November 2004 Edition

NOTE #1 - unfortunately Brett's name was spelt wrong on the cover and in the article!!! (an extra 'n' in Roneberg)
NOTE #2 - the magazine is large, measuring 34x24cms, and could not be scanned - below are photos of the cover and three page story featuring Brett's Olympic experience - the text has been added following each page photo
Overall the article, the photos that were used, and page spread look fantastic!!!

What a tour it must have been, with the total cost of sending the 482 strong team to Athens amounting to $13.8 million, all at a cost to the AOC and all without government funding (the AOC raises all team costs through corporate sponsorship and fundraising activities)
In addition, the AOC spent over $70 million between 2000 and 2004 preparing Australian Olympic Teams for Athens in 2004 and Salt Lake City in 2002.
Is it any wonder there was some concern about whether Athens would be ready for our athletes or not.

As we know, it was, and as Brett says: "Forget about all the negative publicity because it was great. There were some aspects of these games that were better than Sydney. The rooms were bigger and had less athletes in each room, the dining facilities were fantastic. The bus transport to and from our venue was brilliant, as we had our own 'Olympic lane'. The volunteers were very helpful (as they were in Sydney) and there just seemed to be more space"

"Channel 7 set up an area for the Australian team, complete with a huge plasma screen, which had the coverage live for us to watch when we weren't competing. A few of the liaison officers, including Peter Brock (the Bathurst legend), organised some artificial grass for some of our surrounds, because the landscaping was one thing that didn't get finished. But overall, it was just about as good as Sydney"

Having said that, Greece is quite famous for its myths, and unfortunately, for Brett and many other Australian Olympians one myth that did the rounds proved to be true. The plumbing in Athens does not allow for toilet paper to be flushed down the toilet. Not wanting to delve too deeply for obvious reasons, but a small rubbish bin beside the toilet was not at all appealing to the majority of our athletes. There is a strong possibility that the entire sewerage system in Greece could quite literally be stuffed as the Australian athletes chose to flush toilet paper anyway. As Brett said: "We just couldn't bring ourselves to use the bins provided. It would have just stunk out our rooms, because while we only shared a room with one other athlete, four people shared a bathroom and with all the sponsors product being regularly consumed (like Powerade) there was some nasty stuff going on and you didn't want reminders of it sticking around"

Walking around the village and Athens was a huge buzz, and while Brett wasn't stopped too often (not at all actually) by other athletes and asked to have his photo with them, he had no qualms about asking for his photo to be taken with high profile athletes such as Lauren Jackson and Tamsyn Lewis. Mark Phillippousis, however, remembered him from the 2000 Olympics and said gidday. When Brett asked Mark if he would mind having a photo taken, it wasn't Mark that Brett was referring to, but Mark's girlfriend Delta Goodrem. "And why wouldn't you," he laughs.

On the partying side of things, Brett will only say "things were a lot different this Olympics with regards to no drinking and no McDonalds. We were a lot more focussed on why we were here and therefore we were only allowed out on one night during competition. As it turned out I ended up with heat stroke from the day's play and wasn't allowed out, so I missed out on what, from all reports, was a pretty good night!"

When asked about security at the games and all the gear the athletes were given, Brett in his laid back manner said, "it was no big deal. I felt safe wherever I went. I was there to play baseball, so I didn't worry about that sort of stuff" And as for the two suitcases of clothing he was given, well they are on a boat on their way back to his mum and dad's house where they will stay, along with that silver medal (which apparently spends most of it's time around a very proud mum's neck) ------(continued)

Winning a silver medal is a truly magnificent feat in anyone's language, and certainly one that Brett Roneberg, now two time Olympian and our very own Cairns boy, is extremely proud of, as are his parents Geoff and Sharon, older sister Tanya, all of Cairns and many fellow Australians. Brett, likemany of us, has had to make many important decisions throughout his 25 years, but none so far would probably come close to the decision he made to become available for the 2004 Athens Olympics and maybe put his dream of playing in the Majors in America at risk. Did he make the right decision? "Damn right," says Brett, as he proudly displays his piece of silverware that the majority of us will only dream about.

For now though, it is time for Brett to relax and reflect a little on his achievements thus far, before continuing his journey when he heads to Venezuela to play ball for a month or so and then possibly America or Japan for a stint in their leagues. We will certainly watch with interest and pride as we follow the journey of our own boy from Oz, who still very much has his focus set squarely on one day playing in the Majors. I reckon with Brett's dtermination and ability that'll be sooner rather than later. Good luck Brett.