From the Founder, September 2016
Just back from the Olympic Games in Rio and am so grateful for the experience. With all of the pre-Games hype, I wasn’t sure what to expect. My mom of course was worried about my safety, I had heard horror stories about transportation challenges, and for the first time in many years, I had purchased a bottle of DEET (actually Denege bought it for me).
As I’ve learned from past Olympics, you can’t believe the hype. Yes, I was cautious (and thanks, UBER for taking good care of me!) Yes, the transportation was a beast… we spent hours each day en route to venues and then had to walk miles once we were dropped off. And yes, there were a few mosquitoes around.
But it was all worth it. Rio is a beautiful city and the people are warm and generous. I only wish I could have spent more time exploring… I missed my chance to go out dancing so I’ll have to go back. And like with most Olympics, the city falls to the background because the athletes, sports and stories of the Games are the focus.
One of the things that everyone loves about the Olympics is the unexpected breakthrough moments… athletes who weren’t favored to win and end up clinching the gold… What becomes clear is that for every one of these stories, the athlete favored to win the gold did not… The ups and downs of the Olympics are constant – so much emotion, so many tears both of joy and pain. We experienced one of these stories first-hand.
We were there supporting the amazing Adeline Gray who was on a mission to be the first ever gold medalist in wrestling for the US. While her Olympic dream did not come true in Rio, Adeline remains a champion and an inspiration for all of us.
Most of our time in Rio was spent connecting with new Olympic friends and reconnecting with people we’ve known for many years. This event brings together a passionate, motivated and importantly NICE group of people and it was an enormous treat seeing everyone. And, since once again I went in to the Olympics feeling overwhelmed and had no credentials or access, I felt incredibly grateful for all of the people that educated us, hosted us and included us.
While I didn’t come back from Rio with Zika, I still have the Olympic bug 🙂
xx Amy