The Stanford Athletics Buck/Cardinal Clubhouse

Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of first-person diaries by former Stanford rower Silas Newby Stafford, who is in London preparing to compete for the United States in the Summer Olympics.

We're in London, and it is awesome, in the true sense of the word. The scale of the operation is immense. We were met at the airport by hundreds of beaming Olympic volunteer staff, and escorted to the satellite rowing village by hundreds of security personnel armed to the teeth with assault rifles. The rowing village is swarmed with support staff to feed us, do our laundry, organize busses, and help us in any way they can. While the news reports delays, snafus, and security issues, I have been extremely impressed with the entire operation.

Moreover, there is a palpable excitement in everyone, from the athletes to the maids changing the sheets. I have seen more English people smile in the past few days than I did in a year living here.

The rowing competition site is bustling with ... Continue Reading

Editor’s note: Silas Newby Stafford, ’08, is a former Stanford rowing standout and has qualified to compete in the Summer Olympics in London. He will submit exclusive diaries of his experiences to the Buck/Cardinal Clubhouse. This is his first entry.

I'm flying out to London today for the Olympics. I'm going to be competing in rowing, in the pair. Tom Peszek (my rowing partner) and I have had a good training camp in Princeton, New Jersey. It’s my first Olympics, and my emotions are mostly a mix of excitement and thankfulness. The nerves haven’t begun to set in yet, but they inevitably will.

The Olympics are the culmination of a long journey for most athletes. I started rowing relatively late, in my freshman year of college at UCLA. I'd loved the discipline, racing, and rewards of distance running in high school, but was too big to succeed at a higher level. Rowing filled the void vacated by running. I found the competitive energy, the teamwork, and the reward ... Continue Reading

Editor’s note: Mike Robbins helped pitch Stanford to the College World Series in 1995 and was an All-Pac-10 Conference selection and the team’s Most Inspirational Player. He earned a BA in American Studies with a specialization in race and ethnicity. Arm injuries cut short his pro career, so he turned to motivational speaking. The father of two daughters has appeared on ABC News and the Oprah Network, and in Forbes and the Washington Post. He has been a guest on more than 500 radio shows across North America and is a regular contributor to Oprah.com and Huffington Post. His Web site is www.mike-robbins.com.

By Mike Robbins

I grew up in Oakland and enrolled at Stanford in the fall of 1992. I got drafted out of high school by the Yankees, but didn’t wind up signing with them because I had an ... Continue Reading