Students share their olympic experiences

Over the summer, several Trinity students had the chance to witness the 2012 Olympics in action. Between coordinating events with the United States Olympic Commitee, training right alongside Olympians and witnessing the Olympic greatness live in London, these students discuss their unforgettable experiences and the memories they will never forget.

Phillip Hiner- Leamon, Senior

What was your favorite part of working with the U.S. Olympic Committee last summer?
“I’d say being able to learn about the Olympic vision through the Olympians’ and Paralympian’s eyes. And being right next to them and seeing how they work to get to the next Olympics.”

What was the experience like?
“Busy, to say more than anything. We started our days at 5 a.m. and went to midnight. We did activities such as listen to inspirational speakers, and were able to participate in Paralympic sports and uncommon Olympic sports as well as be able to work out alongside some of the athletes. I went into the weight room in the morning and worked out with boxers — which was very hard. But overall it was a great experience, and I learned a lot.”

What kind of interaction did you have with athletes/media/etc. from being there?
“With the athletes, we were able to eat all our meals with the athletes and were able to work out and participate with them in their sports. We were in the training center, that’s what we did, so it almost felt like we were one of the athletes ourselves.”

If you could compete in any Olympic sport, what would it be and why?
“Track & field, sprints, 100-meter dash. I think it’s one of the most popular summer Olympic sports; it’s on the biggest stage and you only get one shot. Everyone’s watching you. Also, I sure wouldn’t mind being the fastest man in the world.”

What was it like to see all of the different athletes training there?
“It was sort of strange, to say the least. You have guys that are 6’3” and 300 lbs. that are wrestling, and then you have these tiny 16-year-old girls that are trying to achieve the same goals. It’s eye-opening once you see in person how Olympians and Paralympians come in all shapes and sizes.”

Madison Kahler, Senior

What was your favorite part of the Olympics?
“I would say the atmosphere; just all the heightened excitement and anticipation — you could feel that not only from the crowd, but the athletes. You could just feel the nerves and the anticipation before they competed — it was really awesome.”

Which sports were you able to attend?
“Weightlifting and men’s soccer — it was so hard to get tickets, so anything was worth it.”

What was your favorite event?
“I think for me, surprisingly, it was the weightlifting because in weightlifting, the Olympics is  everything you compete for. For soccer, it’s the World Cup that’s more prestigious. So for weight, this was their moment and they had nothing but that moment, so when they went up there it was a lot more passionate.”

Did anything happen that you didn’t expect?
“I was in England all summer, so it was really cool because when I went to weightlifting I saw a British athlete, and it was really cool seeing the home crowd cheering for this one female weightlifter. I was also there when we went to double overtime for soccer so it was really cool to stay for a long time.”

If you could have met any Olympic athlete, who would it be and why?
“Tom Daley, a British diver. My reason —because the British are obsessed with him and he is really sexy!”

How was the experience of the Olympics different from being in the U.S.?
“One thing was watching the Olympics from outside the USA made you so much more proud to be an American because the way they showed the Olympics was so different. I came home so patriotic, because nothing compares to the U.S. when you’re watching it. In Britain it’s nowhere near the same as watching it in the U.S.”

Brianna Tammaro, Senior

What was your favorite part about interning with the USOC this summer?
“My favorite part was, of course, just being there during the Olympics. I got there right at the beginning of the summer, so there was plenty of buzz and anticipation as people were preparing for London. There was so much excitement, so I couldn’t have been there at a better time. It was especially fun while the games were going on. I loved seeing the inner workings of the USOC and was surrounded by some amazing people, so I think it was just a culmination of that.”

What was the experience like?
“My department — Meeting and Event Services — was already very frantic, so just multiply it by 1,000,000 during the Olympics. It was really chaotic and everyone was frantically trying to get things ready for London. Not only was it fun being there during an Olympic year, but also great experience in preparing for an event of that magnitude. I really gained a lot of respect for how much effort goes into it. There was so much work to be done in a short amount of time, but no one ever complained because of how important it was for Team USA and the organization.”

What kind of interaction did you have with athletes/media/etc. from being there?
“The Olympic Training Center had resident programs like wrestling, men’s gymnastics and Paralympic swimming, but there were also a lot of other NGB (National Governing Body) and International team camps that came through, which was really cool. Some of which were the U.S. Bobsledders, U-18 Men’s Basketball national team, German cycling team and even youth teams for shooting, modern pentathlon and synchronized swimming. A lot of the interaction came in the dining hall where I remember one time sitting next to Michael Phelps and almost freaking out. You’re living with all of these people for two months, so you become friends with a lot of them, which was one of my favorite parts of this summer. They’re in all different stages of their training and careers, so it’s really amazing to witness them on their Olympic journey.”

What kind of work did you do while the games were going on?
“My main responsibility was managing USA House, the business and hospitality center in London. This was where USOC executives, sponsors and athletes come to hang out in between events. I got to do a lot of work with design, registration, credentials and actually got to choose the athlete imagery that was in the House.  I also got to go to Chicago for the USOC Hall of Fame ceremony, where I got to meet a ton of Olympians, some of whom were my childhood idols. Those were the two biggest projects I worked on.”

If you could compete in any Olympic sport, what would it be and why?
“I played soccer for 13 years, so that would be the logical choice, but from a purely fun standpoint, I kind of would like to be a fencer…no, maybe boxing or gymnastics…no, nevermind, let’s go with fencing. I tried it while I was up there and it’s amazing how tough it is but it’s really fun. It’s really plays to your childhood dream of being a pirate and sword-fighting.”

Junior Catherine Davison

What was your favorite part of the Olympics?
“I just loved the opportunity to go to it, and we went to a gymnastics event where Gabby Douglas won gold, and it was really cool to see all the American flags everywhere. There were a ton of people in the city, and everyone really had the welcoming spirit towards the thousands of people that were there visiting. There were a lot of volunteers making sure tourists didn’t get lost.”

Which sporting events did you attend?
“Gymnastics, the women’s all-around individual final. We also went to the women’s soccer as a family, so that was really cool. We also went to a men’s qualifying match for basketball.”

What was your favorite event?
“Definitely the gymnastics because I feel like gymnastics is what the Olympics are all about, or at least for me, that’s what I always want to see. It’s cool to see that in person and all the crazy things they can do. The women’s soccer was also really cool, just because the U.S. was playing; it was really exciting.”

Did anything happen that you didn’t expect?
“I guess I didn’t expect it to run so smoothly; I didn’t think London would handle it that well. I also didn’t expect to be able to go. I thought they did a very good job of running it; there were so many volunteers. It was almost impossible to get lost or not know where you were going. Even the people who weren’t volunteers were really friendly. Everyone really came together those two weeks and it was really exciting to be in that atmosphere. I didn’t expect that sort of camaraderie, especially when we’re all competing against one another.”

If you could meet any Olympic athlete, who would it be and why?
“There was this one South African athlete, Oscar Pistorius. I think he’s an inspiration to so many young people. I just feel like I would love to talk to him and just hear about his motivation because he’s motivating so many people. Also Michael Phelps is a legend;, he would be cool too. Or Lebron James or Gabby Douglas — there’s just too many! But I feel like Pistorius inspired people and that’s what it was all about. The catchphrase for the Olympics was ‘Inspire a Generation,’ and I think he really did that.”

What was your overall interpretaion?
“It was really a once in a lifetime thing and went so above what I hoped it would be, it was just a wonderful opportunity, it was really wonderful that I was able to go.”