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Meet Jose

Faces of Rio 2016

By Rachel Tobias

August 7^th, 2016

Meet Jose.

Jose is originally from Arizona, but now lives in Kansas where he works for the Athletics department at the University of Kansas, enabling other athletes to make their dreams a reality. He had dreams of becoming an Olympian himself, and dedicated his high school and college career to getting to the Games, only to stopped by an injury at the most inopportune moment. I was inspired by Jose’s story, and his resilience as he overcame the disappointment and loss that accompanied the end of his career. It’s that humility and grace that really defines true Olympians, in my mind. He might not have a medal, but he’s definitely an Olympian at heart.

Jose and I are one of about forty volunteers at the USA House in Ipanema. Jose and I both had tickets to see the Opening Ceremonies (I was so fortunate to be given a ticket by a friend the night before the Ceremonies, and am so grateful to her!), and we decided to head to Maracanã stadium early together to explore the venue and get ourselves as immersed in the experience as we possibly could.

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It’s adventures like this that make for special friendships; it’s one of the things I love most about the Olympic Games. This was Jose’s first Olympics, and it was particularly special to get to experience this magical kickoff to the Games through his [wide] eyes. We helped ourselves to the ins and outs of the stadium; despite the heavy security presence, we seemed to be able to walk into any and all restricted areas, including the performer dressing and preparation area. We enjoyed the early quiet of an empty stadium, and watched as it flooded with quirky costumes, flags of every color, and patriot chants. We gushed about our favorite parts of the show on the way home, and marveled at the inefficiency of the transportation logistics as determined by the Brazilian military.