The Rerouted Skytress

Yesterday the 2020 Summer Olympics concluded. Yessiree, I am officially going through Olympic viewing withdrawals. I’m not going to lie. The past two weeks I spent every waking hour and sleeping hour with the television tuned to the Olympics. Well…Okay. I switched the channel during the commercials to watch the Cowboy Channel. I couldn’t help myself. The “Daddy of them all”…The Cheyenne Rodeo was also happening. But, besides watching a few 8 second bronc rides, my eyes were glued to the Olympics. I even slam-clicked on a few of my layovers just to lay in bed and watch the Olympic Games. I did go out in Cleveland with my Skytress friend Michelle. Michelle called my room just before we were to meet up. She needed an extra 20 minutes to get ready. Michelle explained she had overslept because she had stayed up late watching the Olympics after we got to our layover hotel. Obviously, I completely understood. Yes, indeed. You can clearly see why we are friends. If you have read my previous blog posts you know my love for the Olympics runs deep. I’ve dressed up for the Olympics. I have had Olympic themed meals. I even got so caught up in the 2016 Summer Olympics, I did a somersault in my basement…..just to see if I could still do one. It wasn’t gold medal worthy. But, I didn’t end up in the emergency room. That alone should have earned me at least a bronze.

This year I thought about doing another Summer Olympic somersault. Only my knee has been swollen and I can’t bend it. I’m calling it my Olympic injury. After my successful somersault in 2016, I had high hopes I would have greatly improved on my execution this Olympics. I’ll admit. I had to talk myself into attempting my last Summer Olympic somersault. I, actually, thought about it for days. Heck, I hadn’t done a somersault in decades. Like many decades! But, the women’s gymnastics team made everything look soooo easy. Everyone knows I never could do a cartwheel. Proudly, I could do a handspring when I was younger. But, those days were long gone. Like really long gone! However, I felt the degree of difficulty of a somersault was perfect for my age. Yes. With age comes wisdom. So, on my way upstairs from throwing a load of laundry in the washer, I decided to do a somersault. Sadly, I had to think about the mechanics of doing a somersault. Hand and head placement were critical. Critical so I didn’t permanently injure myself. Then I had to muster up my Olympic courage to tuck and roll. I thought of Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton….I said a prayer…and I awkwardly somersaulted. My dog Finley thought I had lost my mind. She had no idea what had just happened. I wasn’t really sure myself. But, I giggled, and I went upstairs like I was a true Olympian.

I realize now I was not a true Olympian. Don’t worry. My ego was not crushed with this realization. Even though my love for the Olympics runs deep, I sadly have to admit I have never attended the Olympics in person. Shocking. I know. You will be happy to know it is now officially on my bucket list. I did come close to attending the Olympics in 1996. Well….actually…..to be more exact…..I worked many trips into and out of Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympics. I’m proud to say, I did get an airline Olympic pin to wear on my Skytress uniform. Remarkably, many Skytresses never got to wear their airline Olympic pin. Nope. They were scared into getting pregnant. Wait….What? Yes. Skytresses chose to become pregnant just so they didn’t have to fly during the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. All were heard for months prior was how bad it was going to be flying in and out of Atlanta during the Olympics. The fear was real. Skytresses I flew with were planning to get pregnant just to avoid the Summer Olympics flying. My friend, Mary, would remind Skytresses that after the Olympics they would still have their children. Still, these Skytresses decided having children for a lifetime was much better than flying full planes into and out of Atlanta for a few weeks. It’s better I chose to wear my airline Olympic pin than get pregnant. I misplaced my Olympic pin shortly after the Olympics. I perish the thought of what would have happened to my Olympic children.

