8.3.16. My last day in Houston. Finally.

It has become like groundhog day. Getting up and doing the same thing day after day, giving the same presentation at the same time (well, sometimes two times a day), eating the same sort of stuff in the buffet, etc. Yes, we’ve gone out and explored some. Yes, we’ve got to meet amazing Olympians (past and present). This has all been wonderful, but I was so ready to get out of there and start my real adventure to the Olympics. I was sick of Houston. I don’t want to talk bad about it—it was a great experience in its own, it’s just… how do you compare Houston to Rio?

 During the presentation, Matt Biondi spoke about the first Olympic team he had made. He had made the Trials, but actually wasn’t planning on attending (note: swimming Trials this year had nearly 1000 participants, and only a little over 40 made the team, so just because someone makes the Trials doesn’t mean that they have an incredible chance at making the team). Matt’s coach encouraged him to attend the Trials for experience, so he did. And then, during the semi’s, he had cut off 2-3 seconds from his fastest time (a huge feat) and made the finals in the 100m freestyle. He was in lane 7, and the fastest guy in the world (at that time) was in lane 6. Matt couldn’t see the rest of the field so just chased down the fastest guy as much as he could. Despite Matt taking the lead during one stretch, he ended up in 4th—which wasn’t good enough to make the individual event, but good enough for the relay! He explained how shocking it was, and then, how he knew nothing about what to expect. He’d never interacted with media before, he’d never been on this type of stage before, he was just so green. He took it as an opportunity to watch and learn all the veterans (well, he did get a medal at those games, but it was still his “learning” Games, if that is even possible). Well, that’s how I felt. I’ve never been to a Summer Olympic Games to work (yes, I went to Atlanta to watch the Games when I was 12, but that is so different). So, I am going to follow Matt’s style – I have no clue what to expect, what my days will be like, what traffic/security/water/etc will be like, what work tasks I will be thrown into, what I’m supposed to help with, or what Rio will be like. But, I will watch others, follow their lead, learn from them, and take it all in.

 I took the bus with the athletes to the airport. Since this was the last day, this was the biggest day of athletes headed out. Two full buses headed out with a police escort to the airport. Upon arrival, an entire crew of media were outside, videoing and asking questions to athletes immediately. I tried to put my head down and walk through it as quickly as possible so I wouldn’t be mistaken for an Olympian. There is no way that I would ever pretend that I was one of them (like some people say I should just do). These are the athletes that have worked so hard their entire lives for this, and they are the ones that have earned that title, and I will make sure that they get 100% of the attention that they deserve.

 We had a special United desk with 8 dedicated kiosks just for the Olympic team. Then, there was an escort into a private lounge. And then-- a send-off party in the airport! Next to the Gate, there was a live band, a whole archway of balloons, and a pathway lined by people and media waiving the American flags. We got to board before everyone else to ensure overhead space. Wow, although I am just here supporting, I have never seen an airport send-off quite like that. I fell asleep immediately on our 10 hour flight to Rio.