Welcome...
..to the TreacyFamily.Net site! As you will see most everything was created here during our 2006 Olympic adventure in Turin (Torino), Italy. We thought we'd keep it here as a fun record of a historic event in our family.
Since most everyone in the family has now joined our family site on Facebook, you will not be seeing any updates here. Apologies for any links that have now become stale!
Thanks again for all the support, and enjoy the rest of TreacyFamily.Net to re-live our 2006 Olympic Adventure. -- Pete
2006 Olympics Report - Scroll from Bottom
Final Update - March 19, 2006
March 19 Update: Happy Birthday, Cair! With the 2006 Olympics adventure behind her (except for the upcoming meeting with President Bush in May), Carolyn is now focusing on her upcoming wedding. She's also speaking to kids and other groups about her great experiences -- apparently the kids love to see photos of Cair with her buddy Apollo Ohno.
So today the Treacy clan had brunch with Cair and her fiance Anthony. Yesterday was the big wedding shower, where Cair received the 77-page "Cookbook for Carolyn" that we created by gathering recipes from four generations of Treacy's and O'Briens.
It can be downloaded in .pdf format from http://files.treacyfamily.net/cookbookforcarolyn.pdf or
http://files.treacyfamily.net/cookbookforcarolyn.doc in Microsoft Word format.
Note: If you have problems opening up the .pdf file, go to http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html for and updated version of Adobe Acrobat Reader software.
February 27 Update: Check out the great behind-the-scenes photos and stories of the closing ceremonies in Carolyn's latest "Dispatch".
I've also added a new photo album from Cair's cousin, Adam Caskey.
February 26 Update: It was Cool to see Cair, ever-so-briefly during the closing ceremonies right before they interviewed Sasha Cohen:
Check out latest "Dispatch" right before the ceremonies began.
Knight-Ridder ran a story about the Olympic Spirit in Torino. Carolyn's quoted:
Biathlete Carolyn Treacy said she had no expectations at these, her first Games, and savored every minute. She said she can't wait until Sunday night's Closing Ceremony.
"It will be a big sigh of relief," she said. "Everything will be over and we can enjoy the ceremony without worrying about staying hydrated for a race or going to bed early or staying up late. It will be a joy to get to hang out with other athletes."
Great new photo of Cair's posse of family and friends. Thanks to Brian Boll for getting the shot with everyone plus the great vista from the Biathlon venue.
February 24 Updates: Carolyn's photo and quotes are featured in a Washington Post article titled "This Athlete Skis, Shoots, and Heaves: In the Biathlon, Even the Hardiest Are Done In by the Sport's Demands". While reporter Libby Copeland does skirt dangerously close to sharing "too much information" about bodily functions, it's a great look at biathlon's toll on participants. Here's an excerpt:
If you're looking for purity in sport, for those who compete for the sheer thrill of the race, look to the American biathletes, who surely aren't competing for love or money. This sport is unforgiving: If you miss your targets, you have to ski a penalty loop. (This feels very prison-y, very "Cool Hand Luke," very Dig another ditch, Luke .) It is all the more unforgiving for the Americans, who have never won an Olympic medal in the sport, who don't have the coaches and the sponsors and the breadth of talented young people just clamoring to become biathletes, as occurs in, say, Germany.
The Americans just attack the snow with their fierce wills, the lactic acid burning up their legs, past the stands filled with exuberant fans waving flags from many nations, but not theirs. This is a sport for the stubborn and the strong.
Those of us who watched it live were able to see this up close. Jill, Maureen, and I even tried a little nordic skiing in the French Alps one day last week -- and got just a taste of what skate-skiing up hill can feel like under harsh conditions. Of course we quickly withdrew to find some chocolate crepes when the going got rough...
WOW! So far this month we have had 21,267 "page views" as Carolyn's supporters follow her Olympic experience!
Check out the new "Trip Photos" page that I've started. More pics to come as I collect them from Carolyn's 24-member entourage...
Getty Images captured yesterday's finish for Carolyn here.
February 23 - Afternoon Update: Carolyn has sent us her latest dispatch, titled "Much Better!". It provides a great window into the race and her positive attitude!
Another great photo by Getty Images, as found officially at their site (The original one at MSNBC shown below has already been removed as of 2/24...)
Click on photo above for a larger version, which I archived off for posterity...
February 23 - Race Day Update: What a ride! Cair took the team forward two positions as she anchored the relay. Team USA shaved a few minutes off of their time from 2002 in Salt Lake City, so progress was made. Click here for a video of the final 1:48 of this morning's broadcast. You can hear the surprise in the announcers voices as Carolyn shows up earlier than expected!
Also, check out the latest entries on the "Dispatches" page for the official press release after today's race and a special guest "Thank You" entry from her proud dad, Kevin Treacy. Key quotes from Carolyn:
Treacy needed one extra round in prone and two in standing, but was happy with her performance. "I shot 80% without the extra rounds and that is good today. I felt so much better than in the Sprint." As some other teams incurred penalties, Treacy moved up a couple of places. Smiling broadly, she added, "I passed the Canadians and the Japanese. That was fun."
