So I was texting with Amanda on Monday night after Dancing with the Stars, and we were both raving about how well Meryl, Charlie and Amy did (gooooo Team USA!). We, like the rest of the world, were blown away by how AMAZING Amy was, and Amanda mentioned how she thought the judges were going to cry. I responded, "Uhhhh I've been crying for the entire Paralympics, so I don't blame them!"
Seriously though. All it takes is the slightest glimpse of anything Paralympic-related and I have to take a deep breath and swallow back the tears. It's kind of absurd, actually. Especially the medal ceremonies. Don't even get me started. But I do want to point out some images that are now among my favorite ever.
Alpine skier Mark Bathum and his guide Cade Yamamoto. [x] |
...Yep, just sat here for a solid five minutes trying to figure else what to say about it. There are no words. Just a more or less perpetual lump in my throat.
Equally as tear-jerking is Stephanie Jallen, an adorable but totally bad-ass 18-year-old alpine skier with only one arm and one leg (and now two Paralympic bronze medals). She shouted to herself through all her runs down the mountain, coaching herself through it, and I'll never forget her reaction to winning her first medal. Someone had given her a phone (I'm assuming to call family at home), and she doubled over, sobbing into it. "I got bronze! I got a medal!" (I'm sitting here getting weepy just writing about it.)
And THEN she did this on the podium.
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While I saw significantly less of the Paralympics than I did of the Olympics, what I did see 100% made me a believer. And please, if you like a good ceremony, watch the Paralympic Closing Ceremony. I laughed. I cried (yep, shocker). I was inspired. I was in awe. And I often had no idea what the hell was going on. In other words, it was exactly what a closing ceremony should be!
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