The road to Pyeongchang is truly official now

A few weeks ago I went in to TD Bank in Wolfeboro to make my trip to Pyeongchang for the 2018 Winter Olympics official by sending the first payment for my accommodations to Korea.
However, I was short one piece of information that I needed and since I wasn’t going to be back in Wolfeboro during the day for another week, I made sure to get that information together for the following Friday.
So in I went the following Friday to make the wire transfer but the system for wire transfers was down and I was unable to make the transfer. Since the money was due by this past Friday, June 30, I had to get back in to the bank earlier in the week and on Tuesday, June 27, I met with Donna at the bank and we made the transfer official, withdrawing more than $1,200 from my Olympic account and sending it on its way to Korea to reserve my room for my second Olympic experience.
As I’ve mentioned here, that first Olympic experience was something I doubted I’d ever get the chance to experience again and it was all made possible by a lot of people coming together to help me raise money by donating or holding fundraisers. It was a true community effort and I am forever grateful for the help that I received.
When I applied for credentials for the second time, I was conflicted about how to pay for it. I get paid while I’m there, since I’m still doing my job, but it’s still not a cheap trip. The main expenses for the trip are the accommodations, which run about $2,400 for the two weeks I’ll be there and the flight, which I have yet to book.
Last time I received credentials, I viewed it as a once in a lifetime experience and I promoted it that way and people were incredibly helpful. This time, I couldn’t really bill it as a once in a lifetime, since it will be the second time, so I’ve gone about it a bit more quietly, not really promoting it anywhere but in this column. And people have helped out and there was more than enough to cover the first part of the accommodations.
I haven’t really held any fundraisers yet, simply because of the fact that this is now something I’ve done before and not a “unique” experience as it was four years ago. Truthfully, I did not expect to raise as much money as I did during that run-up to Sochi and when it came time to think about Pyeongchang, I was also a bit apprehensive. I don’t expect to raise what I did last time, but I’m honored with the response I received so far.
This job has its ups and downs but the people I get to see on a regular basis, be it the kids, the parents, the coaches and fans, are truly one of the best parts of the job. There are some great people out in the communities I cover and I can’t thank everyone enough for their support in chasing another crazy dream.
I’ve got some work to do before I pay for the flight and make the second payment for the room, but with the wire transfer complete, the road to Pyeongchang has become truly official.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

That. Was. Not. Fun.

Image
The idea was impressive. The thinking was outside of the box. The work that was put in was impressive. And the final result surely looked amazing on television. But the execution? That left a lot to be desired, at least on the part of members of the media that were there to cover the unique Opening Ceremony that the Paris organizers planned. As most people probably know, the Paris 2024 organizers decided to bring the Opening Ceremony out of the stadium and have the athletes float along the River Seine through the center of Paris, with various performances happening along the banks and a final ceremony at the Trocadero near the Eiffel Tower. The plan was fantastic. First and foremost, the organizers did not have any transportation planned for the media who were not at the Trocadero. Those who were there had buses leaving from the Main Press Center and International Broadcasting Center to deliver them to that location amidst all of the security closures. The rest of the press was asked t...
Read more

A quick Opening Ceremony update

Image
Well, after more than an hour of walking, I reached the location where my ticket said I could be for the Opening Ceremony.  Yes, I walked an hour. There was the option of taking the subway, but I thought I might see more if I took the walking tour of Paris. From the media center, the walk brought me down past the Arc de Triomphe, down the Champs Elysees and eventually to the Louvre, where my entrance is supposed to be. I saw all those places when I was here in 2002, but it had been a long time. I am pretty sure there was no Five Guys on the Champs Elysees when I was here back then. However, once I got to the gate location, there was no gate. My guess is it will be opening up shortly, but right now there is just a lot of barricades and guys with guns. For now, I am sitting along the Seine waiting for the chance to get in... And of course it is starting to rain. More updates to come.  The Opening Ceremony is coming.
Read more

One day, one venue

Image
I have made a habit over my time covering the Olympics to try and get to lots of different events and venues. Most of the time that involves going from venue to venue in a single day. Yesterday I was at rowing, then on to soccer and then finished up at track. Rarely does it happen that I spend one day in one venue. Today, however, was that day. I woke up wanting to head to the Stade de France for some track action. I wanted to see Gabby Douglas compete in the first round of the 200 meters. My hope was to get a quote or two from Gabby after the competition to send to my former colleague, Jeff Lajoie, who works for a paper in her hometown area of Massachusetts. I made my way down to the press mixed zone, where athletes come through after their events to talk to the media. However, Gabby walked right through the mixed zone without talking to anyone (she did do a TV interview in the broadcast mixed zone), so I left without a quote, which was kind of a bummer. My original plan was to possib...
Read more