Watch Geeter doing his thing on the sands of Beijing:

 

Whats up kids?  I hope everyone had a great summer and good luck with your upcoming seasons.  For me, its been a summer I will never forget. After 11 years of being the announcer for the AVP Tour, a dream of mine finally came true.  I was fortunate enough to work the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China as the Beach Volleyball Announcer/Emcee.

I was in Beijing for 20 days and some of the highlights were;
...I announced the best teams in the world in front of 12,000 people
in  the pouring rain or blazing sun....it didnt matter, we saw it all and the people loved beach volleyball
  ...Announced my friends Kerri Walsh/Misty May and Phil Dalhausser/Todd Rogers as they won Gold Medals.
...Met and hung out with  Kobe and Lebron at the Volleyball Venue...they were very engaging and cool, it was awesome.
...Went on the Today Show and they asked me to stay for the whole 3 hours.  I even hugged Al Roker...my wife loves that show
...Climbed the Great Wall, went to Tiananmen Square, Forbidden Palace, Silk Market and ate a scorpian.  The Chineese couldn't have been more excited to be hosting the Olympics.  They did a great job and delivered an Opening Ceremonies that was all time.
...learned a little Chineese, its a tough language but the chineese co-workers were patient with me...my favorite thing to say was "Ji Yo" it means "Lets Go" and when 12,000 people scream it back at you when you are announcing, its reallly cool.

I could write a short book about each experience but I dont want to bore you, but I will say that being a part of the Olympic Games whether it be as a fan, an athlete, or an announcer is something that everyone should have on their list of things to.  It's emotional, fun, exciting, and you will feel pride you didn't even know you were capable of feeling at a sporting event.  You meet people from so many different walks of life, and for 3 weeks, the world seems to put politics and wars aside and just enjoy the magic of the games.  As a first timer at the Olympics I was trying to put my finger on it the whole time when I would skype home to see my wife Jessica and my daughter Milly...but it was hard to explain.  Then it happened!  Kerri and Misty beat Brazil in the Semi Finals and we were all back at the Hilton Hotel celebrating and hanging out and waiting for the Golden Girls to get back.  Butch May, Misty's dad, and I were talking and sharing stories and enjoying the moment and he hit it on the head...he said, "Geeter, the Olympics get under your skin.  Today i sat next to Germans, Aussies, Brazilians and everyone was talking to each other and having a great time."

As for the volleyball, watching Misty and Kerri every weekend on the
AVP and then on the world stage is an honor.  They truly are remarkable women.  Not only are they phenomenal athletes, but they are great role models for young women.  They handle pressure and adversity with poise and grace, and they believe in their abilities and remain positive more than focusing on how difficult or hard something might be.  They are not afraid of losing, they just take care of their side of the net...and win, and they do that better and more than any team in the history of the sport.  After they won the Gold I had my video camera and I asked the games greatest player Karch Kiraly where they rank and he said it best...he said, "At the top, they are the greatest team of all time." Pretty cool coming from a man who won 3 Gold Medals.   One thing you can take from watching Kerri and Misty, is that they win with class and remain humble, they treat their opponents and the game with the ultimate respect which is always playing hard.  They never take plays off, when they compete between the lines, it doesnt matter who they play, they play at the highest level.   I cant think of two people that deserve it more, they are great ambassadors for our sport of Volleyball.

Butch May was right, it does get under your skin, and it becomes something bigger than you.  All you have to do is enjoy the journey....I know I sure did.  Have a great fall.

Geeter