Tapping into the rhythm

MICHAEL VILLANI

It’s Sunday night here in Athens, two days into the Summer Games of

the XXVIII Olympiad. Everyone, staff and volunteers alike, has fallen

into an Olympic rhythmic pattern, with strict schedules being adhered

to and sleep caught at all hours of the day and night as shifts

fluctuate from venue to venue.

My little band of announcer colleagues, who got together almost

every night last week, as rehearsals were mostly held in the day, are

now leaving notes to one another. “Can you make dinner at 11:30 or

midnight? Won’t be off till then.”

The schedules are demanding at best as these “pros from Dover,”

the “top” in their fields from all over the world, are being called

to work not only the preliminaries but also the most high-profile of

contests. Makes for a long day. But hey, as I told them all, “We’re

at the Olympics in Athens, Greece, and they’re paying us to be here!”

Now that I’ve fallen into this pattern, it gives me time to pause

to reflect on just where I am.

I’m in a country where, with all due respect to the Eagles’ lyrics

using “brutally” and “terminally” as descriptions, at every turn you

see “devastatingly” handsome men and “exquisitely” beautiful women.

There is no hint of anti-Americanism. There is no hint at the threat

of terrorism.

One can only hope the feeling of euphoria this country is

experiencing now will last not only through the final competitions

but for all eternity, and that the world learns by it.

Paraphrasing Nelson Mandela, when he said “17 days of friendship,

20 seconds of competition,” what a wonderful idea for us all to

embrace. More soon as I report “From the Games.”