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Of all the things U.S. swimmer Tyler Clary was unprepared for in his first Olympic Games, there was the one experience he said he will never forget.Walking that path from the [athletes] village to the opening ceremonies, there were tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people, simply walking or lining the walkway we were taking there, and little kids were stretching their hands out just because they wanted to touch us, Clary said. It blew my mind.I was just another dude who happens to be a little more water-safe than the average person, and there are all these people sitting there starstruck. They had no idea who we were but they were just amazed to see us because we were Olympians, and thats still not something I can wrap my head around.Whether it was tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or 100, no one could have adequately prepared Clary for the chills that ran through him or the inspiration it provided.Blown mind or not, Clary gathered himself quickly enough to win gold in the 200-meter backstroke in his Olympic debut at the 2012 Summer Games in London. But it was not without many head-shaking moments for which he and other U.S. Olympians headed to Rio say first-timers should be prepared.And surprise: Its not all parades and medals.Elizabeth Beisel won silver and bronze medals in London, but among her most vivid memories were those not-so-glorious ones during her first Olympics in 2008, when she was the youngest member of the U.S. swim team.I was 15 in Beijing; there was no English whatsoever, and there were problems with the food being contaminated, so we could only eat McDonalds for a certain amount of time, Beisel recalled. The bus schedule was all messed up, and if you miss your bus, the next bus isnt for another hour. Then you miss your final swim and you dont get to swim in the Olympics.Beisel said she was as vulnerable to misconceptions going in as anyone watching TV at home.Its just like every little thing, she said. Youd think youre in the Olympics -- youd have like a limo driving you to the pool and youre in a five-star hotel and you have nothing to worry about. But its the complete opposite. Youre totally on your own. Youre in a different country; nobody speaks your language; and you need to learn how to take care of yourself and roll with the punches.And its really, really scary because its the Olympics; it only happens every four years, and you dont want to mess it up. But its almost like only the strong make it, honestly. Its such a dog-eat-dog environment, and its all or nothing.Food is an especially common theme, when athletes who are accustomed to fine-tuning their bodies with only the purest fuel suddenly having to tolerate fast food. And worse than that, unfamiliar food.Ryan Lochte was famous for eating McDonalds in Beijing because it was what he was comfortable with and it was safe for him, swimmer Connor Jaeger said.It should be noted that Lochte, an 11-time Olympic medalist, joked that he gained 10 pounds at the 2008 Games and has since changed his eating habits, focusing on lean protein, fruits and vegetables. But for Jaeger, the main worry is staying consistent and not being caught off-guard.You think here in the States, no matter where you are, you can find an Olive Garden, right? Jaeger said. So in London, the food was good but you just dont know. I always eat pasta before a race. Are they going to have pasta for me that night? If they dont, theres really nothing else I can do.Also, thinking about the walk to the shuttle, the bus ride to the pool and not realizing you were going to have to walk that much, or whatever it is, throws some people off more than me.Jaeger said the fact that London was his first Olympics made it easier to accept whatever potential distractions came his way.At that time, I was really happy to be there; I was there to enjoy the ride, he said. I was taking it seriously, but it helped me take a step back and say, Who cares if I have to walk a half-mile or whatever it is on the way to a race? But if youre convinced its not going to mess you up, its not going to mess you up.Clary said he was prepared for very little in his first Olympics.I was na?ve thinking it was going to be a lot like a world championships, and Id been to two before, he said. But its a whole different ballgame. Theres an energy in and around the village I wasnt expecting, and it really kind of threw me off a little bit. ...I instantly understood there was something completely different going on and that every four years we have the greatest combination of athletic ability that history has ever seen, and we have almost every person on the planet listening and watching, and theres nothing else in the world like that. Its humbling, its exciting, its scary -- a medley of emotions.Clary said he has added confidence in knowing what to expect in Rio, and it is with that knowledge that some veteran Olympians make it a point to reach out to first-timers with the hopes of preparing them for an experience many say is indescribable.Beisel joked that you can spot a rookie from a mile away trying to blend in, as she once did, trying not to throw up as she often did before