I’ll put my money on it for local family to attend the Olympics
- col-lee-elliot-aging-graciously
- July 17, 2024
- 477
I am inordinately fond of Hunter Armstrong, partially because I have known him since he was a 5-year-old in our church children’s choir and partially because I have watched him grow into such a fine young man.
As a child Hunter was a small bundle of energy who loved everyone and everything he did. As an adult, despite a journey into considerable fame, he hasn’t changed a bit — except that instead of being a small bundle, he is a very large bundle.
Recently, his family was able to join him in Indiana for the trials that led to his becoming an Olympic contestant. Theoretically, Hunter could swim 11 times in Paris. Many of those times involve relays, so no one will know if he is swimming in them until the moment.
Naturally, his family wants to be there to watch what may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the son, brother and grandchild of whom they are so proud.
This becomes almost a virtual impossibility because how expensive it is to go to the Olympics. His parents and brother and sister-in-law have been saving for several years and have managed the transportation ($1,500 a piece) and the cost of an airbnb ($4,200) but had no idea of the cost of tickets for the events. Each event requires three steps — prelims, semis and finals — to establish winners. Each step has its own ticket price, according to location of seats. Prelims are $350-$650, semis are $675-$950 and finals are about $1,200 per person.
Hunter’s father Ryan said since they have no idea how many events Hunter will be participating in, they are trying to choose the most likely possibilities and order within their means.
In case you might be thinking that being an Olympian is all fun and games, there is a lot of pressure on both the athletes and their families. Drug testing is the first and foremost rule to remain unbroken. Athletes must be available 24/7 for unannounced testing. Edie’s job has been to keep the testing officials informed of Hunter’s every move, all day and night. They may show up anywhere at any time and expect the athlete to be there at ready.
An aside: What if you are modest and “can’t go” in front of people? Too bad. They must watch and record the process and will wait as many hours as it takes for you to do so.
Right now the athletes are training in Croatia and will leave for Paris for a week of training before the major events. Swimmers won’t be able to attend the opening events because they swim early the next morning. The participants are housed in Olympic Village, paid for by the International Olympic Committee. However, as soon as their events are finished, they must leave, so they cannot see the closing events either.
According to Ryan, Emily and Chris Lane, Brenda Wherley, and our local YMCA have established a GoFundMe on Facebook, and contributions can be made at First Federal Bank until July 27. It is a nice gesture. But wouldn’t it be nicer if one of Tuscarawas County’s well-meaning major corporations were to help the family so they can be there in person to watch all their loved one’s events? I mean how many times do we contribute a bright, talented and deserving youth to represent us in this always-spectacular world event? I’ll put my money on it. I hope others will too.