Lunch with Mary Lou
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet another one of my childhood Olympic heroes. Mary Lou Retton was at the Olympic Training Center representing Tyson Foods, now a major Olympic sponsor. I was working the event as a representative of the 2008 Olympic Team. My “job” was to sample some new Chinese food recipes, talk to some media reporters, and help host VIPs from Tyson.
In 1984, I was six years old. My family did not have a color TV (no I didn’t grow up in a cave, but I did grow up on a farm) so we went to a friend’s house to watch the Olympics in color. I don’t remember much about those games, but I do remember watching Mary Lou in her red, white, and blue uniform perform an amazing vault to win the gold medal. It was one of the all time greatest performances by a US Olympic athlete and Mary Lou immediately became a national hero.
When I met Mary Lou yesterday, I the first thing that struck me is that she is really short. I guess my perspective has changed now that I am 6ft tall and almost 30. She looked a lot taller when I was six. She also was incredibly gracious, congratulating me on my Pan Am win and qualifying for the 2008 Olympics. Her manager was very nice as well.
Under the watchful eye of several news cameras, I told Mary Lou about watching her in that famous American flag uniform. She laughed and said they actually thought the uniforms were a bit gaudy. I guess some things never change. There have been several times when I have been subject to team uniforms designed by people who clearly think the gaudier the better. It’s great to wear a patriotic and distinctive competition outfit, but sometimes it looks like the designer put a flag in a blender and out popped the uniform. Fortunately, the uniform designers for the last few Olympics have developed incredibly sheik uniforms for the athletes and I anticipate that we will have great uniforms in Beijing.
It’s always a great opportunity to meet someone you looked up to as a kid, but it’s especially inspirational when they live up to your idealistic image you had of them. Mary Lou is still the American hero that she was in 1984 and I felt privileged to meet her yesterday.
In 1984, I was six years old. My family did not have a color TV (no I didn’t grow up in a cave, but I did grow up on a farm) so we went to a friend’s house to watch the Olympics in color. I don’t remember much about those games, but I do remember watching Mary Lou in her red, white, and blue uniform perform an amazing vault to win the gold medal. It was one of the all time greatest performances by a US Olympic athlete and Mary Lou immediately became a national hero.
When I met Mary Lou yesterday, I the first thing that struck me is that she is really short. I guess my perspective has changed now that I am 6ft tall and almost 30. She looked a lot taller when I was six. She also was incredibly gracious, congratulating me on my Pan Am win and qualifying for the 2008 Olympics. Her manager was very nice as well.
Under the watchful eye of several news cameras, I told Mary Lou about watching her in that famous American flag uniform. She laughed and said they actually thought the uniforms were a bit gaudy. I guess some things never change. There have been several times when I have been subject to team uniforms designed by people who clearly think the gaudier the better. It’s great to wear a patriotic and distinctive competition outfit, but sometimes it looks like the designer put a flag in a blender and out popped the uniform. Fortunately, the uniform designers for the last few Olympics have developed incredibly sheik uniforms for the athletes and I anticipate that we will have great uniforms in Beijing.
It’s always a great opportunity to meet someone you looked up to as a kid, but it’s especially inspirational when they live up to your idealistic image you had of them. Mary Lou is still the American hero that she was in 1984 and I felt privileged to meet her yesterday.
1 comment:
That is so cool! I probably watched more of the 1984 Olympics than any other year, and like the rest of America, I was utterly thrilled to see Mary Lou Retton win. She made me wish I'd kept up with gymnastics when I was five.
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