A Chinese soldier looks through coin binoculars as Tampa wind surfer Ben Barger sails past during practice in Qingdao

All of Tampa Bay’s local Olympians appear to be safe and sound in China.

Track athlete Calvin Smith II, 20, of Tampa walked in Opening Ceremonies last night and even got on TV a couple of times. That’s because he happened to be walking near Tyson Gay and Jeremy Wariner, whom the cameras were gravitating towards during the NBC broadcast. His dad says that was Calvin’s plan to be seen. Pretty smart for the youngest member of the men’s track team.

The area’s other track Olympian, Damu Cherry, 30, of Tampa, decided to skip the Opening Ceremony in order to get settled into a training pattern. She joined the U.S. track team members who have made a base in Dalian, about an hour’s flight away from Beijing. (read her blog here on TBO: http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/sports/related/C917/).

Sailors Ben Barger (sailboarding) of Tampa and Zach Railey (Finn class) of Clearwater have been based in Qingdao, about 450 miles southeast of Beijing, where the sailing competition will be held.

Diver Chris Colwill has been in Beijing with the U.S. squad for about a week now, practicing at the picturesque Water Cube in the Olympic Green. His parents, Chuck and Debbie Colwill, left Tampa today to watch him compete in 3-meter individual springboard and 3-meter synchro with Jevon Tarantino.

Wesley Chapel’s Mike and Bob Bryan, who last week won the doubles final at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters tournament in Cincinnati, have arrived, as has Saddlebrook’s James Blake, who was ousted from the Cincinnati tourney by a 19-year-old Latvian before the quarterfinals.