big races.Especially for the young swimmer, and I was the same way. Its Oh my God, this is the Olympics. Its the biggest thing in my life, she said. And yes, it may be the biggest thing in your life, but there are other moments in life that are going to be just as amazing, and dont let nerves take that away from you because you only have one shot to do this, so have fun doing it. Love the fact that youre here and enjoy that you can actually have this moment and dont take it for granted. Dont ever take it for granted.This Olympics will be the first for Kayla Banwarth, libero on the U.S. womens volleyball team, but she said she is not expecting it to be much different from every other international tournament she has played in -- which is to say not great.We travel together and we play in other countries a lot, she said. And every tournament we go to, theres always something. Our hotel is awful or Oh, were going to eat rice and beans again. Like, Heres my tuna packet. Ugh.Theres always adversity at every tournament we go to, so I dont know that theres going to be anything too different thrown at us in Rio.Water polos Maggie Steffens tells rookies to embrace the chaos, a lesson she learned from veteran teammates in London.Some people say to ignore the distractions, which you should once the competition begins, Steffens said. But you get there, and theres the opening ceremonies, theres the village, and that means theres inspiration everywhere. If you ignore those, youre losing the inspiration and the opportunity to be inspired by even the smallest things, like a [United States] sticker on your door.So my teammates told me, Soak it all in. Get it all in there early so that once the competition begins and your performance needs to happen, youve taken in all that inspiration ... and now you can just perform. You no longer have to worry about the media or the food or all the athletes around because you dealt with it right away. And that would be my biggest advice.Accept it, love it, be inspired from it, and then let it fuel you. Let it be your energy. Let it build and try to have fun through it all. This is your moment to just play the sport you love on the biggest stage against the biggest opponents and represent the best country there is. Wholesale Steph Curry Shoes . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Steph Curry Shoes Deals . The 19-year-old Olsen played 34 games with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL this season. In that time, hes recorded 17 goals and 17 assists with 36 penalty minutes. https://www.stephencurryshoescheap.com/ . Colin Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Mike Fisher scored a goal and helped set up two others in the Predators 6-4 victory over the Red Wings on Monday night. Steph Curry Shoes From China . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury. Clearance Steph Curry Shoes . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Wayne Bennett says he doesnt have a problem with Mal Meninga, but he appears to have a major beef with the way the Australian Rugby League Commission decided on the new Kangaroos coach.Not that he would elaborate further.The seven-time premiership coach has tried to clear the air after a tumultuous tenure as England coach ahead of Sundays must-win Four Nations clash against Meningas Australia in London.Bennett again bristled at critics claiming he did not promote the game, but claimed he had had peace talks with Meninga after the Roos coachs controversial News Corp column.Meninga accused Bennett of undermining him and refusing to move on after missing out on the Kangaroos job.Bennett claimed he was still friends with Meninga after a Wednesday chat but still seemed miffed with how the Roos job was appointed.In the end with the Roos job where I was at a different place was the process they went through in the end, Bennett told Fox Sports TV.Which I thought was, I have to be careful what type of word I use, anyway when that was over I moved on.It (Kangaroos process) is a story worth telling one day but I am not going to tell it today.Asked if he had undermined Meninga, Bennett said: No.Asked if he respected Meninga, Bennett replied: I always have.ddddddddddddve got quite a good relationship with Mal, I spent some time with him yesterday (Wednesday) - its all good.Pressed, Bennett said: I am not going further with the conversation here - its not me or Mal.I have always been friends with him, nothings changed from my point of view.Bennett also took another swing at critics claiming he did not promote the game in England.Bennetts abrupt, monosyllabic sideline interviews have earned the ire of the UK press, with the likes of TV expert and former Wales boss Iestyn Harris accusing the 65-year-old of being disrespectful.He defended his stance during a mid-week team press conference but elaborated further ahead of Englands crunch clash.I am just Wayne. I have been getting that criticism for some 38 years now, he said.Im over here, five weeks away from my home ... I dont know how they work out that Im not promoting the game.I mean the critics are sitting at home in the lounge rooms in Australia drinking their wine and Im out here at the coal face getting the job done. ' ' '