When I was 13 years old, I went to see the 1984 Olympic Track and Field Trials in Los Angeles. I spent two days at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum having a great time with my friend Tom. It was awesome to watch because so much was on the line for some of my favorite track and field athletes. The experience was something I never forgot.

On July 8th and 10th, I was in San Jose, CA to watch the U.S. Women’s Olympic Gymnastics Trials. This trip was organized by my daughter’s gym and I didn’t want her to miss out on seeing this. I wanted her to have the same great memories I still have of the Olympic Trials.

On the first night of competition you could feel the energy in the crowd. There was so much at stake and it was exciting to watch. One of the highlights for my daughter was watching Gabby Douglas, who was the All-Around 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist.

On the second day of competition, we stood in line for an hour so my daughter could take a picture and get an autograph from 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist Kerri Strug. My daughter was so happy afterward. The smile on her face made waiting in line worth it.

When it was all over, I could tell my daughter had an amazing time watching some of the greatest gymnasts in the world competing. I had a good time also. A highlight for me was when they introduced the Olympic Team as the crowd cheered loudly and music filled the arena like they were rock stars.

With the Olympic Trials out of the way, we left on Monday and drove to Monterey, CA on the next leg of our road trip. On the way, we stopped at a place called The Mystery Spot.

More about that on my next post.