Like many people, I went with a friend (Chen Huiyen) to a gathering in Atlanta to see a parade and fireworks. Saw the former, not the later. I went wearing my Atlanta Beat t-shirt and cap, with the knowledge that the Beat would be participating in the parade. When I arrived at Centennial Olympic Park (first time I have been there since the 1996 Olympics), I saw several Beat players by the food court area set up for the Independence Day celebration. I first saw Emily Burt. It was a thrill because I have become more and more a fan of her and her style of play. Chatted briefly about a few things, including the Charge match the week before, which I didn't have a chance to see. She seemed really nice and a very pleasant person to talk to.
I then saw my favorite player, Sun Wen. I have been a fan of hers since I saw her play in the semi-finals and finals of the 1996 Olympics (played in Athens, Georgia less than a five-minute from my apartment at the time). I also saw her play a couple of times when I lived in Shanghai in 1998 and 1999. I have so much respect for her talent and the way she plays the game. I talked with her quite a bit. I told her she is my favorite player and we talked a little about soccer, as well as Shanghai. She also told me that her ankle was still bothering her. She even knew my favorite restaurant and street in Shanghai. I hope to have a chance to talk with her again about such things. The ladies were gathering near the parade route, but as my friend and I were headed in that direction, Sun Wen came back to me and asked me how I could speak Chinese so well. I think she is really nice and I wish her all the best.
While talking to Sun Wen, I saw Homare Sawa, actually, she saw me talking to Sun Wen. She actually remembered me from when I met her and Dayna Smith in Alpharetta a month and a half earlier.
While Huiyen and I were waiting for the parade the start, we saw the Beat pass by us to go to their staging area. I yelled and waved at them. I know Sun Wen and a couple of other players saw me covered in my Beat garb.
As the parade was starting, it started pouring. I mean it was raining cats and dogs. Georgians don't let weather bother us. Heck, I would rather be in a downpour rather than be sweltering in 95 degree heat with 90 percent humidity (not uncommon in the hot Georgia summer). The parade went on anyway. About 30 minutes into the parade, the Beat came by. Several players heard me screaming and saw what I was wearing. Many of them waved at me. In the back were Sun Wen and Sawa Homare walking together. Both saw me and waved at me.
I am not normally one to get excited about being around celebrities. Most of them are pretty self-centered anyway and I can't really relate to them. However, having formerly been a soccer player, I have some appreciation for how hard these ladies have had to work in one of the most demanding sports in the world to play. Not only that, every time I have had any contact with any of them, they have shown class, poise, and friendliness. They may have a hard-nosed reputation on the field that is earning them the moniker of "The Dirty South Darth Vaderettes" on the BigSoccer.com website. But off the field, they are wonderful ladies and I will look forward to meeting them again. Hopefully this Saturday evening after the Beat beat up on Mia Hamm and the Washington Freedom.