Stacey Nuveman Journal

I really must begin this journal entry with a big apology. I know it has been a couple of weeks since my last entry, in fact it was the eve of the Gold Medal Game that I last checked in. I’m sure if we had won the Gold I would have written this sooner, but frankly I’ve kept myself busy and avoiding thoughts of the game.

It has been a busy three weeks, to be sure! After the Games concluded, I spent an extra few days in China venturing out into other parts of the country, and trying to see something other than Beijing. Don’t get me wrong, Beijing is nice and has some great sights, but China is a MASSIVE country with much diversity to the landscape, etc, so we wanted to get another perspective on the country.

To start, Mark and my brother, Ryan (who made the trip to watch the Olympics) took an over-night train into Xian, which is the location of the famous Terra Cotta Warriors. I’ll spare you the history lesson, but believe me when I say the whole story is amazing, and the sheer number of clay warriors was impressive. Xian is considered a “small” city by Chinese standards, but still has something like 8 million citizens!!

After Xian, we headed back to Beijing so Mark could catch his flight back to the States. From Beijing, we took a 2 hour flight to Guilin, in the southern part of China. When I say “we”, I mean me, my brother, Jessica Mendoza and Lauren Lappin.

Guilin is known as a “landscape city”, a smaller town with lush mountain landscapes and the Li River running through the town. We took a river cruise up the Li River into a town called Yangshou, an even smaller town, and very “picturesque”. The four of us rented bicycles and rode out into the countryside, which was exactly what we were looking for. What a beautiful place! Very unaffected by modern conveniences, and a much different side of China.

After flying back to Beijing, we stayed one last night and then flew back to the U.S. As much as I was sad to head back into “reality”, I was ABSOLUTELY ready to get home and see my little baby boy! Chase is now 15 months and truly a little “man”…he’s talking all the time (mostly babbling, but with more and more coherent words every day), and walking like a champ, almost ready to run!

I am also getting ready to “officially” start my new job as assistant coach at San Diego State University! I’m an Aztec! It has been hard to focus, with so much going on in my life as of late, but I’m excited to get to work and help take the program to the next level!

As much as I have kept busy, there are still quiet moments where I reflect back on Beijing, the games, the at bats….but mostly about the moments. Yes, I wanted to come home with another Gold medal. Everyone wanted that. But I truly had the peace of mind before, during, and after the final game to know that NO MATTER THE OUTCOME, the journey was the same and the memories can never be taken away.

Its impossible not to want and re-play my final at bat, to see the end result different, to get “the hit”. That’s of course human nature. But I can honestly say that I have no regrets about my career, my personal softball journey, in spite of how it ended on the field.

So, I say again, THANK YOU. Thank you to The Game, for all of the challenges and all of the successes. Thank you to my family, my life, my support. Thank you to my friends and extended family. It has been one heck of a ride, and I feel no less proud of my career with a silver around my neck.

Many people have asked if I was one of the players who left my cleats at home plate after the final game. I can’t explain why, but somehow when it came time to place my “boats” at home, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I had planned to, but there was a force, a nudge, that wouldn’t let me actually follow through with it. Again, I don’t know why….its not like I plan to be on the field in 2016. But for some reason it just didn’t feel right.

So, onward I go, into the next chapter. I am anxious to see where life will lead me, will lead us. But what I do know is that I have a direction, a focus, and that is my new coaching career at SDSU. I am confident that there is a “master plan”, an ultimate place I am meant to be. Only time will tell exactly what that means, or where I will end up. But my Prius is headed south to San Diego, and I couldn’t be more excited!

Keep in touch, and Dream BIG!
Stacey

So this is the final entry before we go into battle with Japan for the Gold Medal! I can’t help but to reflect on this journey, both my softball journey and my life’s journey. It still boggles my mind that I have been blessed enough to represent the USA for the past 10 years, playing the sport I love so much.

The people I have met, places I have traveled to, moments I have shared, and competition I have battled in are more than I could ever imagine. As a young girl, softball wasn’t an Olympic sport, so I was inspired by Mary Lou Retton and Carl Lewis, and countless other Olympians I watched on TV wearing the Red, White, and Blue. I remember the ‘84 Olympics in Los Angeles, and a being awed by the physical feats and the emotions that these athletes displayed as they watched their flag (our flag) being raised as Olympic Champions.

And to think, years later, I have had the distinguished opportunity to be able to stand on the Gold Medal podium twice myself, and watch the Stars and Stripes rise above the rest.

Tonight, I will take the field with my teammates, my friends, my family. There will only be 15 of us in uniform, but we will stand on that field with 1000’s of others, maybe even millions of others.

Last night, as I readied for bed, I checked in for my usual “confessional”: I have been videotaping myself each night, sharing my thoughts and feelings (something I know I will treasure it years from now…a video diary of sorts). Though I was tempted, I didn’t ask for a home run or for perfection. Rather, I thanked. I thanked God for the opportunities I have been given, for Mark and for Chase, for my family that has allowed me to be here and continue my big dreams. I thanked Team Nuveman, all of the people in my life, both past and present, who have contributed to this journey.

