Zaijian China…Goodbye China

 

The Hearst Argyle Olympic Team

 Two things happen when you spend 24/7 with eight other people.  You either love each other or you hate each other.  

I’m glad to say I’ve grown to really love working with the people you see in this picture.

From left to right:

Andy Ireland.  Andy is a weekend sports guy at KCCI in Des Moines, IA.  It’s the same station where I worked after college right before I moved to Sacramento.   Andy is hands-down the nicest person on our crew.  The Chinese loved to take pictures of us and Andy never turned them down.  I, on the other hand, would resort to telling them Andy was my mean boss who forbid pictures while I was on the clock. Like I said, he’s the nicest guy in show business.

Aixa Diaz.  Aixa is a Hello Kitty loving, Spanish speaking ball of Puerto Rican fire and she is hilarious. Aixa works as a weekend anchor and reporter at WESH in Orlando.    I’ve never seen her in a bad mood and that’s saying something because when you see people 24/7 you’ve seen fire, you’ve seen rain, you’ve seen fire once again.  With Aixa, it’s all sunshine.

Jaime Brassard.  Jaime is a photographer from WPTZ in NY.  He’s getting married in a month.  He made the girls practically cry when he took a morning off to buy his fiancee pearls at the Pearl Market to wear on their wedding day.  We offered to go with him, thinking he’d be freaked out at the responsibility.  He was totally cool and she’s totally lucky.

Travis Sherwin.  If I pity anyone, it’s Olympic Zone producer Travis Sherwin. Poor Trav had to sit next to me for the last month as he did at the Torino Games.  I talk to myself a lot.  I talk to myself out loud a lot.  Travis is either exceptionally kind or deaf in his left ear.  He’s a wonderful producer and an even better friend and I will missing talking his ear off, intentionally or otherwise.

Kate Amara.  Kate works in Baltimore and is one of the most persistent reporters I’ve ever met.  She brings a “why not” attitude to everything.   The Chinese don’t really do “why not” so it’s been quite entertaining to watch at times.  Kate has been sitting to my left for the last month.  She’s the yin to Travis’ yang.

Erin McManamon.  Erin works out of the Hearst DC Bureau and is the boss lady on these Olympic trips.  It’s rare to work for someone who is completely dedicated to their job and yet has a pulse.  Erin is obsessed with doing things the right way and has some of the best news judgement I’ve ever seen.   She’s a blast to work with and hang out with and the result is that the two blur while the clock is ticking.   A win for everyone.

(far right)  Kent Westberg.  Kent is a photographer at WDSU in New Orleans and has amazing stories of life post-Katrina in that city.  Actually, he has amazing stories period as he’s served in Iraq.  My favorite memory of Kent came about a week into the Olympic assignment when he called me at 10:17 from the lobby wondering where I was.  Our meeting time was 10:20.  Clearly, he’d never worked with me before.  Clearly, I’d never worked with a military guy. 

And finally…

 

Fitz & Domi

Mike “Domi” Domalaog.  Domi works with me at KCRA and we’ve now traveled to the last five Olympics together.  We’ve logged more miles with each other than we have with our spouses and he’s one of the greatest professional partners and friends I’ve ever had.  It’s a privilege, an honor and ridiculous fun to be in his company.  

I’m officially out of thoughts to think.  So, Deirdre’s Diary, the Beijing edition is officially over.

Ziajian (goodbye) from China!

You ought to be in pictures…

From Deirdre Fitzpatrick/ Sacramento:

It’s not over until it’s over and in Beijing….it’s nearly over.

Photographer Andy Ireland and I headed out to the Birds Nest tonight to shoot what we call the “ins and outs” of our story for nearly 30 Hearst stations.  It’s our last assignment in Beijing.

Let’s just say the people of Beijing are in a festive mood as the games draw to a close.

I’m not funny in Chinese

I crack myself up.  

It’s a good thing I entertain myself because the Chinese don’t get me.

It was pouring rain this morning when I left to go to the gym.  I was too lazy to hike back upstairs for an umbrella. (Ironic since I was going to the gym to run in place.)

 So, I asked the concierge if I could borrow an umbrella.  

“Of course,” he replied.  ”How long will you need it?”

“Um, I’ll need it as long as it keeps raining.” 

We were sympatico until this point.  And then he says, “how long do you think that might be?”

I’m a lot of things but Nostradamus is not one of them.

As I pondered what to say next, I noticed the concierge had taken out his umbrella borrowing/ weather guessing book. Clearly I was on the record with whatever answer I gave next.

“I think I’ll need it for 47 minutes.”

Okay, he said as he scribbled my name and rain protection needs.

“Actually,” I said glancing out the window, “make that 10 hours.”  

The concierge scratched out 47 minutes, replaced it with 10 hours, handed me an umbrella and told me to stay dry.

It’s now 13 hours later.  The rain stopped hours ago.  And, I have yet to return the umbrella. I’m sure the concierge will find something to write about me in his book.

Row, row, row the boat to gold…

From Deirdre Fitzpatrick/ Sacramento: 

When my son grows up, I want him to join the Women’s 8 Rowing Team.

Yeah, I know.  He’s not exactly biologically eligible.  But, I’d like to think he’ll have all the other stuff they have. I’m talking about things like character, integrity, and confidence.

