The program I am involved with was given access to the staging area for the Parade of Nations and then the Opening Ceremonies. This was awesome. One by one the buses arrived and each country and/or territory arrived in alphabetical order. They arrived dressed in a variety of outfits. Some in their team sweats, some in their country's traditional clothing, and some in impressive outfits from head to toe. The athletes were excited, awe-struck by other nation's athletes, and armed with Go Pros, selfie sticks, phones, and video cameras. The young reporters, mentors, and volunteers were just as thrilled if not more. As the teams passed us, I observed the young reporters looking closely for the countrymen and women that they knew. They were tasked to take flash quotes that were later uploaded on the Games News Service (GNS). I spent my time taking pictures of the reporters conducting interviews.
This panoramic is of Team USA.
Coral found her former trainer. He was selected to be the flag bearer for
Coral knew several of the athletes and coaches from different countries. The athlete in the left picture above was her coach and trainer in track and field for Puerta Rico. Roberto Sawyers was asked to be the flag bearer for Costa Rico.They had not seen each other in awhile.
Dennis interviews Costa Rico while Sydney interviews US Virgin Islands.
Jade is speaking with Cayman Islands. To the right, Alejandra interviews an athlete from Guatemala.
Carla, Alex, Paul, Fatima, Coral, and Cynthia interviewed athletes from Bolivia, USA, Peru, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic respectively.
It was great seeing the athletes eager to meet each other, trade pins, and take selfies. This was a night we will never forget.
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