October 2003, page 3
Sue and Jack Tichy from Iowa Falls, Iowa, were staying at my hotel. They really took care of me during half my stay. Sue and I shared breakfast twice. She and her husband Jack also treated me to dinner at the Landmark. How's that for livin' large! After dinner, we took a ride over to a beautiful recreation area. Two brave souls were kayaking in the frigid water of Lake Superior.
Lake Superior Lighthouse
Sue and Jack Tichy
Most of the events on Sunday were held without any US participation. We turned our enthusiasm toward the Canadian skaters, and witnessed some great skating - especially the 5000m relay. That was a barn-burner, because it was touch and go between Canada, Korea and China. Korea won gold, Canada won the silver and China took the bronze.
The banquet, which was held Sunday evening, was a very nice affair. There were a few reserved tables for the teams and officials, but for the most part, you could sit practically anywhere you wanted. Sue, Jack and I were seated to the right of the podium. The Korean, Chinese and Japanese teams came in, and basically stayed close together. Since there were no interpreters for them, the respective teams just smiled and giggled among themselves. Introductions were made to recognize Dr. Mike Roy, interim president of Northern Michigan University, the local organizing committees, the competition officials, and the ISU director, Andy Gabel. After the introductions were over, a local television personality came forward, and began bringing the medal winners to the podium. They were given the symbolic 3ft cardboard checks, showing their earnings for that weekend's competition. When Apolo received his check, the middle of the room filled with cameras, vying to get a good picture.
After the banquet, as expected Apolo, met with the fans, signed autographs, and took pictures. I went over to him, dragging Sue with me. I approached Apolo from behind, tapped him on his right shoulder and said, "Hi sushi brudda." He turned around grinning, and seemed surprised to see me. "Have you been here all four days? he asked." "I sure have" I said, " I called Cody last night to tell him about the gold medal you took in the 500. I was giving him a blow by blow of your races, and he kept yelling, "That's awesome! That is so awesome!" Apolo smiled broadly then turned around to take a picture, first with me, then with Sue. When Sue got her picture taken with Apolo, I knew that her weekend was perfect and complete.
On Monday morning, everyone was making plans to pack up and hit the road. Sue, Jack and Mo left at 6:30am. I checked out, and went to the Wal-Mart Superstore to buy some Dramamine, (I might be crazy, but I'm not stupid!) then Tiasha and I went for breakfast at Tommy's restaurant. (I gave Tommy's restaurant a real workout!) We went back to pick up Jennie, and headed over to the Landmark. We met up with a group and sat with them while they were having lunch; Lupe, April, Joanna, Lucinda, Molly, Judie, and one other Ozer, whose name escapes me. After lunch, we threw at least three cameras at the waiter to record our Kodak moment. Most of the group headed out, and the four of us hung out with Lucinda for a few hours because our flight didn't leave until 6:40pm. Later that day, we went into the pub for a bite to eat.
With the car filled to the brim with luggage, Tiasha, Jennie, Janie and I headed off to the airport for our 6:40pm departure. I went to the ticket counter to check in, and was led to the security checkpoint, where they politely asked me for my key, and searched my luggage. A young lady behind the counter verified my ticket. After I was finished, I went and sat down near the French team, who was traveling with us. The gentleman that worked over at the counter ran over to wear the hat of checking the boarding passes before we boarded. He made a brief announcement, "I'm sorry, but the bathrooms are not operational on this flight. You must use the facilities here before boarding. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience." Well, the French team either didn't have to go, or they didn't understand a word the man said.
The gentleman that checked our boarding passes had ear-protectors around his neck, so I knew that he was going to go out to make some magic on the tarmac. The young lady left the counter, and went to tag the oversized carry on luggage. Talk about multi-talented!
The flight attendant was a "veteran" with the airline. A few minutes into the flight, she began her mechanical-like speech about the seat belts and the oxygen masks, yadda blah yadda blah. She spoke so fast that even I didn't understand her. There was a Canadian official on the plane, who offered to translate for the team. She politely declined, and resumed her speech. When she was finished, the official seemed relieved, when the pilot came on the intercom to make a few announcements in French.
Surprisingly, the flight was smooth and uneventful. When we landed, Janie, Jennie, Tiasha and I began walking toward our respective gates to head home. One by one, we veered off from each other, and went our separate ways. I got to my gate, and sat there for about twenty minutes before they announced my flight. I was tired, but at the same time, I felt great. I began to relive some of the great memories that I had, and thinking about the friendships I made over the course of those few days. The community of Marquette was so hospitable and accommodating while we were there. If they pursue the option to host another World Cup event, I'd go back in a heartbeat. Boy! Did I have a good time!
Here are few of my great memories:
Apolo and Barb
Barb and Allison
3/5 of the raffle crew: Noelle, Barb, Jennie
Apolo at the banquet
Apolo on the ice
Courtesy of Sue Tichy
THE END
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