 

Mary Whipple, Deirdre, Erin Cafaro

Rowing is harder than it looks.  I joined a local rowing club years ago down at the Port of Sacramento.  I was in the beginner 8 boat.  I was excited to learn the sport with seven other women whom I assumed would be just as excited to learn.  By the end of the second week, I started looking around my boat and realizing only two of us were row, row, rowing the boat.  The rest were freeloaders on a pleasure cruise.  I dumped the SS Minow shortly thereafter.

It takes a lot to keep eight women on track.  That’s Mary’s job.  As coxswain, she’s the in-boat coach and dry-land den mom.  She’s small but mighty.  If she told me to pick up an oar, I’d pick up two just in case.

The front of a gold medal.

 

The back of a gold medal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erin is one-eighth of the muscle that makes the boat soar.  And, she is one of the most confident, outwardly happy Olympians I’ve ever met.  Her mother included me on her email list during the games.  

She sent out some of the most detailed, picture-filled adventures to Erin’s friends and family.  The Cafaros saw more of Beijing than I have.  And to read between the lines and see the strong families behind both Erin and Mary is inspiring to me as a fan of the Olympics and as a parent. 

No, my son will never row in the Women’s Olympic 8 boat…barring some odd change of the Olympic rules. But, I hope he rows his own boat to becoming the kind of 20-something I see and respect in Mary and Erin.

And, if those gals I rowed with back at the Port all those years ago want to give it a try again.  Give me a call.  But, be forewarned, I’ve got coxswain Mary Whipple on speed dial and I won’t hesitate to call her!

Michael Mania…

From Deirdre Fitzpatrick/ Sacramento:

Michael Phelps scheduled a news conference shortly after his historic 8th gold win in Beijing.  Andy Ireland and I were assigned to cover the Michael Mania we knew would accompany his visit to the Main Press Center. 

We weren’t disappointed….just inconvenienced!

Olympic Show and Tell…

From Deirdre Fitzpatrick/ Sacramento:  

Most of you don’t know this.  But I love photography.  

It’s been a passion since I was a kid.  My parents still have the first picture I took. I was four. My dad let me hold his camera on a trip to Central Park in New York City.  I promptly took a picture of a fern.  That was back you counted the pictures left on the roll and rationed out how many you’d take of relatives you didn’t like.

I took 3500 pictures of my son during his first year.  I’ve joked that he thought he was one of the Brangelina Bunch.

I’ve taken 500 pictures since I arrived in Beijing.  Here are a few of the more random shots that haven’t found a home in the blog or my slideshows yet.

 

16 year old gymnastics star Shawn Johnson.

Imagine being 16 year old Shawn Johnson.  She’s barely old enough to get behind the wheel of a car but trust me, she drove this news conference.

The McCafe at the International Broadcast Center.

A frothy Mc Latte

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love lattes.  The love me.  Ronald McDonald, on the other hand, I hadn’t spent much time since childhood until I discovered the McCafe at the International Broadcast Center.

 

Cup of corn at the Beijing McDonalds.

 Also on the menu at McD’s?  The cup of corn.  It’s steamed corn and it’s McTasty.

 

Sleeping on the job in Beijing.

And finally, this cab driver looks like your Hearst Argyle Olympic Team feels!

The shoes that Levi liked…

 

My apparently cool red sandals.

From Deirdre Fitzpatrick/ Sacramento:

“I like your shoes.”

It’s nice when a gal at work likes your shoes.

It’s jaw dropping when one of the first things your favorite Olympian says to you is that they dig your kicks.

Levi Leipheimer has been one of my favorite athletes for years.  He’s a Santa Rosa living, 2-time Amgen Tour of California winning, 3rd place Tour de France finishing cool cyclist.

And he’s coming off one of the crummiest months of his life.  

Levi (he likes my footwear so I’ll assume a tight enough relationship to call him that) was excluded from July’s Tour de France.   The tour wouldn’t allow his team, Astana, to participate because of doping allegations.  None were against Levi.  

So, when the overhead annnouncement went out, “Levi Leipheimer is here.  Let us know if you want to interview him.”  I practically tripped over the other reporters to talk to him first.

I love the Olympics.  But I don’t fawn over the athletes.  I respect what they do and accomplish.   But, I rarely get overly excited about any one of them. 

But if you asked me at the beginning of the games, whom would you most like to interview, my answer would have been Levi.

So here was my chance.

And, my mind was blank.

Blankety, blank, blank, blank.

More nada nada than yada yada.

I was five seconds from ,”so you had a good day huh,” when the bronze medalist in time trial said, “I like your shoes.”

“I like my shoes too,” I replied and we were off to the races.

 

Deirdre and Levi Leipheimer

Then he couldn’t shut me up.

Did he watch the Tour?

Yes, nearly every day.  It was one of the worst months of his life and it made his Beijing victory that much more sweet.

Is the Olympics really that big of a deal to a professional cyclist?

Yes, it’s something he’s dreamed about since he was a kid.

Was I freaking him out with my Inquisition like questioning?

Actually, I didn’t get to that one because my time was up. 

The next time I interview Levi Leipheimer it will likely be at the 2009 Amgen Tour of California.  And you can bet, I’ll be wearing the shoes that Levi liked.

Why you can ignore the travel books again…

 

From Deirdre Fitzpatrick/ Sacramento: 

Friday, August 15th

Blue skies over Beijing.

Scratch what I said about it doing nothing but rain in Beijing.  Look what we woke up to this morning!