Friday I had the privilege to see Michael Phelps win his 6th gold medal of the Beijing Games. It was my first opportunity to get inside the Water Cube - you can check out the video below that I made as I walked in for the first time.
Seeing Phelps win the 200m IM was pretty surreal. Without the benefit of Rowdy Gaines' commentary, it really is just a quick swim - and it's over before you know it. I was looking forward to this event for days and then after like, 120 seconds it was done! Our seats were great - about 20 rows up right above the side of the pool where the swimmers finished. 
At the event we sat behind a row of families who were at the Olympics for a week with Make a Wish Foundation. The "wish" that all of these kids had was to attend the Olympics in Beijing. I caught up with Ryan from Fort Meyers:
We talked a lot with Ryan and his family about all of the great events they were attending, the side trips that were organized for them, and the hospitality and attention they were shown by all of the Olympic sponsors that work together to make their week special.
The Olympics, especially in America, have a real tendency to get commercialized. You see someone like Phelps winning medal and after medal, or the Men's basketball team guarantying gold - and while it's an amazing sporting feat - there is a certain amount of celebrity, hype and cash around the Games. Being at the Olympics myself and then talking to some of these kids from Make a Wish really reinforced something you can lose sight of when you're on your couch at home screaming for more gold medals - the spirit of the Games.
Now some of you might stop reading right now as we cue the cheesy music - but it's really true. The Olympics is about the athletes - ALL of them. From the rock stars, to the Cinderella stories like Abhinav Bindra who won India's first individal gold ever, to the javelin thrower I met from Seychelles, to my new friend Mannie a cyclist from Namibia. It's also about the fans. The people that come to the Olympics from all over the world to see the finest athletes compete, make new friends from far off places, and become a part of something that is bigger, older and more enduring than all of us. And no matter how you take part in it - from home, from the stands, or on the Olympic stage - it's something special.
You're doing a great job, Kaitlyn. This is fun stuff.
Posted by: Jetpacks | August 16, 2008 at 07:24 AM
Great series of posts Kaitlyn, it's great to hear about all the awesome opportunities you guys are having there.
It's even funnier to associate the names with the hardware - "Mannie, oh yeah, he was the one who we thought was German and had to ship his laptop from Germany to Namibia..." :D
Posted by: Tim | August 17, 2008 at 02:07 PM
@jetpacks - first non snark comment! Gold meal for you. ;)
@Tim - sorry you're not here. It's really been great to get up close and personal with this project and put all the faces to the emails! From Mannie to Sheji!
Posted by: Catch Up Lady | August 21, 2008 at 03:38 PM