By Kerry Rahm
krahm@wbcowqel.com
It started off with a not so modest childhood dream, one of Olympic proportions. Inspired by gymnast Mary Lou Retton, who won gold in 1984, Crawford County resident Teresa Roe always wanted to be involved in the Olympics – some way, somehow. Roe will fulfill that dream, in part, as she will be going to the 2016 Olympics this summer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as an official Olympic volunteer.
She had dyed red streaks in her hair to celebrate, and had just presented her journey (thus far) to 4th grade students at Colonel Crawford. Though not an Olympic athlete, Roe is officially a bona fide volunteer at the games, and it’s been an interesting and rigorous process, to say the least.
Roe and her husband, Chris, have three children, Sara, Joshua and Nicholas. The Roe kids are all locally reared, Colonel Crawford graduates (Teresa is a Colonel Crawford alum herself). She is a woman who is passionate about flowers and gardening, and, fittingly, loves participating in competitive sports.
She had been a nurse for 22 years and has always wanted to be one, even as a small child.
Now at Ohio Health Physician Group in Columbus, it didn’t even occur to Roe that volunteering could be a way into the Olympics.
It was during the 2012 games in London that Roe realized people could participate by offering volunteer help. She turned to Google, searching and researching, visiting the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) website, asking questions and getting information.
She completed her application a full year after the London Olympics.
“You have to apply first. That was three years ago… Over the next year or two, you stay in contact with them, and they send you tests, and they send you education about the Olympics, and how to qualify, and [information] about the games, and what it means… you have to stay in contact with them and stay on board.”
According to Roe, there were approximately 270,000 volunteer applicants worldwide, which was then whittled down to the 20,000 non-Brazilian volunteers selected. All of these applicants were considered general volunteers. Out of these general volunteers, there are subsets and different departments (such as healthcare), and all volunteers have different roles to play.
Last she heard, about 3000 volunteers come from the United States.
Regarding the highly competitive screening process, Roe says, “I can’t imagine what they had to go through to identify everybody, and to make sure everybody was qualified, what roles they’re going to be in. I have to give them a lot of credit. That has to be daunting in and of itself.”
She was put through group webinars and interviews, and tests which demonstrated her ability to communicate in both English and Spanish (Spanish being a “cousin” of the Portuguese language). Having taken a conversational Spanish class at Pioneer, she had that base covered.
“I knew when I applied that I was going to have to learn the language.” She is picking up more Portuguese, and especially studying the names for each body part.
It was her responsibility to check her e-mail every day, to stay up on the race to become a volunteer.
It was the day after Thanksgiving 2015 when she knew she was officially accepted.
“I was a mess before that, because we just kept waiting, people already started getting their invitations,” she said. “Finally, I got it. I cried and I screamed, and I was just so excited.”
Roe says she really has no idea why she was chosen, and she says there are volunteers of every age, from college age to those in their seventies, who have made the cut.
Next came the realization that she would have to plan and prepare from the ground up.
She became dedicated to preparation. She had a long way to go.
“I have not gone on vacation. I saved all of my vacation time. My employer has been so supportive and grateful that I am part of such a great thing, they are allowing me to take that saved up vacation time which is over three weeks.”
And then there is the issue of money.
Volunteers must pay for everything themselves. Their flight, vaccinations, updated passport with a microprocessor chip, housing, food, and even transportation.
She estimates about $4000 is needed for the entire trip.
“I would sell (Rio 2016) T-shirts at cost. I wasn’t making anything from the shirts, and people could give a donation if they wanted. I sold right around 50 shirts, and then people donated. Fifty dollars here… one person gave me $200. Just a little at a time, and it paid for almost 80 percent of my flight.
“At the Olympics, there [will be] a wall with the names of all the volunteers worldwide, so I am making a collage poster of everybody in their Rio T-shirts, and I am going to hang the poster up by my name, so everybody who has helped and supported me are going to be there with me… I’m going to post it on my blog.”
Her children have guided her into the information age, technologically speaking, by helping her with her online blog, and possibly setting up an Instagram account to share pictures with friends, family, and colleagues.
They have also helped her create a Go Fund Me webpage, which has raised about $240 so far.
“I did that for one reason, people were saying they wanted to donate. They can put [the money] there if they want to.”
Then the problem of housing arose. As a volunteer, you have to find your own. As luck would have it, she knew just where to go.
Roe worked as a Mansfield ER nurse where she met Elaine, a fellow nurse and friend, who happens to be from Brazil. Through a chain of “a friend of a friend of a friend,” Roe was able to secure a host room pretty close to the venue where she will be working, about a 35 to 45 minute drive.
Although she does not know for sure if she will be in the nursing volunteer pool specifically, she speculates that she may be more involved with spectators who may need immediate care.
She knows where she will be stationed, in the Olympic Aquatics Stadium during the swimming events with the Olympic swimmers, where she may get to see Michael Phelps in his last games before retiring.
The Rio 2016 uniform is “pretty cool,” and one of the few things she is provided with outright. She says volunteers cannot work if they do not have the uniform on. Roe also gets a meal on the days she works. She also hopes for agreeable weather, as the seasons are opposite in the southern hemisphere (where come August it will be winter), and temperatures should be in the 70’s with no humidity.
As far as the mosquitos and what they bring- namely the Zika virus, Roe remains levelheaded when discussing that topic. “They sent us information, about what it is, and the latest updates about it, and what they are doing to prevent it. They are taking measures to prevent it in the areas that are going to be populated during the Olympic ceremonies.
“It is an illness,” she intones, “but you just take the precautions that you need to.”
“Regardless of that, it will just be amazing to be there with so many people from the whole world. It’s just amazing. It’s pretty neat.”
A sort of worldwide volunteer hub has been set up where Roe has reached out to other volunteers. So far she knows of both a Columbus volunteer and a Cincinnati-based volunteer. She was contacted by a Columbus-born Californian volunteer who told her, “I live in California, but I’m still a Buckeye!”
“We have all made plans to meet,” Roe said. “We have all helped each other [throughout] this process.” The volunteers will also get to attend the opening ceremonies.
Roe mentioned wrestler Kyle Snyder from The Ohio State University will be competing in the Olympics as well.
As she continues on toward August, she still has a few things to do, namely documenting on her blog up until she leaves, getting one last vaccination, and eventually setting up that Instagram account.
She could not be more thankful, and her enthusiasm is all encompassing.
“What have I learned the most since I’ve started this? I think the biggest thing is the kindness, from everyone, people I don’t even know… it’s amazing. Just genuine kindness.”
“It’s pretty amazing. It’s a good life lesson.”
The 2016 Summer Olympics will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from August 5th to 21st, 2016. For more information on Teresa’s journey, check out her blog and Go Fund Me site at:
https://www.gofundme.com/RioTeresa