Run, Karla, Run!

[Vancouver's Olympic medals. © VANOC/COVAN]

Dreams do come true. I’m going to the Olympics! That’s right, “Run, Karla, Run!” will be entirely dedicated to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver as I rub elbows with Olympians and wear my press pass thin running from event to event.

So stick with me. From Feb. 12 through Feb. 28, I’ll be rink side, mountainside and sheet side following the sports action and the general vibe that is Olympic excitement. I’ll be blogging live from events like speedskating, snowboarding, figure skating, alpine skiing, curling; the list goes on and on. So go ahead, bookmark this blog and check in often for a sneak peek at the Olympic games as they unfold. In addition to sports coverage, I’ll also report on the fans, the culture, the vibe and what it’s like to experience the games first hand.

As a kid, I eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Olympics. My family would gather around the TV night after night and watch the spectacle unfold. I was dazzled by figure skating and skiing in winter and obsessed with swimming and running in summer. And since this was the dark ages before the Internet, I’d keep my own medal tally like the nerd that I was—and still am—drawing gold medals with yellow and blue markers (for the metal and ribbon, naturally), silver with grey and red, bronze with brown and orange. Forget Leap Year. The Olympics were the event I waited for every four years.

And like so many kids, I always dreamed of going to the Olympics someday, albeit as an athlete. Swimming was my sport back then and I was sure I was going to be the next Janet Evans.

Not too long ago, I unearthed a cassette tape I had made on my purple boom box (it was the ‘80s after all) when I was about 8-years-old. The recording reveals an intrepid young journalist (played by me) “interviewing” an Olympic swimmer (also played by me). It went a little something like this (and, bless my 8-year-old heart, this is an actual transcript of the recording).

Reporter: “This is your host of The Twilight News. Today, we have heard that a swimmer named Karla Kafufa has just won the 20^th gold trophy medal ribbon from the United States for the World Swimming Record. And she’s very honored to have this award. And now she’s going to sing a special song for you called ‘Oh Beautiful for Swimmer’s Skies.’”

I then proceeded to warble (and I mean warble) “America the Beautiful” with swimming terms subbed in like, “And crown thy good with brotherhood from pool to shining pool!”

Swimmer: “Thank you. I’m very proud to have this for my collection. I’m going to sing another song called ‘Swimmers on the Move.’”

Cut to me singing a badly made up song with nonsensical lyrics like, “We keep in shape by swimming in the pool. Lap to lap we go from sky to sky.”

Three things are clear from the tape:

1)    I liked singing.

2)    I liked swimming and dreamed of being a champion.

3)    I liked reporting and had a natural propensity toward sports journalism.

Well, I kept singing (I moonlight as a singer with two bands). And while I was a fast enough swimmer to medal at the state level in Illinois, I was no Michael Phelps. But a reporter I am by trade.

[Team Canada's Hockey jersey. Vancouver's Olympic medals. © VANOC/COVAN]

Now that I’m actually going to the games as a member of the accredited press, the kid in me is giddy. And it’s silly, I know, but I somehow feel like an Olympian. According to the Vancouver Organizing Committee, there will be 5,500 athletes and officials and 10,000 media from around the world—2,800 from the written and photographic press such as myself, and lots of broadcasters. Being one of the lucky few with press credentials in hand kind of makes me feel like I’m going to the Olympics of reporting.

So runners, if you’re game, journey with me north of the border to the winter wonderland of Canada—albeit one that is currently a little short on snow—and experience the Olympic Games through the eyes of an awestruck 8-year-old reporter who, all these years later, is living the dream.

Karla Bruning is an award-winning journalist and running nerd. She has completed three marathons, trains with the New York Harriers and is a member of New York Road Runners. Follow Karla at the Olympics on The Washington Times Communities and Twitter@KBruning.