Where do I begin?

Alright, I started a blog. Now what? I guess I should start by introducing myself and explaining why I decided to blog in the first place. My name is Mariya Koroleva and I am a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Duet for synchronized swimming. I was born in Yaroslavl, Russia and moved to California when I was 9. I've been doing synchro for 13 years and have been on the U.S. National Team since 2007. Right now I am supposed to be finishing up my senior year at Stanford University but I took the year off to train for the Games. My duet partner Mary Killman and I train in Indianapolis and we recently qualified to compete in London in August.

So that's my biography in one paragraph! I've always been a person who likes to remember events in my life and I love taking pictures, journaling, keeping track of my travels, etc. Going to the Olympics is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I want to remember this experience. Every little part of it. This event is going to be the culmination of my 13 years of training, and the next two and a half months are going to be the most exciting, hectic and exhausting months of my career and I want to document it so I have something to look back on when I am old and grey. And furthermore, I want to share my story with other people. The road to the Olympic Games is not a cookie-cutter process. Every Olympian's journey is different and everyone goes through their own struggles and moments of greatness. In this blog I will give you a glimpse of who I am as a person and as an athlete and I will bring you along for the wild ride for the next three months. Feel free to leave comments or ask questions!

Thanks for joining me and stay tuned for my next post!

Love, MKor