Our pilots not only had their airline Olympic pins to wear. They were also allowed to wear Olympic ties. Yes. Our airline was full-throttle into the Olympic spirit. The decision to allow our pilots to swap their basic black ties for Olympic ties was a big deal. Both for the company and for the pilots. It was a huge deal for the Captain I flew with all month. Every week he wore a different Olympic tie. I eagerly awaited the Captain’s arrival every trip just to see his Olympic tie choice. And each week I would anxiously await the arrival of the first officer. I knew if he or she had the standard uniform black tie on….it wouldn’t be on for long. The Captain always briefed his first officer about the ties. They knew when we flew into Colorado Springs they were either going to buy an Olympic tie or they were going to wear the Captain’s Olympic tie for the rest of the trip. Yessiree, he would gift the first officer his tie and then he would purchase another Olympic tie for himself. The Captain was adamant that the cockpit crew was not going to depart Colorado Springs with anyone wearing the boring black pilot tie. After all, Colorado Springs is the home of the US Olympic Training Center and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. To leave without an Olympic tie would be unfathomable. Yes. It was fortuitous there was a gift shop at the Colorado Springs airport that sold Olympic ties. They had quite the variety, too. I know this because one week I accompanied the Captain to see the Olympic ties that were for sale. Remarkably, the ties weren’t expensive. There apparently wasn’t a big need for Olympic ties in the summer. Especially in Colorado Springs. I was amazed when I saw all the ties hanging on the tie rack. Boy, were they colorful! The vibrant ties lifted my Olympic spirits to new heights. I don’t know who was happier when we left Colorado Springs with both pilots wearing Olympic ties…me or the Captain.

For those of you that didn’t fly through the Atlanta airport while the Olympics were taking place, let me tell you how it was. It was the best summertime flying in my entire Skytress career! Yes indeed. All the hoopla about flying in and out of Atlanta during the Olympics had an olympic effect. Yep. No one flew through Atlanta. It was surreal. I was gobsmacked to say the least. There was no dodging passengers to get to our gates. The food lines were empty. Passengers had elbow room on the airplanes. Heck, they even had the whole row to themselves. Business men and women were almost extinct. I knew for a fact they had altered their flying plans during the Olympics. Yessiree. It was an unexpected summer vacation for everyone who worked at the airport. I can tell you first hand,…..Skytresses and Skyters were ecstatic. Well, at least the Skytresses and Skyters who were flying. I can’t speak for those who were out on maternity leave.

The Summer Olympics will be returning to Los Angeles in 2028. I’m already bracing myself for Skytresses and Skyters planning to be out on maternity leave when the time comes. I, myself, will be bidding trips that fly through Los Angeles. If the 2028 Olympic flying is remotely similar to the 1996 Olympic flying…..It could quite possibly be some of the best summertime flying I experience before I retire. I’m not sure if I will complete a summertime Olympic somersault in 2028. My American Olympic spirit will be willing to complete an Olympic somersault. However, I’m not sure if my American body will be bendable at that point. Needless to say, I am eagerly setting my eyes on the 2024 Summer Olympics. Not for my somersault. No. The Olympics take place in Paris. I’m already thinking about my Paris Olympic party theme. It’s never too early to think about a party theme. At least not for me! I’m not going to place my order in at the French patisserie just yet. Anyway, I know the owner of the La Bonne Bouchée bakery is an Olympic enthusiast. He has his patisserie decorated for every Olympics. He even bakes delicious Olympic iced sugar cookies. Every Olympics he proudly flies his USA Olympic flag outside his shop. He told me the other day when I went to purchase my Olympic cookies that he bought his flag when he went to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He explained he was a young man and he couldn’t resist driving to Atlanta to experience the Olympics. The day he arrived was the day the bombing took place. He, like the rest of the world, wasn’t sure if the Atlanta Olympics would continue after the bombing. So, he purchased the USA Olympic flag to heal his Olympic heart. He has faithfully flown his flag outside his shop every Olympics since Atlanta. He will fly his USA flag in a few months again when the Winter Olympics take place in Beijing. I will be flying my USA Olympic flag, too. Yessiree. I have to set my sights on the Winter Olympic before I set my sights on the 2024 Olympic in Paris. Sadly, I don’t compete in the Winter Olympics. Well, at least I haven’t yet. I never know when the Olympic spirit will take over my body. Cheers of USA…USA…USA may just cause me to put down my Olympic Chinese fortune cookie and pick up my long forgotten ice skates. I’m pretty sure if I don’t end up in the hospital….I could win at least a bronze medal.