Nihao, everyone! I’d like to welcome you to the Beijing blog of two-time Paralympic Archer, Lindsey Carmichael. I’m going to be updating you on my practices, training, and preparation for the upcoming 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. I kept a private blog when I competed in Athens in 2004, and even though I’m glad I kept a record of my thoughts, in retrospect I wish I’d been able to share them with my friends and family more easily.

So here we are, my brand-new blog for Beijing. I took a poll of my friends in a search for blog titles, and one brilliant soul came up with the name “Rings and Arrows” which is a play off a line from Hamlet’s famous soliloquy from Act III, Scene I:

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?

I have faced a sea of troubles to get where I am today. I would say that it took a miracle to get me on the Team, but in reality I know exactly what it took—tremendous willpower, determination, tears, pain, faith, trust, and most importantly, hard work. In a way, outrageous fortune has smiled on me at last, and I feel as if I am on top of the world.

I suppose before I get too carried away I ought to give you a proper introduction and let you in on the secret of why it was so hard for me to make the Team this year. My name is Lindsey Carmichael, ( and I’ve been shooting archery since 8th grade... )

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Thanks for reading, everyone! I'll have more updates for you, soon! :)

"Life only demands from you the strength you possess. Only one feat is possible: not to have run away."

--Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish diplomat