Carrying the Olympic Flame

HOW COMPING GAVE ME AND MY DAUGHTER THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME!

 

 

 

 

For me, the best prize you can ever win is one that money can’t buy. My daughter and I were lucky enough to win a prize like this, and still reminisce about it today!

 

A comping friend rang me one afternoon with details of a comp she thought me and my daughter, Rianna should enter. We had to name a sports person, dead or alive, who had an impact on our lives. After a brainstorm we agreed on Lillian Board, the 400m Olympic medalist who inspired me as a young girl my daughter’s age now. Lillian was a teenager at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, narrowly missing out on a gold medal by just one tenth of a second. Due to her following successes she became the "Golden Girl" of athletics in the eyes of the British Press. Tragically just two years later became seriously ill and died of cancer at just 22 years old.

 

The competition promoter was Samsung and the prize was a five-star holiday in Rome − though not just any holiday, as we soon found out…

 

When I got the phone call from a lady asking to speak to my daughter, Rianna, I couldn’t think what she wanted. To be honest, for a dreadful moment I thought it was a School Inspector and Rianna had skipped a class! I had completely forgotten about the competition.

 

So when the lady told me that Rianna had won a 5* holiday to Rome, I was gob-smacked. And the more I heard about what was included in the prize, the more excited I became…

 

The penny really dropped on how fabulous this prize was when the lady at Samsung who was organising the prize asked for Rianna’s measurements, so she could send her an Olympic Track Suit. Yes, my little girl had been picked to carry the Olympic Torch in the 2006 winter Olympics as it made its way to the final in Torino. We had just won our prize of a life-time!

 

Rianna and I flew out to Rome with a group of seven other winners. There had been hundreds of entries, and we were told that ours stood out because we chose someone from the past, unlike the many David Beckham/Michael Owen entries!

 

The stay was mapped out from start to finish; really well organised and professional. Our accommodation overlooked the Trevi Fountain and was something you dream of. Our suite was bigger than my home! Cream thick piled carpets which my feet sunk into. Slippers and Bath Robes lay on the bed along with chocolates on each pillow. We were treated like Royalty and the usual blue carpet in the foyer of the Hotel had even been changed to red for us!!

 

Cameras flashed non stop on our arrival and we now have a very slim idea of what celebrities must go through!

 

I’ll never forget the noise from the people around us cheering, as police cars led the procession in front of Rianna carrying the Olympic Torch. Headlights on full, horns were tooting and emotions were high. I had a huge lump in my throat and even the Samsung representatives wiped away a tear of two.

 

Rianna ran 800 metres with the Olympic Torch held high above her head. The flame looked magnificent, reaching about 14 inches high.

 

Afterwards we were whisked off in a limo to be guests at a Gala dinner with all the Samsung dignitaries, which was fantastic.

 

When we returned home after all the excitement, we both felt a little deflated. But Samsung sent a video of our stay a couple of days later, which really perked us up. Now, when we need a boost of encouragement about our hobby, we put the video on and remind ourselves that thanks to comping we were given the chance of a lifetime!

 

I’ve won some fantastic prizes since this trip; cash, tickets to shows and other goodies, but this prize is something that I will never, ever forget. I’m a member of a small local comp club, and if there is one thing I have learnt from my comping friends, it’s that everyone can be a winner. Every single one of us in the club has won an amazing prize at some point; it seems to go round in a circle. So I’d say to anyone who hasn’t won their prize-of-a-lifetime yet, there’s no reason why it won’t be very soon!

 

Good luck and happy comping,

 

Joy, Essex