Spokane rower holding onto Olympic dream |

When the opening ceremonies of the London Olympics get underway Thursday night, a Spokane woman will be among the masses. Jamie Redman won't be in the stands, she'll be on the field with the rest of Team USA.

Redman, who graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 2004, has been training with the US National Rowing team. How good is she? Well, she was in a boat that broke a world record at the Samsung World Rowing Cup earlier this summer. She's been training for years, all leading up to the London Olympics. It was her chance to live her dream - and, she came up short.

"We were strong, we were ready, we were in the best shape our lives," Jamie wrote on her blog, about her last chance to make the team. "All we had to do was win… and we lost."

But, Jamie's Olympic dream was not over. She was chosen to join the team in London as a "spare." That means she could end up in any boat during the games if one of her teammates cannot compete.

"The last few weeks were a bit bittersweet," Jamie wrote me in an email late last week. "I really really wanted to be in the boat-- but I'm still so happy and honored that I can still represent Team USA, albeit from the sidelines."

She also points out that anything can happen.

"In the '92 Olympics, the Canadian alternate won TWO gold medals. There's always a chance."

Jamie is blogging about her adventures - you can read it here. Also, Jamie learned to row as part of the Spokane River Rowing Association, a club I'm rowing with now. She may be back in the boat with us this fall and I hope to share more of her story with you then.

Until then, congrats to Jamie on representing Team USA! We look forward to seeing her back on her "home river" this fall.