Rio blog: Team USA, the Opening Ceremony

(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 are being held.)

“U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! This is the chant that over 300 athletes, coaches and staff are shouting as we walk through the tunnel that leads us into the Maracaña Stadium. Dressed in our red, white and blue opening ceremony outfits, we step out into the lights.

(We hear) “Estados Unidos!” and the crowd goes wild. I can’t believe my eyes. It’s a sold-out crowd.

Nothing could compare to the feeling I got when 78,000 people started roaring when they saw us come out of the tunnel. I couldn’t help but smile. I take a look around and see some faces in the front row. They are falling over the wall, trying to reach out and wave to us. I wave back and they start the chant all over again. My ears were either pounding from adrenaline, the loud music, or the screams from the crowd. What really impressed me was that the performances were personalized just for the Paralympic Games.

The torch was brought out and was passed between three Brazilian athletes. As it was being lit, it started to pour. We madly scrambled to throw on our ponchos while it was passed onto the final athlete in a wheelchair. He struggled to push up the slippery ramp. The crowd was going crazy by this point. When he finally made it to the top, he lit the flame. As it rose into the air, the rain subsided. I sat next to my friend — another athlete from Hawaii — and he shook me from behind and cried out, “We’re Paralympians!!!”