Why I

When I was 10 years old, I was watching the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony with my dad upstairs on the TV.

As soon as the Olympic theme sounded, I was glued to the screen.

As a kid, there was nothing cooler than watching the Olympic montage highlights.

The athletes, their feats, and the emotions, all set to epic music.

It was life with the volume turned all the way up.

I dreamed of one day being one of those athletes.

As we watched the Ceremony, my dad asked, "You know that's only happening about 8 hours away from us, right?"

I looked up at him and said something like,

"Dad...if we went to the Olympics that would be the best thing to ever happen in my life."

That's checkmate for a parent. 😂

The next morning my dad, my sister, stepmom, and stepsisters were all in the car on the way to Salt Lake City.

We stayed with incredibly welcoming friends, we scalped some tickets to ice hockey and cross country skiing, and had an incredible Olympic experience.

And I was hooked for the rest of my life.