Meeting Apolo Anton Ohno at the Chicago Sportsfest
Well, I'm not that good at telling stories, but here it is. I was supposed to go with Dave, but he bowed out, so I ended up taking Fatima. So she was a sweetheart, and she came with me to be my camera girl (she doesn't understand the fascination with Apolo, and has no idea why he's so popular - I think she actually despises him, not him, but his popularity). We got there, and there was actually a lot of cool sports memorabilia. So we browsed around, and bought some stuff. Then we met a couple other fans, who were all really nice. I know that Fatima was dying with all our Apolo talk. So Apolo came out, and he signed autographs and talked to fans. His father, Yuki, was there, too. So my turn came up, and the first thing I did was shake his hand, because I made a bet with Claudine right after the Winter Olympics that I was gonna shake Apolo's hand before the next Olympics. Then I asked him if he was tired, and he shyly said 'No, I'm doing ok' and other things, which I really don't remember. It was all kind of a daze. But at least I said something this time! Fatima took some good pics, and she said the funniest thing - 'I wonder if he could feel the hatred eminating from my body.' Well, not everyone could be a fan. She was just tired from waiting around. She was actually going to go up to him and say 'You did a great job at the Olympics - I love you, Rusty!' What a dork. But I love her for suffering through this with me! All in all, it was a great time.

So the whole experience was SO different from the Rusty dinner last week. I mean, I said a total of about 15 words to Apolo, and me and Rusty actually had conversations. I'd have to honestly say that I had a much better time hanging out with Rusty, but then again, the circumstances were way different. Personalities, too. Apolo was pretty shy and bashful when I was talking to him, but Rusty is outgoing and confident. But they're both cute, and they're both great!

But don't get jealous, Dave, you're still my #1. As if he's even going to read this. He doesn't know how to use the internet. :)

Posted by Yano at June 16, 2002 10:47 PM