Diana and Cealy from Rio

The Journey to Brazil for the 2007 Pan American Games

I am here in Rio de Janeiro Brazil for the 2007 Pan American Games and it’s the end of the second day and these two days have been filled with getting ready for covering the event. Because of my past experience I’ve learned that you just have to stay calm no matter what happens because there are just too many things that you can’t control.

Let me step back a bit and start from the beginning. While the preparation began weeks and even months earlier - working with the USOC, figuring out pricing and where to stay, booking my flight, getting a Visa, buying equipment and packing - the actual departure was scheduled for 9:30 p.m. on July 11. Even though my experience flying over the past year has proven that rarely does a plane leave on time, I was still hopeful. However, when the sky suddenly turned a dark gray and lightning appeared, I knew I was in for trouble.

I was coordinating my flight plans with Cealy Tetley who did an incredible job finding us (me, Ken Braddick and Cealy) a place to stay. Well, my 9:30 p.m. departure changed to midnight, but fortunately, that only set me back an hour because the turnaround time for the connecting flight was quicker.