Opening Ceremonies!

The Paralympics have officially commenced! Opening Ceremonies was held Saturday night in the famous Bird's Nest. Unlike past Games where athletes had to be ready by 2pm, we didn't have to go to the Stadium until 6:30pm which gave us plenty of time to workout, rest, and of course, put on our Ralph Lauren outfits (they gave us a directional pamphlet so that we wore all the right clothes...and tied the scarf correctly).


Only 3 of the 6 swimmers in my suite got all dressed up in the Ralph Lauren since many of the athletes who raced the next day watched the Ceremonies on T.V. and got to bed early. So once the 3 of us were ready, we met the rest of the swimmers in front of our building for a full out paparazzi photo shoot: everyone with a camera was armed.




Then, the hurry up and wait portion of the night began. Team USA loaded 12 shuttles to go to the Bird's Nest where we were held in a staging area as the Ceremonies began. All the countries were scattered across the Olympic Green waiting for their country to be marched into the Stadium. The U.S. was 99 out of 148, so there was plenty of time to mingle with other members of Team USA.

Around 9pm, it was our turn. The wheelchairs led the delegation as we went through the Green and down a huge ramp into the floor of the National Stadium. At this point, I realized I was about to wheel into a packed Stadium seating 91,000 cheering fans waving flags of every shape and color. Needless to say it was rather overwhelming as first, the noise, and then, the sight of those 91,000 hit us. At the end of the ramp, we were ushered into the track to make a lap of the Stadium. There was nothing to do but smile, wave, and soak in as much of the experience as possible.

After a lap, we took our seats and the rest of the countries entered. Of course, when China entered last, the place erupted in screams. Finally, the Chinese Team took their seats and the show continued. I highly recommend watching the Ceremonies online since any attempt I make to describe the show will fail miserably. Each performance - from the acrobats gracefully flying through the air to a troupe of deaf dancers to hundreds of adorable young boys jumping around in unison - was breathtaking. In order to bypass the incredible crowds at the end of the night, I left with some of my teammates before the speeches from the Paralympic Committees began. We were made to feel famous even when leaving since the road was lined with hundreds of Chinese volunteers who clapped, waved, and congratulated us as we made our way to the bus back to the Village. At last, back in the Village around midnight, a few more final pictures were taken before getting to bed in preparation for the first day of competition. What a night!