When I left the USA I had no idea what waited for me in Sochi. The park has lived up to its reputation and there's been almost no problems so far.
In the couple weeks I've been here the place has changed. Thousands of people have flooded into the park to watch the events. The venues are bright and always pretty full, but have not been sold out.
My take on all the events so far: incredible.
I haven't been to another Olympic Games but this Olympics is massive. The hockey games are exciting, speed skating is packed (but not sold out) every night, curling is a pleasure to watch, figure skating is fun, all the events I've watched are great. I got a US hockey Jersey and went to a game with my dad. That was for sure a proud moment, and hopefully not the last game I go to.
Luckily I got the chance to go up to the mountain cluster and watch the men's bobsled. The USA team for two-man bobsled won the bronze medal and we witnessed all of it!
The trip up the mountain took about a hour on the train. Then one gondola ride later we were there. The views from the mountains did not disappoint. We could see the Alpine skiing areas and plenty of places to shop. The buildings were not completely finished, but the mountain village is beautiful.
The Russian fans there are what really surprised me. They are actually nice to us (Americans) and are very respectful.
When there is a Russian in the event, that's when you hear them cheering. It's not necessarily because they want them to win. Mostly it's a moment for their country and they want you to hear all about it. The Russians won the gold medal that night, but the US team was close behind.
So far my events have been hard fought and aggressive.
It's too bad that I didn't make it to the final round individually and that's now in the past. I have my sights set on the relay event in two days. It's the US team's best chance to medal at the games. The Olympics are almost over so I'm pouring everything into this full-on battle. Let's hope there is something shimmering (and metallic) waiting for me as well.
You can find out more about Creveling's experiences as part of Team USA and see photos from inside the Olympic stadium on his blog or by following @TophCrev on Twitter.
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