CONNECT SPORT
Michelle McKee (Tokyo) The night of Aug. 24, 2021, was hot, humid, and cloudy with an 80% chance of rain. Although not the ideal conditions to be wearing a full costume, long pants, protective mask, and helicopter hat, it was truly one of the most memorable nights of my life. It was not only my 23rd birthday but the Opening Ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, an event that I am absolutely honored to have been a part of. As a Ceremony Cast volunteer, I greeted athletes walking into the stadium with cute, choreographed dances and hand-waving, and even received the flag from Team Morocco to carry across the stadium. My tasks seemed to pile on top of each other. Make eye-contact with the flagbearer; make sure they see you. Receive the flag, right hand on top, left on the bottom. Don’t drop the flag. Rotate the flag so it blows behind you. Look at the ground and follow the tape. But don’t look down too long. Find the right number to stand on. Move the flag over to your left side, right hand on top. Set it down softly. Wait for your cue, then lift it up. My mind raced as I focused my energy entirely on not messing up on live international television. But when I lifted my flag with the rest of the cast, about an hour and 50 minutes into the ceremony, beautiful fireworks went off above my head, and all of my anxieties subsided. After eight beats of waving the flag, the music ended, the stadium went dark, and we exited the stadium. 80 |
Before this year, I never really watched the Paralympics, and I do believe part of that is due to the lack of American media coverage (lookin’ at you, NBC), and a lack of general knowledge and education about disabilities. I’m appreciative that the Japanese media covered the Paralympics this year with an ability-diverse group of commentators. I loved hearing my Japanese grandparents be in awe of the talented athletes (“I can’t swim that fast, and I have both arms!”) that graced their screens at home. The Paralympics was a great form of entertainment and education for people like them, who spent most of their time at home during a blazing Japanese summer and ongoing pandemic. With the COVID-19 State of Emergency and numerous scandals, there was a lot of controversy surrounding the Tokyo 2020 Games, and at times I was hesitant to speak on my involvement in it (see: a JET Programemes post on Facebook shading Olympic volunteers). As a Ceremony Cast member and not an official Field Cast volunteer, I was unfortunately ineligible for a free Tokyo 2020 COVID-19 vaccination. I took it upon myself and traveled back to the U.S. this summer so that I could be fully vaccinated and immunized before my participation in rehearsals. Although unsure at first, after seeing the strict COVID-19 protocols in place at rehearsals and during the ceremony (weekly testing, social distancing, mask mandates to name a few), I was ultimately able to feel comfortable participating in what I knew would be a once-in-alifetime opportunity.
