Jennifer and Heather Mears of Amherst would wake up early to go for a jog in Hyde Park (“two steps from the dorm”) at 5 a.m
Western New England University students gather in Earl's Court in London to watch the women's volleyball competition. Twins Heather and Jennifer Mears, of Amherst, glowed as they talked about their trip of a lifetime to the Olympic Games in London. They were in a group of 15 Western New England University students who were there from July 25 to August 4.
The trip was organized by professor Curt Hamakawa, director of the Center for International Sports Business at Western New England and a former member of the International Olympic Committee.
“For me,” said Hamakawa, who teaches sports management, “the thrill is seeing students wide-eyed at this kind of mega-sporting event. It’s history in the making and the students get to be part of it.”
Jennifer and Heather, who are entering their senior year, had never been outside the country before. “We both play volleyball and softball in school, so we couldn’t travel,” said Heather Mears, as if anyone but a jock would understand the explanation.
The two young women worked like furies to help pay for the trip, which cost $6,000 per person. “We’ve been saving since September,” said Heather Mears.
Both had catering jobs at Amherst College. Between them, they also worked at Dunkin’ Donuts, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and the Nike Softball Camp at Amherst.
They also used birthday money (they turned 21 on July 1), and their parents, Kelley and Rick, shouldered a lot of the cost. “We owe everything to them,” said Heather.
The Western New England Alumni Association awarded the project a $1,200 grant.
Hamakawa taught a business and culture course in the spring that prepared participants for the upcoming trip.
Most of the students were from the School of Business. Heather Mears is majoring in public relations and communications, and Jennifer Mears is a marketing, communications and advertising major.
Other Massachusetts students on the trip were Maria Francese, of Dalton, Laura Madaio, of Paxton, Jason Titelbaum, of Peabody, and Dan Colton, of Plymouth.
From New York came R. J. Suhre, of West Harrison, Ryan Coseo, of Ballston Spa, and Dennis Rinaldi, of West Harrison, who cracked up his friends by wearing a flag-inspired bodysuit and even got a reaction from a member of the famously imperturbable Palace Guard.
Connecticut students on the trip were Lydia LeFevre of New Hartford, Marisa Harris of Wethersfield, Nick Varney, Lauren Silvis and Emily Savino of Ellington, and Anthony Camardi of Canaan, who brought an Italian flag to wave when Italians performed. Two other professors were also on the trip.
While they were in London, the students took quizzes and wrote papers. The Mears sisters and Madaio gave a presentation on “The Development of Sports through the Olympics.”
This is the first year the United States had more females than males in the competitions, said Jennifer. Also, three countries sent women to the Olympics that had never done so before.
Jennifer said she and her sister would wake up early to go for a jog in Hyde Park (“two steps from the dorm”) at 5 a.m. Then they would meet for class at 7 a.m., have breakfast, hit the stands to watch world-class athletes and board buses to tour the city and countryside. They stayed up into the wee hours of the morning and never got tired, they said.
The group got to see eight athletic events, including two with U.S. teams. Even badminton, which some consider a tame backyard sport, was ferocious at that level. “The reflexes and speed were incredible,” said Jennifer. She learned that the U.S. men are World Champions in Badminton.
The students had stocked up on lapel pins bearing the name of their university. Pin-trading is popular across the pond, and they met people – on the street, on the “tube” – from everywhere by trading pins.
It’s one of those things that had no language barriers.