So thank you, to all of you, even if I don’t know you personally. Inspiration comes from many places and many people, and I thank you all for supporting me through this ride. I HAVE to be the luckiest girl in the World. In fact, I know I am.

With Gold on the brain, I will be Dreaming a BIG AS EVER!!

Stacey

Now the REAL games begin! Today is our one and only day off since competition started, and we have made the most with a great round of batting practice this morning, a massage this afternoon, and a great meal at BNU. This sort of feels like the “calm before the storm”, being that tomorrow begins that Medal Round, and our first opponent is Japan.

Historically, Japan and the USA play tight games every time, so don’t be fooled by our mercy-rule victory over the Japanese a few days ago. They did not pitch either of their top 2 pitchers, so we know we will face a different team this go around.

One fun highlight was last night, when Mark, my brother Ryan, Jessica (Mendoza) and her husband Adam, and Archie Lappin (Lauren’s brother) went to the USA versus Germany men’s basketball game. It was nice to get to another event, as a simple commoner (aka spectator!!). The U.S. dominated, winning by nearly 50 points. So it seems the original Dream Team may have some basketball rivals!

The other really awesome thing is that the whole Team Nuveman contingent is finally in Beijing! All said and done, there are 12 family members and 21 TOTAL! One of my close friends from high school, Melissa, is here with some of her family, so they are joining in to make Team Nuveman a HUGE group, all proudly sporting their special t-shirts with #33 on the back!! Let me tell you, it is so very special to know how many people are pulling for me, and for us…..and especially SEEING all of the people in the stands who have come such a long way to support us. I know how lucky I am, and how blessed to have such a phenomenal support group.

Tomorrow, the real tests and the TRUE Games begin…wish us luck, and I promise you that I mean when I say….”I’m Dreaming BIGGER than ever!!”

Stacey

I’m guessing everyone has been keeping up with our progress over here in China, and know that we are getting down to the “nitty gritty”. We have two games remaining in round-robin action, then will move on to the medal rounds. So far, so good, as we have played great softball thus far, and are in a good place right now. Our offense is getting the job done, and our pitchers have been stellar in the circle.

But the truth is that the big games are yet to be played. Looking back on my two previous Olympic experiences, I know that when it gets to the medal rounds, anything goes and the better team on paper doesn’t necessarily win on the field. In Athens, we expected we would face Japan in the finals, but Australia ended up beating the Japanese and we faced the Aussies in the final game. So the goal is to keep our focus and not live in the past….we have to keep our heads on each game as it comes.

Yesterday, Bustos and I had a fun sit-down interview with Julie Foudy, who is working for NBC. We headed to Beijing Normal University (the USOC off-site training headquarters), and talked a lot about the decision to take softball out of the Olympics. It seems that is the main story here; it seems that is all any one ever wants to talk about.

After the interview, Mark met me at BNU and we walked down the street for some LEGIT pizza! Julie and Holly, our press officers (or Team COMM as they call themselves) told us about this local joint that had real-life, Chicago-style pizza! And let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Don’t get me wrong, the food in the Village is good, but its the same thing day after day. And I am also proud to say I made a vow to deny any McDonald’s food while in competition, and I’ve stayed strong! I’m the last one standing….all the other girls on the team have caved and resorted to Mickey D’s fries, burgers, or Big Macs!

Tonight we play the Netherlands, and tomorrow have home-team China. We are expecting a packed-house tomorrow, since the Chinese people come out en mass to see their team compete. I’m waiting for my offensive game to come around, but am just trying to stay positive and keep plugging away. Its frustrating to be in a slump, but will be that much more gratifying when I bust out!!

Take care, and Dream Big!
Stacey

This afternoon we faced off against Australia, our opponents in the final game of the 2004 Olympics. It was fun to play them again, since they have many of the same players from ‘04 and we also have a very similar team. It was very reminiscent, also being that Tanya Harding (no, not the ice skating Tanya Harding) pitched for the Aussies, and she was also the starter in the Gold Medal match in ‘04. Tanya pitched a great game, but we were able to pull out the win 3-0, with Bustos going yard again and Cat throwing a no-hitter. Our second no-no so far….not too bad!

I’m feeling good, and the weather hasn’t been overwhelmingly hot the last couple of days. Our first days here were STEAMY and SMOKIN’ HOT, but it has been bearable the last couple of days. One cool thing that we are doing to stay cool is using these awesome Nike “cool vests” (but they look more like bubbly bullet proof vests). Our trainer pops them in the freezer and we put them on as we are departing the village. I wear mine during my walk to the bus, on the bus ride to the field, and then take it off just before we warm up. The idea is that we lower our core temperature before we step foot on the field in an effort to delay the heating-up process. So far, I feel a lot better, and my recovery from day to day feels better too.

Tomorrow we play Canada, and we are all pretty excited. Canada has given us a run for our money the last few times we have played them, so we are expecting another tight game. Thanks to everyone for the emails and well wishes….we can use all of the good luck/karma/energy we can get!!

Still dreaming BIG!
Stacey