对于希望参加奥运会的萨拉·赖林来说，这个夏天充满了高潮和低谷。这位二年级的跳水运动员整个夏天都在空中飞行，为参加训练营和比赛在全国和世界各地飞行。与美国奥运跳水队的其他队员一起，赖林参观了包括布卢明顿在内的六个城市，为公众进行了展览。她还参加了在加利福尼亚州米慎维埃霍举行的美国全国比赛，并前往西班牙参加了一场比赛。谈到这个夏天对跳水队的影响时，赖林说:“作为一个团队，我们变得更加亲密了。”“这迫使你依赖队友的娱乐。”美国跳水协会的联络主管赛斯·佩德森说，今年早些时候选择奥运会跳水队，给跳水运动员们提供了很多额外的时间来团结成一个团队。“他们开始训练的时候就知道自己能成为奥运选手，”佩德森说。不出问题的是，旅行让赖林几乎没有时间放松，几乎没有时间呆在家里。她希望今年夏天能和IU队一起训练，但她的繁忙日程让这一切都变得不可能。赖林在印第安纳大学的继续学习也不得不因为奥运会而暂停。这学期她没有上课，因为奥运会会让她错过大半个学期。“我回到家，有一天时间洗衣服，一天时间安顿下来，然后我又离开了，”她说。 "I'm constantly in a new place and I want to be here. After this summer, I don't want to fly ever again."\nBut Reiling has at least two long plane rides still ahead of her. Reiling and IU head diving coach Jeff Huber will fly to Sydney, Australia, Monday in preparation for the Sept. 15 start of the Olympics. Her parents, brother, his girlfriend and her boyfriend will be in Australia to watch her compete in the platform competition beginning Sept. 22 and ending Sept. 24.\nOne thing that might change when Reiling arrives in Sydney is the amount of attention she gets from the press. During the summer, she said she received a few calls but nothing crazy ' which was fine with her.\n"But my answering machine was broken," she said. "So they could only reach me when I was here, and I'm not here very much."\nLately, Huber said he's been receiving "about a call a day," from people wanting to speak with Reiling.\nBoth Huber and Reiling have similar goals in mind to stay on top for the competition. At the top of the list: staying focused.\n"I want her to stay focused on her diving and to not try too hard," Huber said. "There are a lot of distractions that come with the Olympics and a lot of distractions after making the Olympic team. We're trying to reduce that to its essence and to have her go out there and do what she would do for any other competition."\nHuber is also concerned with keeping Reiling as healthy as possible. During the summer she experienced problems with a sore back and wrist and a case of the flu.\nAfter talking to people with previous Olympic experience, trying to shrug off the bureaucratic inconveniences that come with the Olympics are another of Reiling's concerns.\n"You'll be seeing the same trainer for a week and then go one time during the competition, and they won't let you see that trainer and won't give you a reason," she said. "It's petty stuff but you can get wrapped up in it. I want to stay focused on my dives, doing it how I do in practice and not overperforming." \nAs she prepares for her first trip to Australia, Reiling looks forward to trying to do some sightseeing and also to moving into the Olympic Village.\n"I've heard a bunch of stories (about the Olympic Village)," she said. "That it's secluded and for athletes only. Just about the whole energy of it."\nAlthough Huber said Reiling's point total at the Olympic Trials would have been high enough to get her a medal at the last Olympics, neither are dwelling on the possibility of Reiling coming away with a medal.\n"I don't want to predict the future or what's going to happen," Reiling said. "I'm more interested in having a good time and doing well for myself"
