Sara In Rio: Thursday, August 18, 2016. Diving and Dutch House.

Earlier in the week, I had decided that this day would be the day that I would take off. That I would shut off my alarm, sleep in, run on the beach when I wanted, lay out on the beach, shop, and go watch the women’s 10m diving event that I had tickets to.

Well, that didn’t really happen as planned.

Before I had gone to bed the night before, I realized that I would have to go in. That I couldn’t take the day off. There were just many issues going on and I really wanted to still go to the diving event at 4pm, so I would have to forgo my dream of not setting an alarm for another day. I still woke up early for my run, yet I dragged through it. This was a morning where I could have used that extra hour.

I went into work, but then I left around 1:30pm so I could make it the women’s 10m diving finals! Our U.S. was in 2^nd place going in. However, the scores would be wiped and everyone would start the finals from zero. Giving everyone an opportunity to medal. Honestly, any of those top 12 divers had the chance on any given day. Diving is a sport where a fraction of a second could affect an entire dive, putting someone out of the medals in an instant. Yeah, we all knew that a Chinese diver would probably get the gold, but the opportunity for a medal, any medal, still existed for anyone to achieve. First, my friend/co-worker Jayme was going to go with me, but she had to be “on-call” that day and couldn’t make it (completely understandable here). So, friend/co-worker Rachel had meetings around the Olympic Park and wanted to meet up for it. However, I didn’t really hear from her that day to confirm, but I kept the ticket for just in case since I had offered it to her. No-one else was really available anyways, but I wasn’t really asking around much. So, I would just go up there alone and meet up with Rachel, or just go up there alone and go by myself. Which I was more than happy to do, and actually excited to do.

I took the subway and the bus (following a million other people doing the same thing, going the same place) to the Olympic Park. Walking into the Olympic Park, you felt the work that the city had put into it. At least 8 stadiums were in front of me, all enclosed through the security entrance. I looked at the large apartment buildings surrounding the Park, and thought about how many homes they had to bulldoze and how many families they had to displace to make these stadiums…

The subway was built for the Olympics, and the line I took was exclusive to those people going to the venues. It was required to have a ticket to an event to ride that line of the subway. It was brand new, fresh, and clean. A breath of fresh air walking down the stairs versus the stale, trash-filled stench of the other subway lines I have ridden in. Once off the quick subway, the bus was easy to find: follow the crowd. Everyone from the subway was going to the event (since that was required), so we all had to go the same place. The bus ride was longer, but we got there quick enough. Probably just an hour, which isn’t too bad. You use your ticket to the event to get into the entire Park, and then find your respective stadium. I went into the “megastore” and yes, drank a beer. Rachel texted about 30 minutes before the event that she couldn’t go, and I was totally fine with that. I really am very fine being alone, and actually welcomed it that day. And, I really do feel safe here, no matter what the media portrays.

I got into the diving stadium just about 15 minutes before it started. Although my ticket was expensive-ish (for a diving meet that is), I had a terrible seat. And the stadium was quite empty, which was such a heartbreaking disappointment. This is the Olympics and the finals of the women’s 10m diving event. A prime event for the Olympics. And yet, it was probably only 50% filled max (and that is the count at the end of the event, not at the beginning when there was only like 30% of the seats taken). I walked over to a better section and just sat in an open seat with a much better view. I would leave if I was kicked out, but I thought there was no harm in trying. And, in fact, I got to stay there the entire time.

Women’s 10m diving probably wouldn’t have been my first event to see. I would have liked to watch springboard, or the men’s 10m, but believe me, I am not trying to sound picky here. It was an incredible treat to be there and watching this final!!! Diving was my life for so many years and just feeling like I had even a part of the sport made it even that much more special. Although 10m was not my favorite, nor was I the best at it, I still did it. It was fun watching some of them still do the dives that I had done back in the day. It’s been 10 years however, so these young girls are doing much harder dives these days, which I was thoroughly impressed with. They were doing dives that the guys wouldn’t even do 10 years ago. Incredible.

Our U.S. girl hit her first dive for 9s, 9.5s. Incredibly beautiful diving, and she looked "on." She had the third best dive of round 1. Same with round 2. And then, unfortunately, she came out a little early on her inward 3 ½ tuck, getting 4.5, 5s and dropped down to 10^th. She missed her next dive, and dropped to 11^th. You can’t do that on this stage and medal. It’s just not possible. She ended up 10^th. The Chinese secured the top 2 spots, and that’s because they were spot on. Just in another league. I couldn’t even believe our U.S. girl had been 2^nd after the semifinals and competed with them. Our U.S. girl wasn’t expected to medal, but it’s the Olympics and you never know what can happen. She fell short that day, but I guarantee that Jessica will back. She is young and still has a huge future in front of her. I clapped with pride after her last dive.

I got back from the event, tired once again (I’m always on the go…). However, one of my co-workers had invited me to go with her and some other people to the Dutch House. Every nation has their own “house” (like I have talked about with the USA House), and I had heard sooooo many great things about the Dutch “Heineken” House. It was one thing that I really wanted to do while here. I had a minute to debate that decision, but decided that I had to go. I only had a couple more nights here, I had to enjoy it, or at least experience it. Wow, the Dutch House did not disappoint! There was a huge huge huge screen TV over a gorgeous swimming people (that guests could utilize during the sunshine hours). There was Heineken being served everywhere, and different food stations. A huge dance floor, that was set up with a party when their medals were introduced (on the nights they won medals). Everyone was just having fun. Light-hearted. Not uppty (like others Houses might be). Only 45 EURO to get in (although it was free for us that night). It was a place that you could go all day if you wanted a fun day off, in Brazil.

We didn’t really partake in all that we could have there, but it was worth it to see. We ubered home (our main mode of transportation here expect for when we go to work with a ride arranged just for that). Once again a late night, but once again, memories made.