Rewriting My Story: What the Paris Olympics Taught Me About Sports
Earlier this month, I returned from a life bucket list trip to go to the Olympics in Paris!
(As a spectator, not a competitor. I know, shocking!)
In honor of me bringing back my Storytime event on Thursday 9.5 with the theme of SPORTS, I want to share the story of this experience with you AND get you thinking about your own connection to Sports.
If you’re ready to “play ball”, read on!
For most of my life, I’ve never considered myself a “sports” person.
👋 I was definitely an indoor kid growing up - more jazz hands than track laps.
⚾️ I’ve never followed a sports team - except for that one summer when I worked at Uno’s Pizza in their sports bar, and we got to wear Red Sox t-shirts instead of our uncomfortable polyester uniforms on game days.
🍻 The only time I was on a team was a string of “bar sports” in my 20s. Sure, we played kickball or Skeeball or corn hole, but TBH, it was honestly more about the post game flip-cup and drinking games instead.
Brooklyn Kickball team
But I’ve always LOVED the Olympics.
🏃♀️ I love the storytelling around the Olympians and all the hurdles (both literal and metaphorical) they’ve jumped to get to the highest peak of their sport.
🥇I love the heart-pumping competitions with so much on the line. I regularly cry watching them cross the finish line or score the winning shot.
🌎 I love the international unity of the world coming together to support their athletes, a reminder of how small and kind the world really is.
Going to the Olympics was always a life-bucket list item for me.
So much so that I bought tickets and had the whole trip planned to go to Tokyo 2020.
We all know how that turned out (or didn’t turn out, I should say.)
Damn you, Covid!! 😫
So last month, it was such a joy to walk off the plane at Charles De Gaulle airport to attend the Paris 2024 Olympics!
There were actually Olympians from Brazil on my plane. It felt like a celebrity sighting and a great way to start the trip!
Over the next five days, my bestie Tara and I immersed ourselves in all things Olympics.
⚽️ We attended a soccer (or should I say football) match between Uzbekistan and the Dominican Republic. The Uzbekistan cheering section was truly delightful, with 90+ minutes of choreographed chants and dances.
🏓 We marveled at the precise movements of table tennis - ping-ponging between cheering on the women and men who played games side by side.
🏐 We partied in the bright sunshine of beach volleyball under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
🤸♂️ And we got a neck workout watching 16 incredible gymnasts bouncing and flipping on the trampoline. The athlete from AIN (aka Russia) took home the gold!
More than the events, Paris was buzzing with incredible vibes. ✨
We met people from all over the world. I had kismet run-ins with my old friend Maureen from NYC. Sitting at dinner, Tara and I met new friends from Australia whose Olympian son attends Cal Berkeley right up the street from where I live. We ate delicious and rich food, while chatting with our servers about the ups and downs of hosting a big event like this.
It was everything I dreamed about, and more.
This trip also made me rethink the story I tell myself that I’m not a “sports” person.
I was so inspired by the dedication and athleticism of the Olympians, the community of people who support them, and the fun and exciting atmosphere of the games.
So maybe I won’t be an Olympian anytime soon, but I am now curious to explore my sporty side.
And I am already counting down the days to LA28!
So in honor of checking this trip off my life-bucket list, I’ve decided to make SPORTS the theme of my Storytime event on 9.5!
If you are in the Bay Area, I invite you to join us for the return of this super fun and interactive storytelling event at Groundfloor in Oakland.
You can even use the code SPORTSBALL for 50% off! ⚽
And if you can’t make it, here are a few story prompts to help you explore your own Sports stories. I encourage you to take some time to journal on these prompts or grab a few friends and make your mini-storytime.
Story Prompt Section
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Story Prompt Section 〰️
🥇 STORY PROMPT #1
Growing up, what was your relationship to sports? Describe a special (or challenging) sports moment you remember?
⭐️ Describe your relationship to sports growing up. Were you a big fan? An indoor kid? Play a team sport?
🌟 What happened in this special/challenging sports moment? Where were you? Who was there?
💫 What did you learn from that experience? How did that shape your relationship to sports going forward?
🥈 STORY PROMPT #2
Describe a memorable sporting event you watched, attended, or played in. What made that experience special?
⭐️ Describe the background. How old were you? Where were you? What was the sports event?
🌟 What happened that made this event memorable? Who played? Who won? What was your role?
💫 How did that experience make an impact on you? What did you learn?
🥉 STORY PROMPT #3
What is your relationship to sports and fitness now? How does it play a role in your life?
⭐ ️ What kinds of sports or fitness activities do you participate in now? Are you a big fan? Do you play anything? Work on your fitness?
🌟 Is there a particular moment that got you on this sports/fitness path? What happened?
💫 What, if anything, would you like to change about your relationship with sports and fitness right now? What do you want to try? What’s in the way?
I look forward to hearing more of your Sports stories soon!
P.S. One more fun prompt for you:
If you could wake up tomorrow and magically be an Olympian, what sport would you want to do and why?
(DM me your preferred answer on social media below! )
