Olympic Volleyball 2012: US Coach Hugh McCutcheon's 2008 Tragedy Is Inescapable

U.S. women's volleyball head coach Hugh McCutcheon will surely have some strong emotions to deal with as he and his team head to London for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

He and his family were the victims of a brutal and terrible tragedy at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, when his father-in-law, Todd Bachman, was stabbed to death by a Chinese man on the first day of those Olympics while touring Drum Tower (CNN)

McCutcheon took some time off to grieve with his family. He returned to coach the final five games for the men's volleyball team, and they won the gold medal.

McCutcheon is now in his third year as the head coach of the women's team, and while he has had time to mourn the loss of his father-in-law, these upcoming games in London are bound to open old wounds. 

Marcus R. Fuller of the Pioneer Press reports that McCutcheon doesn't want to talk about the past. He wants to move on and focus on winning gold with his team, which came home with the silver medal in 2008.

According to the report, USA volleyball CEO Doug Beal spoke on the subject:

"

The incident is going to be, at some point, on many people's minds again. It's hard to compartmentalize it and get rid of it. But frankly, time passes, and this is a different tournament, different Olympic Games, and I really don't expect it will have a significant impact on the team or its performance.

"

I respect his thoughts here, and I agree with the conclusion. That said, it isn't possible for McCutcheon or his team to not constantly have the tragedy in the back of their minds as the 2012 Games approach.

In one form or another, McCutcheon and his team will remember, and that's not a bad thing.

Follow @JesseReed78