My journey to Beijing began a little over 24 hours ago, and despite being in a hotel room with a bed and a bathroom, the journey is far from over. It is a journey that for me is not solely about reporting the facts. It is a journey of understanding and relating the experience and atmosphere of an Olympic games from my point of view.
The Beijing Olympics are my first as a non-swimmer – on the other side of the microphone, so to speak. It will be a different experience guaranteed, but one aspect remains the same whether you are an athlete or a coach, a member of the media or a volunteer, a dignitary or a spectator – as I was reminded today.
My tale is of two friends who made a pact nearly 25 years ago. A pact that they would, together, attend every Summer Olympic games. To this day, that pact remains intact seven times over. Every four years, since 1984 in Los Angeles, Burke and Frank have attended the Olympic games. Over the years their strategy has changed – take tickets for example. In the early days, they would purchase beforehand. Today though, they arrived in Beijing empty handed, knowing from past experience that opportunity would knock as the competition began and sellers would unload at 50% of face value.
Burke, an Omaha native, now lives in Los Angeles. Frank resides in Dallas. Burke and his wife are expecting a daughter in about two months time. Frank is living the single life.
I am not sure how often Burke and Frank converse between the games, or how often they see each other in person. Frankly asking either of those questions never crossed my mind. Watching the two men interact with giddy excitement, almost as if it were their first Olympics, told me the whole story.
Take out financial considerations, take out geographic location, take out political affiliations, take out family commitments, Burke and Frank are the best of friends. Their story, to me, is the epitome of what the Olympics stand for – a venue where athletes can fiercely compete and afterward share in the glory as one.
The Olympics are not just about competition. They are about friendly competition. A friendly competition schedule to “officially” begin tomorrow – 08/08/08.
