Hi,  I'm Kevin Rivers from Landover, MD, coming by way of the Headbangers boxing gym of Washington DC and Coach Barry Hunter. I'm representing the USA at the U-19 Youth World Championships at the 125 pound featherweight division.

I'm here to tell you about my experience of being selected to represent our country. The experience is great. When you have the chance to compete on this level, it lets you know that all your life, all of the goals you have been looking forward to accomplishing are finally paying off.

At the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center, it's great. The athletes are treated well, it's a very nice place to be because its not like you're at home were you see the same stuff everyday. The people are very friendly, it's like being at home with your family and friends. You see beautiful scenery and the mountains, the food is well, and the workout areas are great. The place is basically designed for the average athlete.

I have to admit the training is a bit challenging due to the fact of the altitude, and at times it could be very hard to breathe and train at the same time. My first day of workout was a whole new different learning experience from what I knew. What I have noticed is that in some workouts we completed exercises you see in other sports such as track and field runners, football players, and basketball players. It's great because you get a whole variety of things you have never done before, and its good to have learned them because you can add that to what you have already knew and that would help to become a better conditioned fighter because you would be in better shape.

We completed many different exercises focusing on our agility, strength, stamina, such as several different types of sprints, different leg exercises, and many stretches.  We worked on our abs, and that was only the conditioning part of our workout, and believe you me when I woke up I felt the pain, in my legs, arms, my butt, and not just me all the athletes felt the same. I believe we worked out twice a day, with one conditioning and the other the workout like at home.

Our day was like this: we wake up about six in the morning, ate a little breakfast just enough to get some energy and you have something to burn off on, and then we worked out at eight. Following our workout ,we had meetings where we had a sports psychologist come in and teach us how to become mentally and physically prepared for a fight, or the USADA meeting were they tell us about what kind of medicine are prohibited during competitions, or just in general. Then after that we had group meetings, and of course we had time to eat, play games, get on the myspace or do college work or school work.  There is an athletes' lounge were we can shoot pool, or just hang out. I love being in Colorado Springs because its gives you the opportunity to meet new people, and different athletes from different sports, and I'm talking the best athletes from around the whole country. I'm looking forward not just me, but our whole team to do excellent in Mexico, and prayerfully we all bring back GOLD MEDALS.