��I guess this is what you guys wanted to see,�� she said.

Nope. They came to see her and wish her well.

��I think today is a celebration of not only the silver medal, but a celebration of Kristy Kowal as a person,�� said Thomas W. Ott, school board president.

Words like honest, hard-working, persevering and kind were used by several speakers who described the 1996 Wilson graduate and the reasons she deserved the county��s support.

She graciously signed autographs countless times Wednesday for every child that wanted one.

She did this after a flight from Georgia - where she had returned Monday after the Summer Games in Sydney, Australia - and then not even stopping at her home in Colony Park before she was rushed by limousine and a blaring fire engine motorcade to the ceremony at the high school gymnasium.

But Wednesday was also a tribute to a down-to-earth and loving family and a testament to the community that rallied to support Kowal.

��It��s just a tremendous outpouring from a tremendous community,�� said Roy G. Snyder, Wilson boys swimming coach and athletic director, after Kowal received a standing ovation at the gymnasium, where she received more than a dozen plaques, commendations and bouquets of flowers from well-wishers and local and state officials.

More than 100 relatives and friends - including a bulldog wrapped in a red, white and blue sweater -- greeted Kowal at Reading Regional Airport, where Kowal��s flight arrived almost an hour late.

No one cared that she was late, except for the bewildered travelers who were waiting to board a plane to Pittsburgh.

More than 1,000 well-wishers lined the streets of Colony Park, Drexelwood and the winding streets in the shadow of Wilson High School during a procession from the airport.

The messages of encouragement displayed on signs and banners - and a billboard on Route 183 - and the number of American flags along that route were countless.

��My mom said there were going to be a few people at the airport,�� Kowal said. ��And then we were going to go to the high school, where there would be a few people who wanted to see me. I didn��t expect this.��

She should have.

��Kristy Kowal united Berks County,�� said Dr. Richard Flannery, executive director of the Berks County Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Kristy Kowal was the fourth Berks County resident to win an Olympic medal and the only one to earn a silver. The others were archer Melanie S. Skillman, who won a bronze in 1988, and Diane Moyer and Brenda Stauffer, who won bronzes in 1984 as members of the field hockey team.

��It remained for Kristy Kowal to evolve into the greatest Olympian ever produced in the 64 years our county has been represented,�� said Flannery before he presented her with a lifetime pass for all Berks scholastic sports events.

Kristy��s parents, Donna and Edward Kowal, said they hardly knew what to say about the support Berks gave their daughter.

��These people have done so much,�� said Donna Kowal, whose eyes were brimming with tears several times Wednesday as the community paid tribute to Kristy.

Word - and images - of the outpouring of support for her reached Kowal even in Australia.

A friend had e-mailed her pictures of the decorations that had been splashed across her neighborhood of Colony Park.

��It meant the world to me,�� Kristy told the crowd in the high school gymnasium.

Then she thanked her family for traveling halfway around the world just watch her swim for 2:24.56, a time that earned her the silver medal in the 200-meter breaststroke and broke the American record she set at the Olympic trials by 0.19 seconds.

��Everybody should be so lucky,�� Robert H. Bright, Wilson girls swimming coach, said of Kowal��s parents and family.

Her parents were recognized three times during the ceremony at the high school.

Each time they reluctantly stood up.

All day they kept telling anyone who would listen that the day was strictly for Kristy.

And they illustrated their selflessness by sharing her with the county, though they last saw her Sept. 24 in Sydney and she will only be in town a week and a half.

After that, the 21-year-old University of Georgia student will return to Athens, Ga., then head to Indianapolis, where she is a strong candidate for NCAA Woman of the Year, and then she will jet to the Cayman Islands with other Olympic swimmers for a vacation paid for by the Olympics organization.

��Then my schedule sort of thins out,�� Kowal said.

She said she plans to continue swimming but doesn��t know what to think about another Olympic competition.

��Four years of swimming is a long time,�� Kowal said after the ceremony.