As the final US competitor in biathlon in these Games, she summed up her experience, "It was great; the village, the stadium and the atmosphere. I did not have any preconceived expectations, so I was not disappointed with the Olympics. My family was here for some of the competitions and my fiancé and some friends were here today".
More to come...
February 22 Update - Pete Treacy, FAMILY FIELD REPORTER FOR KBJR: Check out this snapshot linking to the "Behind the Scenes" video that I shot for KBJR in Duluth. We shipped them two videotapes of our family's trip, including an exclusive tour of the Olympic Village, and of Carolyn's biathlon weapon, "Charlie" (named for her grandpa Charles William Treacy, RIP). This first compilation aired last night and there should be one more this upcoming Saturday 2/25.
Click on picture to launch 3-minute video file (6Mb). There may be slight delay as it launches Windows Media Player...broadband connection recommended.
February 20 Update: We made it back OK, surviving 20+ hours of travel time...Now back to reality. We'll be following Cair's big relay race this Thursday, as she and her teammates try to repeat their strong performance from 4 years ago when they were the first US Women to ever win a Silver Medal in the Junior World Championships. One thing we've learned though, is that Biathlon is a sport where age and experience seem to count -- all the medal winners so far have been 30+ years old. No matter what, we continue to be proud of Cair.
Check out Carolyn's latest dispatch and photos here. I'll be compiling the best of hundreds of shots from the family's visit in the next week or so. Stay tuned!
February 18 Update: Last night we "stole" Carolyn from the Olympic village for a full night of dinner, lounging, and laughing back at Che Catrine in Modane, France. We watched her favorite movie, "Waking Ned Devine", and hosted a slumber party before taking Cair back this morning. Cair is looking forward to next week's Relay, and will apply lessons learned to finish strong with her team.
Keep checking back, since I'll be home and better able to add photos and news. In the meantime, take a moment to read some of the "human interest" stories that have been recently published:
Duluth's Carolyn Treacy found perspective in tropics - http://www.startribune.com/120/v-print/story/250196.html
(others pending)
These stories are great examples of how Carolyn is not only a sports role model for all 34 Treacy cousins, but a hero in how she lives her life as well!
February 17 Update: Make sure and see the post-race dispatch from Carolyn.
Tomorrow we are on the road home, but stay tuned for more updates before Cair's next race on Thursday, as she anchor's the Relay team.
February 16 Update: We are PROUD of Carolyn as she finished her first-ever Olympic race! When we heard that she drew #81 out of 84 starting positions, we knew it would be tough -- Cair had told us earlier in the week that the trail gets harder for the people who start later. That turned out to be exactly what happened. From USA Today:
"It was a day full of the unexpected, as the heavy snowfall at the start of the race turned to sunshine and slush by the end"
The change in climate from dark and snowy during morning scope calibration to bright and sunny as she approached the shooting station made things even more challenging. Dark conditions require a different setting on the scope, but it was too late to change back to sunny after the race started. But Cair made us all so proud, especially by her grace and humor throughout. Stay tuned for more updates -- we've had difficulty putting these up from our villa in France (built in 1524).
GREAT PHOTO at Getty Images (follow link for copyright info, click on photo for larger version): http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/details_pop.aspx?iid=56861341&cdi=0
CESANA SAN SICARIO, ITALY - FEBRUARY 16: Carolyn Treacy of the United States competes in the Womens Biathlon 7.5km Sprint Final on Day 6 of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games on February 16, 2006 in Cesana San Sicario, Italy. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
NEWSPAPER & TV accounts of her results: http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/13888396.htm
http://www.sportsfeatures.com/index.php?section=pp&action=show&id=29564
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/torino/biathlon/2006-02-16-womens-7pt5_x.htm
http://www.nbcolympics.com/kare/5111711/detail.html
February 12 Update: We made it! Our first full day of fun (after the travel days from you know where) was today. After a trip to see fellow Duluth pal Mason Aguirre compete in Snowboarding's half-pipe, we managed to connect with Carolyn and even had time for a drink at the local pub. Cair took Pete and Jill on tour of the athlete's residence... See the slideshow here.
NEW: "Carolyn's Dispatches" page has updates in her own Words. The first entry about the opening ceremonies.
February 9 Update: Here's a link to Carolyn's final pre-Olympic dispatch from the world of training...and sledding...and dancing. Don't miss this great window into her world, including the "lederhosen-wearing group of men that put on a Tirolian version of Riverdance"...
(That's the last update until we get over in Torino. Stay tuned...we'll send along updates if we can!!)
February 8 Update: Check out the new video of Cair and the other Minnesota Olympians at the Star Tribune. (Click on Carolyn's photo in the bottom row). Great work in pulling together home movies and photos, Ann and Kevin!!
February 7 Update: "She's my daughter. I'll be there" is the title of a great article in today's Duluth News Tribune. Click for old fashioned clippings format or see the on-line version at the paper's web site.
See Newspaper clippings, about Cair's skiing, biathlon, and golf success.
More updates from friends at Duluth's Midnight Sun Adventure Company.
For family shots of Carolyn, see our Pictures page
The Torino 2006 Olympics
Follow the action at the official Torino 2006 website
Check out the animated sports guide
For official biathlon news and results, including links to photos of the events as they happen, check out the US Biathlon team site
Stay tuned for more links as they become available...
