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David Hearn’s Olympic JournalOlympic Torch
Olympic excitement is everywhere. I had the wonderful opportunity to be part
of history by running the Olympic torch in Maryland on June 20. I was warmly welcomed by the community of
people lining Central Avenue (SR 214) who were waiting to catch a glimpse of
the Olympic torch as it ran past.
My father Carter, brother Bill, Bill’s fiancée
Marnie, and my wife Jennifer all came to watch. Jennifer and Marie ended up stuck behind the Olympic torch
procession and had to do some quick map reading and even had to run about two
miles to stay ahead of the Olympic torch relay and reach my starting point at
Addison Road.
You could sense the excitement and anticipation in
the air. While I was waiting for the
flame to reach me I was able to share the Olympic excitement with the children
who gathered around me. They were very
pleased when I passed the torch around for each of them to hold. The look on their faces as they held this
powerful Olympic symbol in their hands will stay etched in my memory for a long
time. They were all incredibly psyched!
I was delighted to meet the mayor of Seat Pleasant
who shared his pleasure in seeing the Olympic torch run through his town
proclaiming it to be “the gateway to Washington, DC”. I could hear the roar of the crowd getting closer. I watched Geri Shapiro carrying the flame up
the hill in front of me as the impressive Olympic torch caravan
approached. The motorcycle police
zoomed by with their sirens wailing, and the next thing I knew it was my turn
to carry the flame. Geri held out her
torch to light mine, our torches touched and my torch flame was ignited. I was incredibly excited as I held the torch
high above my head. I quickly turned,
ran around a NBC motorcycle video crew, and began my run toward our nation’s
capitol. I could hear everyone cheering
and yelling. I was smiling and waving
and running. I heard a woman shouting,
“Bring it home in Atlanta, bring it home in Atlanta!” I was so excited that everything seemed like a blur, and before I knew it I was touching the Olympic flame to Fred Taylor’s torch. I had so much adrenaline that I felt like I could have run that Olympic torch all the way into Washington, DC! A torch official helped turn off the Olympic torch. The flame I just carried was passed, my torch extinguish, yet I still carry the Olympic spirit in my heart. I turned to watch Fred run the Olympic flame down the hill towards Washington DC...I was honored to be part of the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay.
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