NEWS FEATURE: Wish Kids Go for Golden Moments at 2010 Winter Olympic Games
Thirteen wish kids are chasing their own Olympic dreams as they watch the world’s best athletes compete at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver through Feb. 28.
The kids hail from eight U.S. states, Canada and Australia and are enjoying many of the Games’ signature events, including the opening and closing ceremonies, figure skating, hockey, snowboarding, speed skating, freestyle and alpine skiing, and curling.
Wish kid Katie and her family visit with Scott Hamilton, 1984 Olympic men's figure skating champion, after the pairs competition at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum. Hamilton was also the first recipient of the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award from the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 1990.
Jet Set Sports, the world’s premier Olympic hospitality company, donated accommodations and many of the event tickets for our wish kids so that they and their families will enjoy an unforgettable visit to Canada.
Katie, a 14-year-old from Illinois, attended the opening ceremonies and was amazed at the spectacle, as she wrote in her blog: “It was so AWESOME!!!! We had really great seats too! I loved being there. It was the coolest thing that I've ever seen in my entire life!”
She and her family also experienced the excitement of watching moguls skier Alexandre Bilodeau win Canada’s first gold medal on its home soil, attending medals ceremonies for five events (including U.S. snowboarder Seth Wescott’s gold-medal presentation), collecting Olympic pins and shopping.
Here’s another excerpt from her blog:
Feb. 15 – This morning, we met USA hockey player Ryan Suter in the elevator. (He plays for the Nashville Predators in the NHL). Then we went down to the Olympic Village and saw all kinds of things and saw people from all over the world.
Tonight, we went to see the Pairs Figure Skating Long Program. We had an incredible view and sat right behind the broadcast booth. It was really amazing!!!! Afterwards we met Scott Hamilton, Elvis Stojko and Debi Thomas!!!!! I got pictures with all of them and got their autographs too!!!!!!! It was so cool! Today we also met lots of other Olympic competitors. We have met competitors from lots of different countries. My brother Brian and I have pictures and autographs from athletes from Brazil, Switzerland, Germany, U.S.A., Russia, Greece, Slovakia, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, and China. We hope to get more tomorrow!
This is the best trip ever!!!! Vancouver is beautiful and I love the Olympics. I want to stay here forever!