Opening Ceremonies

Man oh man. I can’t tell you how awesome the whole evening was. It was long and my feet and legs felt like a full days work - that’s 5 hours for me - at the Home Depot. We got all spiffed up like high schools boys before prom and headed to the fencing hall to meet the President of the United States. That’s right. George W Bush and George Bush both showed up to wish us luck, shake hands, and snap a few photos. As I shook the President’s hand, he wished me luck. Regardless of whatever, I think he does the best he can under the circumstances he’s in. I really do admire that he took the time to shake all our hands, and his wife as well.

And so while people were getting picks with the Bush’s, I took the opportunity to get a couple of photos with NBA superstars. I really only wanted to get pictures with fellow Clevelander LeBron James and fellow Utahns Carlos Boozer and Williams. I rarely watch basketball, but those are the guys I cheer for. Kobe Bryant and Carmello Anthony were bonuses I suppose. When I came up to LeBron I told him I was from Broadview Heights, Ohio, and we’d shared a couple photos on the sports section of the Plain Dealer, Northeast Ohio’s largest newspaper. Obviously, as my mother put it, LeBron’s picture was little bigger than mine. But he seemed enthusiastic about me being a fellow Clevelander and was happy to jump in a photo with me.

And I came up to Williams and told him I was from Utah as well and he asked what sport and event. When I told him the steeplechase he said, “I was just watching that on TV the other day. That’s a crazy event. So tell me, do you try to clear the water?” And then he asked, “So why the water?” I said just to make it tougher I guess. So he called Boozer over and I got one with both of them. You know the little kid on the tricycle who watches Mr.Incredible lift the car off the ground. “That was awesome!” That’s how I felt.

I also got some prized photos with most of the distance guys from the 800m to the marathon. That’s a picture I will really cherish in the years to come. The Olympic distance team of 2008.

So they filed us out into the streets and into the gymnastics arena. There they had sacked lunches for us. I left the wasabi peas trail mix and kept the banana and Snickers. But I do love wasabi peas.

In the arena we sat, did the wave, and talked to the Norwegian team while we waited for our turn to enter the queue to walk. One was a fencer and recent law grad. The others were older gentlemen who did show jumping. There’s four guys per team and they show jump horses. Our conversation got kicked off when I told them that my father-in-law lived there for 2 years as a Mormon missionary. I shared with them the Christmas tradition my in-laws have of making a rice pudding with this red cherry sauce. Hidden in the pudding is a nut and whoever finds it gets candy bar. My father-in-law brought this tradition from Norway and these Norwegian Olympians know the tradition well. It was fun asking them some great places to visit in Europe.

USA was #140 in line to enter the stadium. We left the comforts of the AC and began the long slow winding walk to the stadium. It was probably an hour before we even got to the tunnel. Leo, Lindsey, and I made sure we were next to each other which is no small task when everyone is trying to get to the front or be next to a buddy. When we got to the tunnel, you could just see a section of seats. They were full.

It had already been about 5 hours and 5 water bottles since we’d started our journey. It was so hot and humid. Wearing a Ralph Lauren suit and tie and cap isn’t exactly the dry fit or bio cool action you’re used to in such conditions, but it didn’t matter because everyone was just soaking it up…the excitement that is. The clothes were soaking up the sweat which made for an international potpourri of BO. Just letting you get an idea of the senses.

Just before we came out onto the track, we began cheering, “U S A.” Great pride filled each of us I’m sure and my highlight of the night was coming out from under the tunnel and looking into the stadium. Every seat was full. People were all on their feet cheering, waving flags, calling out country names or people, and just having a great time. You have to take a 360 took really soak it in. Actually, you have to do a 720 while looking up and down to soak it all in. There’s just so much going on. As you walk, you see the American flag up in the stands and clusters of your fellow countrymen. It fills your heart with this feeling of, “That’s my country, and I’m here representing it!” I and others would point to those clusters of Americans and give them a thumbs up to let them know we appreciate their support. We continued around the track and then were corralled into the infield.

Everyone pulled out their cameras and started going crazy wild with the number of pictures they were taking. I told myself this happens only once every 4 years, and for many, once in a lifetime. So I got as many pics as possible too. I took some with the Thai boxers and the Cambodian marathoner. We had lots of time before anything was gonna happen so we did some funny shots.

By this time everyone had taken off their jackets and it really was a sauna down there. The raising of the flag was cool, but the 2^nd highlight was the lighting of the torch.

The guy gets lifted up by a cord and then you think he is just going to float over to the torch and light. Of course not! Instead he gets tilted somehow and starts running around the outside wall of the stadium. It really looks like he’s running perpendicular to the wall and just hauling. I admire the guy. He had to be at least 60 years old and he was at least 200 feet above the ground running smooth. The Visa slogan is “Amazing Awaits,” but it started during those opening ceremonies.

It was particularly sweet for us track runners because in a few days we will be in that same stadium in front of that many people competing. It definitely helps settle the nerves but gets you anxious at the same time.

It was just so thrilling to be in there. What a spectacle!

While we filed out, Jackie Chan and some other performers came out to keep the audience entertained while we made our way to the shuttles.

Lindsey and I tried to meet with Amanda Butterfield, a news reporter from KSL out of Salt Lake, but we would’ve had to part the Red Sea of people or try like Simba to make it through wildebeest stampede. I told her sorry but we still needed to catch a shuttle back to the village and it was already 1:00AM. What a coincidence that we ran into Tom Kirkland from KSL just before we hopped on the bus. He and his cameraman looked like they had just run the marathon while trying to play hide and seek…which is probably the case. They were relieved to find us. So we gave them our scoop and feelings on it all which probably weren’t sufficient enough to describe it all.

The Olympic Village is about 2 miles from the National Stadium, but it took us 30 minutes since the line of buses took the whole 2 miles. And if we thought it was hot, muggy, and stinky before. Those buses were like…well, I’m at a loss for words. We were standing the whole time, barely moving, and I kept checking to make sure that the smell wasn’t coming from me. Deodorant is a luxury that I currently appreciate a little more now.

As soon as I got back to my dorm room, I took a shower, ate a granola bar and banana, and hit the hay. Well I did download my pictures onto my laptop and admired some of the famous people I “hung” with. What a day! The President of the USA. The Dream Team. Opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics. I’m not gonna lie, I like being me.

*No pictures are permitted on personal blogs or websites from inside the stadium until some thing like 5 days after the conclusion of the Olympics. So sorry. No gnarly pictures but hopefully these can hold you over.