HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday to my big sis, Felicia Zimmermann. She is currently in Los Angeles-hard at work for Booze Allen Hamilton but her family in Rochester, NY is thinking of her. Wish you were home to celebrate!

Here's a little story about the Olympian sisters from Rochester, NY.

Felicia and I fenced together for nearly eighteen years and this is the first Olympic trials I am going through without her. Of course she is always there for love and support but I am going to miss her coaching and help during competitions. There have been so many big matches in my career that I couldn't have won without her advice. Mostly I think it was the fact that there was always someone unconditionally in my corner that made the biggest difference.

In 2000 we were the ultimate Olympic story. We composed two-thirds of the USA women's foil team. I don't know how Ann, our teammate, ever put up with our sibling shenanigans.

The best part of the whole experience in 2000 was walking into the Olympic stadium for opening ceremonies hand in hand with my sister. I can't really explain the feeling of that moment. How do you capture in words and explain what thousands of people sound like cheering for you while you are down on the stadium field (besides asking a football player)? How can you describe what it's like to be there with someone you are the closest to in your life? How can you describe the joy and pride we felt that we had accomplished this goal together? I guess one word-indescribable. Aren't I always full of these cliches?

During Olympic tryouts in 2004 our relationship took a different turn. Rather than being teammates we were competitors on a whole new level. We had always been competitive, but this time it was different. I was training with our old coach in New York City and Felicia, a year before the games, decided to make a comeback and moved back to Rochester to train for one last attempt. The difference was-only ONE women's foil fencer from the USA was going to Athens in 2004.

At this point she had two Olympics under her belt already and I was going for my second team. My father complained the whole year about not putting us in two different fencing weapons so we didn't have to compete against each other.

We fenced a few times at world cups and national competitions that year. I lost to her at a crucial world cup in Shanghai, China. In the end I didn't make the team by two points and beating her would have made a difference because I needed another result in the Asian competition zone. A lot of our competitors asked why she didn't forfeit the bout. At the time I really wish she did (it was a horrible year) but with time and perspective I realize she did the right thing and fenced me at her best. It was a hard pill to swallow because it felt as though she was no longer in my corner but I didn't realize she had never really left my side.

My relationship with my former coach had been deteriorating to the point that I felt alone and isolated in New York City. The city swallowed everything up including my ability to see that my sister was trying to help me the entire year despite what it seemed like in China. To make a long story short-things didn't go so well in the Big Apple so she tried to convince me to move back home and train with her to boost my morale and confidence.

There is no doubt that Felicia is my closest friend and biggest supporter in life. :)I could never dream as big if she wasn't there with every step.

Jai, I hope you have a wonderful birthday!