ourselves in a large space underneath the seating area. We were quite literally inside the stadium, but not on the field.

We ended up waiting in this holding area for close to an hour. The heat and humidity was brutal but we were surrounded by thousands of other athletes so that made things more fun. Eventually we were lined back up and led to the entrance to the field!

We walked out into the field as a group and 50 yards in the US was announced to the crowd of 40,000. What a life changing experience!

As we continued out into the field everyone's eye's were swiveling around the stadium trying to take in the enormity of the event. We were brought to an area in the center of the field where we were stationed for the rest of the ceremony. We saw speeches by the mayor of Kaohsiung, the head of the IWGA, the VP of the IOC, and the president of Taiwan! To cap off the event there was a concert by 4 regionally famous singers and then a large fireworks display.

After the fireworks we found our guide to our bus transport and 20 minutes later we back in the very, very welcome embrace of bus air conditioning. On the bus Meredith, Greg, and I interacted with some of the Australian Ultimate players and some members of the Dutch Jujitsu team.

Back at the hotel everyone headed straight to bed.