MJ and Chris at the Olympics!

Well hello! I know it's been a really long time since we last updated the blog, but we have a good reason! You see, MJ and I have been competing in the Olympics!

This isn't something we've ever mentioned before on the blog, but MJ and I are highly trained synchronized pole vaulters. I've been synchronized pole vaulting ever since I was 5 and begged my parents to let me take lessons- I had been watching Mom and Dad on the pro circuit for years, although shortly after I entered high school they decided to vault in Disney's "synchronized pole vaulting on ice" show so that I could have a little stability in my life.

One of the first things I thought after meeting MJ was that she had what we call in the business the perfect "synchronized pole vaulter's foot." On our fourth date or so, I convinced her to come out to the synchronized pole vaulting rink and give it a shot. MJ was so gutsy- she didn't even want to use training skates, or for me to lay down the protective layer of snow we use to prevent people from snapping their necks off. I knew then we could be a great team, if she didn't snap her neck off too many times.

So yeah, that's the background on that one. MJ and I felt so honored to be one of 3 teams representing the U.S. in Vancouver this year!! We may not have medaled (obviously; if we had we'd be national heroes by now), but we sure had a great time and met a lot of wonderful people. Here's a picture of us with the team from Sweden:


They got silver!

A word of explanation... it's too small to see, but my name tag says "accompanist". You see, in synchronized pole-vaulting the "upper" vaulter is referred to as the "accompanist". If the "accompanist" fails to complete the jump but the other person (the "soloist") does, the team can still be awarded points. If the "soloist" misses the jump but the "accompanist" does not, it is an automatic disqualification. Actually MJ is the accompanist in our team and I am the soloist, which is part of what makes this picture so hilarious! We were a bit out of control.

Like I said, we didn't medal. In retrospect, a drinking contest may not have been the best way for MJ and I to kill the time before we had to go vault. Nonetheless, I think we're both very proud of our performance, and we're really hoping to be ambassadors for the sport back in the states. There are so many hard-working synchronized pole vaulters here who need our support! They shouldn't all have to go to Denmark to get endorsements deals!

Well listen, since we're back home now and won't be having so much excitement for quite a while, you can expect us to be updating the blog more regularly. Thanks for hanging in there with us!