We have to go back ... To the Olympics that is.

Back at the end of October, I got an e-mail from the US Olympic Committee, announcing that they were giving me a credential for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
As this blog tried to convey back then, my experience with the 2014 Olympics in Sochi was beyond compare. I was blown away by everything that went in to the Olympics and enjoyed everything about my trip to Russia. Getting a chance to cover local athletes who I covered in high school who are now on the biggest stage in the world was fantastic and just getting the chance to see elite athletes compete on said stage was impressive. I tried to see as much as I possibly could and got to all of the venues and saw almost every single sport, at least for a little while. And I tried to bring back as much of that experience as I could to the readers back home.
But most impressive to me about the entire experience was that so many people helped me to make the experience possible. Going to the Olympics is not a cheap venture, even as someone who is going there to work. As I worked toward the Sochi Olympics, so many people came out to help me, sending donations and holding fundraisers. I billed it as an experience of a lifetime and it indeed was just that. I was blown away by people I didn’t even know helping to make this experience happen for me.
As a result, I was able to experience Sochi without going into any more credit card debt. I remain truly grateful to everyone who made that experience a possibility for me.
As I prepare for my second Olympics experience, I realize that I can’t expect that I can promote this as an experience of a lifetime, since I already experienced it once before. So I’ve yet to figure out just how I want to go about funding this trip.
I was likely going to put off thinking about it for a little bit, but my brother, despite being in the southern hemisphere for Christmas, got me thinking about it over the holidays. One of his gifts to me was a check to go toward my Olympic experience and after leaving it on my table for a few weeks, I took it to TD Bank here in Wolfeboro last week and Donna helped me to set up a new Olympic account. Four years ago, the folks at TD Bank were very helpful in helping me get this going (while Citizens Bank came through with a huge assist when currency exchange became an issue) and I am thankful for them for helping me out.
So now there is an account at TD Bank in Wolfeboro under my name and 2018 Olympic Fund. If someone wants to help out, I would be grateful but I completely understand that this is a different situation than it was four years ago. I am brainstorming ideas to raise money and my company has again agreed to match anything I raise (in addition to paying me while I’m there), so I’m optimistic that it can happen.
Any donations can be sent to TD Bank in Wolfeboro (PO Box 549, Wolfeboro Falls 03896) or to me at the office at PO Box 250, Wolfeboro Falls, NH 03896. And any fundraising ideas are more than welcome.

And I’m hopeful that this Olympic experience will be just as much fun and just as exciting as 2014.

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