My time in Prague has been great so far. There is so much history in the city and so much to see that I have been trying to see as much of it as I can while I am here. Practices have been good, and I am very excited to compete on Monday. It has been a few years since I have been able to compete in a world championship event, and I am looking forward to it. 

I would catch you up on everything that has been going on during our trip leading up to today, but that would take quite a bit of writing so I will just give you today's update. 

At this point in our training each individual is free to decide how often or when they want to work out because everyone has their own routine or ritual for making weight. The first group of weigh ins, which I will be participating in, don't begin until Sunday, but some of the guys who have more weight to lose than I do are already doing their thing. There was a small group of us  that went over to the training center where we have been practicing, and we got a little work out in. We had been on the wrestling mat for the past two days so today most of us changed it up a little bit by using Ivan Ivanov's HIRTS system. The acronym stands for high intensity rope training system, and you can see what it is on his site www.suples.com to get a better idea of what we were doing. However, we weren't training as intensely as he shows on some of the videos. The system is essentially a set of elastic bands that you can use for strength training. I broke a good sweat and I used the time to "wake up the muscles" as Ivan would say. To finish off the little pump that I got, I jumped rope for a bit and finished off with a good stretch. It was a perfect workout for a Wednesday morning. 

After the workout I went and grabbed some lunch with KC Walsh and Cheney Haight. We ate at Bohemia Bagel, a restaurant that offers a variety of Czech as well as American fare. I had some chicken wings and fries. I don't have to worry as much about losing a whole lot of weight like some other guys, so I indulge in some fattening foods at times. In fact, I recently discovered that I am a catalyst for weight gain. My wife has lost 3 kilos while I have been away from home, and my roommate Walsh has gained 3 kilos. Now it may be coincidence, but then again it may not be. Spend enough time with me, and I suppose that the numbers will speak for themselves. After lunch, we headed back to the hotel and I took a little nap. I am still trying to get my sleep cycle on schedule, and I am sleeping alright through the night, but I have still been needing a little nap here and there. 

I woke up from my nap, and I was hungry again, surprise surprise. This past weekend I met a business ethics professor from the United States at church services that I attended on Sunday. He was teaching an executive MBA course here in Prague, but he now lives in Provo, Utah and teaches at Brigham Young University. I grew up about 30 minutes from Provo in Taylorsville, and he invited me to grab a bite to eat with him tonight. We ate at a little German place, and I had the salmon and potato croquettes. It was a pretty good meal, and it was nice to get to know him as well as one of his former BYU students who happens to work in Prague now. It is funny that it is really such a small world that we live in. I am on the other side of the world and I run into people from Utah. After dinner and a short trip to Wencelas Square, I headed back to the hotel where we are staying.

I actually just got off of Skype with my family back home in Idaho, and after finishing this update, I will be heading to bed. I think Skype is one of the coolest applications out there. My daughter is 14 months old so it is hard for me to be away and missing so much because she is changing so quickly. She just started eating with a spoon by herself a couple of days ago, and I was so happy that I was able to catch that via videos that my wife had sent to me and I was able to tell her good job on Skype. It helps to bridge the gap, and keep me happy. My wife is also pregnant with our second child that is due in November so I am able to keep in touch with her and see how she is feeling. 

Well that is all I have for now. I will do my best to keep you updated as we approach the competition. Team USA is looking strong, and I am expecting good results from this tournament. I love what I am doing, and I am so happy to represent team USA. Until next time.