No other Texas Longhorn has ever been as beloved in Oklahoma than Cat Osterman.
Probably has something to do with the fact that the softball pitcher turned in her burnt orange for red, white and blue. Osterman is set to be the ace for Team USA at the Olympics next month.
What’s she like away from the field?
Check out the uncut version of The Q&A with Osterman:
Jenni Carlson: You’re an Olympic veteran this time around. What are these last few weeks like before the Games?
Cat Osterman: We’re definitely in countdown mode. We’re kind of excited because we’re getting ready to go over there, and at the same time, we excited because the tour is coming to a close and we know we’re in the last few weeks of preparation. We’re definitely counting down the days and ready to get over there and start playing. Obviously, the only thing we’re preparing for is being ready to play over in China.
JC: You’ve played a ton of international games. Do you still get butterflies?
CO: Any time you’re in a big game, the nerves and the juices get flowing. It doesn’t matter how confident you are; you’re just excited because you’re in that atmosphere again. We don’t get put in that this-game-means-so-much type competitive atmosphere that you get in college day in and day out. You play conference. You play postseason. That juice is there all the time. For us, once a summer, we get to play for a title, so definitely, the juices and nerves get flowing.
JC: You guys don’t open play until a few days into the Games. Does that mean you get to go to the opening ceremonies?
CO: Yes, we do get to go to opening ceremonies this time.
JC: So, this will be the first one?
CO: We’re all really excited about that.
JC: Was that a bummer in ’04?
CO: It was a little disappointing because they’re made such a big deal, but we all kind of understood. Coach put it out there and we all talked about it a little bit. It ended up, they didn’t get back until 4 in the morning, and we had to leave at 9:30 to head to the field, so it worked out better. We knew that playing is our first-and-foremost job there. We all kind of focused on that and took it in stride. But it was still a little bit of a bummer because it’s such a big deal.
JC: Have you gotten the opening ceremonies garb yet?
CO: We don’t get that until we go through processing Aug. 2 and 3.
JC: You’re an avid picture taker, so is opening ceremonies going to max out your camera?
CO: I hope so. Sometimes they don’t let us carry cameras, but I’m going to carry everything I can to try to snap as many pictures as we can possibly get.
JC: What off-field memories are most vivid for you from four years ago?
CO: Obviously after winning, we did the Sports Illustrated photo shoot. We went and changed back into the uniform. We were out there for awhile. Then, the celebration that night. Our families all met us at … they called it the Nike House, but it was just a place where teams went and celebrated. We got to see our families there and hang out with each other and just kind of let loose finally. That was the best part. But the village is fun, too. You see a bunch of different athletes from a bunch of different countries, and you mingle and end up making friends.
JC: True or false — the Olympic village is like a 24-hour party.
CO: There’s a part of where they have a disco or a club. But the whole thing as a whole, no. The streets aren’t going crazy every night. There are quiet hours.
JC: I guess there is the issue of having to go compete.
CO: Yeah.
JC: You mention that interaction with other athletes. Anyone leave you star struck in Athens?
CO: The biggest thing was I got to meet a lot of Texasathletes. Like Aaron Piersol, I had never met him. We literally met clear across the world in Athens for the first time. We also met Andy Roddick. He also has a house in
JC: I actually heard from several athletes that they interacted with Roddick in Athens. Was he just everywhere?
CO: Unlike some other tennis athletes, he stayed in the village, so I think that’s where a lot of people saw him. And he didn’t stay in his room. He went out and interacted. He was out and enjoying it.
JC: Anybody you’re hoping to meet this time around?
CO: Hopefully, we see some of the NBA guys or even some of the baseball players. We just kind of take it as we go.
JC: You have a great memory of hitters. What you’ve thrown them. What they’ve done against you. How do you do that?
CO: Honestly, I don’t know if it’s from my dad. He remembers everything down to the specific. He remembers as many games and hitters as I do, I think. Just growing up, I loved what I did and I always paid attention to minor details. I still do. So, yeah, I’m like a card catalog of games and hitters and everything else. I think it just comes from wanting to learn more and wanting to be able to improve.
JC: I know you’re big into technology. Haven’t you even called yourself a computer nerd?
CO: Uh, huh. I’m on the computer all the time. I’ve got a PDA and cell phone, so I can be in touch with e-mail and everything all the time. That’s me.
JC: Is that a release or a necessity?
CO: It’s more that my family is that way. People laugh, but my family communicates on AOL instant messenger. If I need something, a lot of times I can sign on and I know my mom and dad are online.
JC: Did your parents ever have that moment where they passed out from the cell phone bill?
CO: No, I was paying my own phone bill by the time I was a text-a-holic.
JC: You were talking about family a minute ago. You’ve got two younger brothers. What do they make of you?
CO: They’re both extremely supportive and extremely proud. The youngest one, he grasps it a little better now. When he was really little … someone was talking about what they were doing and said they saw someone famous. And my brother’s like, “Oh, yeah, well, my sister’s famous.” I’m like, “You don’t say things like that, buddy.” He just knew that I played on TV and we go to games and people ask for autographs. The older of the two told me his girlfriend is scared of me. She’s intimidated of me, and I don’t know why because I’ve always been nice to her. She’s a tennis player. He’s like, “She’s just intimidated because you’re this really good female athlete.” I was like, “That’s your problem, not mine. I don’t know what to do.”
JC: Do you get to be the big sister and go to their events much?
CO: I haven’t got to do it as much as I’d like. The younger one, I’ve been to some of his baseball games. The older of the two, I went to some of his swim meets. Hopefully, I’m hoping this next fall I can get out to some of his swim meets before he’s done.
JC: So, you’re living in
CO: Austin is definitely where my heart is. I think I could definitely live somewhere around there just because it’s kind of got a little bit of everything. It’s a city, but it’s at the country. Where I grew up in Houston was kind of out in the suburbs. Chicago sometimes is a little bit overwhelming as far as being a big city. I don’t know if I’m a big-city girl forever. Especially in the winters, it’s not my favorite.