I'm a sports fan. I will watch football on any given Sunday, I enjoy the World Series, even if my team isn't playing. But my favorite time comes only once every two years: The Olympic Games.
When the games were cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, I was devastated. I completely understood why the games were cancelled, but it still didn't make up for the fact that they couldn't happen. My heart bled for the athletes who trained their entire lives to have to wait another year to get their Olympic shot.
When it came time to watch the Games in 2021, I was so excited to see the opening ceremonies. There is nothing quite like seeing all the countries marching in, so proud to be representing their homeland on the Olympic stage. I have always felt like the Olympics are the one time the world comes together and competes against each other in peace and harmony.
As the editor of multiple publications across different counties in Northern New Jersey, I always watch sports with an eye to see if anyone of the athletes is from our coverage area. As I tuned into the Olympic Games, I found that we had a large number of athletes competing from the various counties that we represent.
My Olympics article, September 2021
I enjoy talking to people who have gone above and beyond for their cause or sport. Those interviews always leave me inspired to go after my dreams even harder than I do. I expected nothing less if I got the chance to interview the Olympians from our publishing area. As the Games were winding down, I reached out to the respective sports media coordinators to see if I could get any interviews with their athletes.
Sometimes I forget that I get the chance to talk to ordinary people who have done incredible things. I will never forget the day I got the email that I scored an interview with one of the members of Team USA's triathlon team. One down, a ton more to go. I ended up being able to talk to a triathlon member, two fencers, a track and field star, and a rhythmic gymnast. I felt like I won gold by just hearing about their experiences.
Being that I work for such a small publication, I underestimate the chances of who we can get for stories. However, I'm always blown away that these people who have gone onto do such big things have an interest in talking to us. The hometown paper, the paper that covers local news. I truly treasure the time I get to spend talking to these individuals. Just as they have gone after their dreams of competing in the Olympics, I have gone after my dreams of being able to share their stories.
Someone very important to me recently shared: "If you walk in gratitude, miracles happen." I'm grateful for my job everyday and I truly believe that God gave me the opportunity to share stories because I am good at it. I can't wait to see what else I can uncover!
Signing off,
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