The media frenzy surrounding Olympians Phil Dalhausser, Todd Rogers, Kerri Walsh, Misty May-Treanor, Elaine Youngs, Nicole Branagh, Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal has been building up for some time now.

All of the Olympic hype is something Walsh, May-Treanor, and Youngs have experienced before, as Beijing marks their third Olympics. However, the rest of the crew is new to it all.

I spoke with greenhorns Rogers and Dalhausser to find out a little more about what was going through their heads in these penultimate weeks prior to the Games.

As our conversation began, it was evident that these guys were getting a little jaded with all the Olympic-related questions. So, I decided to ask a few questions that were different than the ones they get asked 10 times a day.

I started with asking them what aspect of the Olympic experience they were most looking forward to and they both answered that they'd heard that the opening ceremonies were the best part. "Other than that," Rogers said, "playing will be the most exciting thing. We get to play in front of the largest crowd we've ever been in front of as well as on national -- no, international -- TV!"

Neither of them had been to Beijing, so they're going to try to escape for some sight-seeing. "If I have time, I'd like to see Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall. I enjoy reading about and then getting to see historical stuff like that. The Wall is just mind blowing to me when I think about how it was built and how long it's lasted," answered Rogers."

Dalhausser wasn't as interested in the sights of Beijing as he was in catching some of the other competitions. "I really want to see the track and field events, especially the sprints."

Once the guys arrive, it's probably safe to assume that they won't blend in very well. At 6'9" and 6'1", Dalhausser and Rogers are well above the country's 5'6" average height. "I think Phil will stick out most -- he's big and bald," explained Rogers.

Besides their appearances, their language will also set them apart from the general population. "I don't speak a word of Mandarin and I don't think I'll learn any ahead of time. I'll just depend on [group leader] Al Lau, because he speaks the language," said Dalhausser.

When traveling to a new country it is expected that you'll encounter dishes that you've never heard of before. Would they be trying anything new? "I think Todd will be the first one to try something weird," said Dalhausser. "He's adventurous like that."

Rodgers confirmed the guess and said that he would try anything after competition was over. "I'm not very squeamish. The only thing that would freak me out is if they served up a human thigh," he said.

For my last question, I wondered what they wanted to bring home as a souvenir from Beijing. Both quickly replied "a gold medal!" I had to hand it to them -- that was the perfect answer, and on August 22, they'll have a chance to procure that rare item.