“Just thought you should know,” Dick said as I called to tell him my flight to Minneapolis from St. Louis was on time, “the gold medal Olympic curling team’s flight will be landing in Duluth around the same time as yours, so don’t think the cheering crowds are for you.”
“Very funny,” I said.
The 5:25 Delta gate for the flight from Minneapolis to Duluth, is located in the remotest area of the terminal and when I finally reached it, out of breath, I found a seat and waited.
I wasn’t paying much attention until a gaggle of Delta employees gathered at the desk and one of them made an announcement. “Thought you’d all want to know. The Olympic gold medal curling team will be on this flight.”
Sure enough. Three SUVs pulled up in the tarmac below, a number of people disembarked, and there they were.
Phone cameras flashed, and people thronged as the Olympians in USA jackets strolled down the hall. Occasionally I glimpsed a flash of gold from the huge medals hanging from their necks.
After a few words from one of the curlers, things calmed down and the team boarded. Then the rest of us. I wedged my way down the aisle towards my seat, which was close to the rear, finally found it and was pleasantly surprised to see a young lady in a USA jacket. Aha. A member of the women’s team. They hadn’t won gold, but still…
She looked not much older than my granddaughter, and as I approached, I offered her my window seat. She replied that would be great since then she could sleep. When I asked, she admitted she’d been traveling for 30 hours from Korea.
She fell asleep almost immediately, and our flight was on its way. Two rows behind was another male curler. I was in rarefied company.
As we approached Duluth, the pilot announced we would be greeted by Duluth’s fire department with a “spray-over.”
I looked at the young woman, and she said she had no idea what that was. I found out when we finally landed and taxied between two fire trucks as they sprayed streams of water over the plane. Who knew?
We ordinary people were asked to wait while the Olympians deplaned first, and we were all good-natured about it. Finally I was able to get off the plane. My fellow travelers and I walked through the TSA region into the general public area. What a shock! Huge crowds waited with balloons, placards and a roaring noise.
The clapping and cheering crowds anxiously awaiting the team parted for us lowly people. A lady in the crowd said to me, “I bet that was exciting.” It was Duluth’s mayor, Emily Larson.
So this is what it felt like to be famous. For a brief moment I was tempted to wave and smile, then remembered, this greeting wasn’t for me, so I headed down the escalator and waited for my luggage at the baggage carousel.
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