While most of the world watched from their couches as Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky and Stephen Nedoroscik competed for gold, Jane and John Robertson were in the stands at the Summer Olympics cheering them on.
“I’d always wanted to go to the Olympics, because when I used to watch it on TV, I was like, one of these days I’ll get to go,” John said. “So this was one of those times where you couldn’t say no.”
The Robertsons, who live in Smithonia, traveled to Paris on July 25, just in time to watch athletes float down the Seine River for the opening ceremony.
“The best part for me was 16 days worth of immersion in the Olympics, away from my normal routine, away from American politics, away from every other responsibility I have around here and in Athens,” John said. “It allowed me to really appreciate what was going on at the events because I was on a whole new schedule.”
The couple previously attended specific events at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but they hadn’t been able to spend extended time at the Games until this trip.
“We had a chance to really understand the Olympic spirit,” John said. “Here were young people from all over the world, and all they were doing was their very best in what they chose to compete in.”
The Robertsons spent their mornings visiting museums in Paris, such as the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, and exploring the city. Their afternoons were spent attending events like basketball, track and field, synchronized diving, artistic swimming, women’s and men’s gymnastics, women’s and men’s swimming and beach volleyball.
“My favorite part was seeing the skill, seeing the dedication, in addition to coming home and really learning the stories of the people, because that's the difference,” Jane said. “You’re either in the movie or you write the movie.”
But, the journey wasn’t without its challenges.
John said most of the people attending the games were between the ages of 25 and 55. He is 79 and knew they would need to be prepared to walk for this trip.
An attack on Paris train systems on opening day caused the couple to walk almost 10 miles in the rain to reach their seats after a nearby bridge was closed.
“I don’t remember 90% of that walk,” Jane said. “All I remember was, keep walking, keep walking.”
They both agreed, however, that they always felt safe because there were armed police throughout the city.
John said he became an expert in the metro system, which would sometimes take 45 minutes to travel to events.
“You can’t say Paris was the best part, because that doesn’t answer the question about the Olympics,” Jane said. “But it’d be hard to match that beauty, because to me, the city looked perfect.”
Jane spent one week in Paris, but John spent an extra week to watch track and field events with his roommate from Georgia Tech. John ran track when he was in high school.
“It came down home to me during the high jump, where you get three chances for each height,” he said. “If somebody missed on their first two and made it on their third, everybody just got up and cheered. It didn’t really matter whether they were going to win or not, but it was significant for them.”
John said the Olympics experience was refreshing for another reason — seeing humans relating to other humans without an agenda.
“The crowd was totally in support of each athlete,” he said. “It didn’t matter if the athlete was from Botswana, if that athlete had their personal best, people would cheer for them, regardless of what their nationality might have been.”