I think this was the first day when I woke up and actually felt rested and not in a fog. Imagine what a day of rest and a day just getting away will do! Women’s water polo was one of the teams there. Their coach was actually the water polo coach at UCLA while I was there. And, he was very good friends with my diving coach, and we were friends with all the water polo players, so I knew him quite well. I went up and gave him a hug and we caught up on life. I’ve seen him around other events throughout the year since he’s been the Team USA coach—for example, when he got the Coach of the Year award from the USOC after London Olympics (aka a very big deal: think about all Olympic coaches and he won… that’s how good he is, and how good our women’s Water Polo Team is).
Matt Biondi showed up today as the second Ambassador to conduct the program with us. No big deal with his stats: 8 Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 Bronze. And, like all the others, he is such a nice and friendly guy. What a treat it is to not only meet, but “work” (kinda) with these incredible athletes. Both Matt and Joey talked about moments and people that had inspired them while growing up. Matt talked about Mark Spitz and Summer Sanders, and Joey talked about Dan Jansen. Joey asked everyone to close their eyes for a second and just reflect back for a minute to that one Olympic/sport memory that sparked them. That made them in awe. That inspired them. And what propelled them to become who they are today, Olympians just like those that came before them. And now, these new athletes sitting in the room will be the individuals that the present-day ten year boy or girl sees on the TV in just a few days, inspiring the next generation. They are now the inspiration. It’s incredible to think about all of these athletes having a dream of the Olympics for so many years, and now, here it is front of them. All those years of hard work paying off on the biggest screen in the world for them to transcend into the history books.
Along with Women’s water polo, Men’s Rugby, and Fencing were also taking part of processing today. But, the real treat came later on in the night—going to watch Team USA basketball at an exhibition game right across the street! (They had already done the TUAP program a few weeks prior, that my boss attended, not me). We got tickets from their press officer because we were with the Ambassadors, but all USOC staff were hooked up with tickets anyway. And wow, the seats were incredible. Something is different about going to an NBA game versus watching Team USA. Team USA is the all-star cast (okay, okay, minus a few of the big all-stars) but they aren’t just in an all-start game; rather, they all working together on one team with a goal of the Gold. A Team so different than any NBA team working towards that Championship title. Here, they leave their professional lives behind and will share an experience with all the athletes from the all the other sports who never see glory like they do. Here, they are all on the same level. Here, a Gold is a Gold. It doesn’t matter if you are a Fencer or a Basketball player— they are all representing the USA on the same stage. The greatest stage there is: when the World comes together at the Olympic Games.
Day 12. 8.2.16
While turning off my phone alarm early in the morning, I
glanced at a calendar notification pop up on my screen: “Tomorrow. Sara departs
to Rio.” I knew it was coming of course, but it was still a shock seeing that.
I am finally almost on my way!!! And, I am very ready to be done with Houston.
Although it’s been great with the athletes, I’m ready for my next adventure. I
have always loved traveling internationally: exploring what other countries
have to offer, experiencing different cultures, seeing new sites, figuring out
my way around, and just seeing a new place.
(I didn't finish writing this as well, my apologies. But, this was the day when Venus and Serena were in the house! Crazy to see them and give them a presentation. Unfortuntaley, they weren't the most respectable people... acting like they were better than anyone else. Even Matt Biondi, and 8 time gold medalist, made a comment about how rude it was that they were just sitting there on their phone when we gave a presentation to just the tennis team, making it quite obvious. They couldn't even give him the time of day.)
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