So as many of you were aware, back this past summer I watched the Beijing olympics rather religiously. I loved them... (and if you didn't know this about myself, know that I LOVE the olympics... I have a few reasons listed in a round-about way in an old blog I posted here.) I was glued to the television for the Opening Ceremonies, and I absolutely loved the Parade of Nations, one of the most amazing things we witness every time the games roll around. The torch lighting ceremony was pretty unreal too! As the games took off, I watched every single one of Michael Phelps 8 medal-winning races in real-time. I cheered passionately for Aaron Peirsol and Natalie Coughlin, marveled at the skills of Kirsty Coventry, and went ballistic at the end of the men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay when Jason Lezak overtook the French and put America on top. I watched Usain Bolt destroy the world records in the 100m and 200m dash in the track-and-field finals. I loved watching Misty May-Treanor & Kerri Walsh dominate women's beach volleyball. I was impressed by China's diving skills, disturbed by the youthful look of their women's gymnastics team, and overall loved their hosting of what some have called "the most memorable Olympics in history."
Which brings me to Nastia Liukin. Going into the games, everyone who talked about women's gymnastics was focusing on Shawn Johnson, the 16 year old petite balance-beam queen with the million dollar smile. I liked the red-headed Shawn, she's cute as a button and really did capture the hearts of America with her grace and poise. But I was more interested in watching Nastia Liukin, the tall and elegant 18 year old blonde daughter of a Soviet gymnastic legend. To me, Nastia was the quintessential American all-around gymnast, and she proved it when she took home the gold medal in the Women's All Around Competition. To just go ahead and say it, I'll admit: I developed an Olympic crush on Nastia Liukin. Nothing inappropriate mind you, but let's just say I just found myself in front of the TV every time she performed... :-)
At the end of the Olympics, I did a little research and found that according to her website, Nastia promises to respond to all of her snail mail from fans, and they even had an address to direct all autograph requests to. You can see where this is all heading can't you.... :-) I sat down and wrote my favorite gymnast a letter in which I thanked her for being a good role model for young girls everywhere, one that shows how discipline and hard work pay off, and how I respect people like her a lot more than the hollywood starlets and such who get in the news for their sexual and drunken escapades. I also told her that I thought she seemed like a good sport on TV and I appreciated having girls like her represent the USA in the olympic games. And I of course asked for her autograph, including a self-addressed stamped envelope with my fan letter.
Well this was all written and mailed before October... so I just kinda waited for a reply, figuring it would take about 4 to 8 weeks because of her new Olympic fame and public demand. As the weeks turned to months, I actually kinda forgot that I had mailed her anything, and just kinda figured that I wasn't going to get a response. Then I got back to LA after a Christmas break in Birmingham, and I was pleasantly surprised and happy to find a familiar looking envelope waiting in my mailbox. I opened it, and the rest is history... as you can see from the above photo, I succeeded in getting her autograph after all. And she even signed it with a little heart... I think she loves me. Haha, No, I know I know, but still, I was pretty excited to get this response from Nastia Liukin. Well, it's been framed and is sitting on my desk. Happy 2009 everyone! Haha.
1 comment:
Great story! I enjoyed it.
Post a Comment