Adventure is... Gold.

The rare contribution to Danielle's blog. Tonight I just felt the need to write. My passion and heart are very full because it's the most wonderful time of every other year!

​It’s no secret I love sports. Most of my job experience before graduation was working in sports broadcasting/journalism. I made the switch over to news, but it’s a dream to be on the ground during the Olympics.

I am constantly awed by incredible athletes, but I’m more amazed at the power those athletes have to bring together a divided nation.

It seems today like you can’t have a conversation without politics coming up. But that’s the beauty of The Games. That's far from the case.

After the North Korean pair skated their short program, the commentators said, “I’m going to leave the politics to someone else…” They went on to talk about the beautiful performance by two incredible athletes, whose performance warranted the praise it was receiving. They didn’t use the word nuclear. The didn’t mention Kim Jong Un. (They did mention the awkward cheering section before the performance, but that’s hard to put aside.)

Here in the U.S., you can love Trump. You can hate Trump. But we all can agree Chloe Kim and Shaun White are BAD. ASS.

At 17, Chloe Kim earns a gold medal score on her first finals run, then tweets about how she regrets not finishing her breakfast sandwich, then goes on after already clinching gold to outscore her first run. Meanwhile, her father has all of us in the feels… holding a laminated ‘Go Chloe!’ sign and calling his daughter “his American dream.” ALL. THE. FEELS.

Then there’s Shaun White… hoping for some Olympic redemption, scores a 98.5 to QUALIFY… and then takes first early… drops to silver it in the second run… and comes back to win gold with an EPIC run, arguably the best of his career.

The Olympics are my favorite time of every other year. I am a bit skewed toward liking the Summer Games more (because come on… gymnasts are badass both on and off the beam), but Chloe Kim and Shaun White and Mirai Nagasu and Chris Mazdzer. THESE are the stories that make the Olympics SO. MUCH. FUN.

I can’t wait for the days to come.
​