Rio blog: Processing and Village Life

(Shelby Baron is a senior communicative disorders major and a wheelchair tennis player at UA. She has competed for the United States National Team since 2010 and will compete for the U.S. in Rio. Baron will blog about her experiences while in Rio, where the 2016 Paralympic Games begin today.)

Shelby Baron will compete for the the United States Wheelchair Tennis Team at the Paralympic Games.
Shelby Baron will compete for the United States Wheelchair Tennis Team at the Paralympic Games.

Wow.

It has been a whirlwind of a month for me.

First, I found out on my birthday, that I was going to the Paralympics. That left me less than three weeks to go to a training camp in Minnesota, adjust to all of my classes, and jet off to Houston for team processing.

What is team processing? It’s like a more chaotic Christmas – madly trying on Ralph Lauren and Nike clothes in your personalized fitting room. Something doesn’t fit? They’ll just go into the back and grab you another size. I left that convention center not knowing if I’d have enough days during my three weeks away to wear all my new swag.

Next came the flight. I had imagined my own version of the village in my head. All of my expectations did not compare to reality. Rolling off the bus, I saw a couple dozen buildings that would house four thousand athletes during the games. The dining hall is about the size of a small airport. There is an entertainment center, a skate park, a fitness tent, and even a McDonald’s. My days so far have been filled with practice, meeting athletes from all over the world, and eating Chicken McNuggets.

The best part is knowing that we receive the same treatment as all of the Olympic athletes. I cannot wait for our opening ceremonies today.

Source

Shelby Baron, student, skbaron@crimson.ua.edu