Not the Torch Relay Photo I was hoping to see! This is in SF. Unbelievable.Like most people, I am a huge fan of the Olympic spirit, I love how the world comes together every four years to celebrate athletic accomplishment, the blending of cultures, and all that. I was especially excited as a senior in High School- when I was nominated by our very large inner-city's FOOTBALL coach (no, I did not even play football...) to be a torch bearer for the Summer Games of 1996. I traveled with my mom, dad, lil bro, and good friend from our home in Oakland that morning, to my track meet in Sacramento that afternoon, then to Redding, CA for my big torch moment at 1 am! It was a small town, I didn't know anybody but the few that traveled with me- but the spirit of the Olympics was so strong, I will never forget all the cheers from hundreds of wonderful strangers who surrounded me as I ran through the crowd, up the stairs of the train, and lit the huge cauldron as it dropped down. We all waved good-bye as the train headed south to it's next destination, and we were all unified in that moment, in the middle of that hot night in May.
I have been watching with anticipation as the big torch relay has been set to take place in San Francisco today. I was in Oakland, just across the Bay, this weekend- and since Kylee is on spring break, I thought how great it would be to stay in town for a few more days and show my kids this history that I had been lucky to be a part of. But, for the safety of my family, I didn't give it a second thought. Back home, we don't have live coverage of what has been taking place in San Fran today. Through some web video, and my mom in the Bay, I've heard that thankfully, things have been relatively peaceful. The SF police and Olympic officials didn't want to take any chances after what had happened with protesters at Paris and London's relay's this year, and stealthfully changed the course of the torch at the last minute. This was the smartest choice to keep the peace, but I can't imagine how dissapointed the thousands of on-lookers must have been. I just can't help but think about those torch bearers, who just are good people who wanted to be a part of Olympic history- and how their own families couldn't even get a snapshot of them because of the circumstances of these Olympic Games. My Olympic experience seems like a make-believe fairytale compared to what these runners and Olympic supporters experienced today. I don't feel like much time has gone by since I carried the flame, but I sure do feel like we live in a whole different world. I hope one day I'll be able to share the joys of the Olympic spirit with my children, today- that is just not the case.
1 comment:
I too remember watching that night you ran through Redding. Little did we know you would become part of our family. I was watching the news this morning and a man was upset for the same reason you are. He wanted to share the experience with his child, but they changed the route and they missed it. We are in a diffrent time now, I hate to see what our children will have to witness.
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