Red, White & Trending: Aug. 10-16

What are Team USA athletes — Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls — up to when they're not competing? They're training. They're practicing. They're traveling to competitions and meets and games and tournaments. They're relaxing. They're getting engaged and married and having children. They're taking hard-earned vacations. Or retiring. Or coping with the raw emotions that come from losing and winning. And they're sharing. Through the reach of social media, we're able to follow along on their often extraordinary journeys. We'll catch you up each week on what's "Red, White & Trending."

Pool Haul

Before Team USA’s best swimmers took leave of Japan, where they made an indellible mark on the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships (to the tune of 20 gold medals, 14 silver medals and 11 bronze medals), they took one long last look around the energizing city.

Olympic legend Katie Ledecky also checked in with an extra day of work (and some fun) …

A few more highlights from a priceless trip …

Meanwhile, In Boston …

Thanks to Team USA’s most active social media mavens, we can, more than ever, count on keeping up to date on where to catch the athletes in competition before events are taking place. Look out, Boston …

Write Stuff

Team USA has another author — make that two — among its ranks. Congratulations are in order for two-time Olympian Kara Goucher, whose book tour rolled through the Mile High City this past week.

Four-time Olympian, silver medalist, New York City Marathon champion and New York Times bestselling author Shalane Flanagan, in the midst of the #bestdayever, is at it again, too …

Adventure Awaits

If you have a look at Olympic gold medalist swimmer Summer Sanders blog post, “Living Abroad: Living life on purpose,” what seems like a sudden move is years and years in the making. And if you need her and adventurous family for the next little bit, they have picked up stakes and are living life on purpose in Spain.

Hair Today …

Few #TransformationTuesdays cut this sort of swath through Team USA. For Olympic figure skater Jason Brown, the almost iconic long hair is a thing of the past. It even led to an appropriate updating of his Twitter bio: “Just a kid who loves to skate...and used to have a ponytail!”

Happy Anniversary

Famous now in her own new realms, Olympic judoka Ronda Rousey, who competed at the 2004 Athens Games and earned a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, looks back fondly on a few rewarding few weeks a decade ago.

Travel Bug

According to their flight hours, one could make a case that Team USA’s athletes are world travelers first and competitors second. We all know that not to truly be the case, but Rio modern pentathlete Nathan Schrimsher does a pretty good job of summing up just how comfortable he is on the road.

Family Friend

Man’s best friend becomes that much more important in the lives of those who trust them as service animals. In the case of Paralympic alpine skier Danelle Umstead, there was a scare this past week that, thankfully, resulted in some positive news.

He Skates, Too?

From watching the timelines of active social media poster, we know Olympic skier Daron Rahlves, who competed in three Games as an alpine skier and in Vancouver in skicross, is raising another generation of active kids. We’ve seen his son riding dirt bikes and trying his hand at Schwingen and waterskiing and back-flipping on a trampoline and hucking himself on skis, and he’s clearly been practicing on the skateboard. This past week, he took his budding talents to the skate park haven of Southern California.

Shades Of Glory

Speaking of the next generation, of course the daughter of tennis legend Serena Williams has style.

Upside Down

Three-time Olympic skeleton athlete John Daly flips for D.C., and he’s willing to risk his perfect hairdo in the process.

Sock Hops

Last week, it was a mesmerizing shuffle up the steps. This week, multi-sport Olympian Lolo Jones went truly viral with this new skill that reached more than 1.3 million views.

Downhill, Fast

No matter the season or the mode of transportation, two-time Paralympic snowboarding medalist Keith Gabel sure likes to go fast. How fast? Check out the video and go along for the ride as gravity takes hold.

Winter Wonderland

For some lucky members of Team USA, ’tis the season for skiing and snowboarding. These trips down the hill must be feeling extra special for Steven Nyman and Travis Ganong.

Just last week, Olympic snowboarding champion Jamie Anderson was double-back flipping in a bathing suit, which she has traded for some warmer gear.

Fellow Olympic snowboarding champion Chloe Kim has made the trade, too.

More from a land of unforgettable views …

Next up in New Zealand …