An Olympic Games like no other. No fans in Tokyo, COVID-19 distancing protocols, and masks. While all that might look out-of-place compared to Olympics of the past, mask wearing is something that was previously needed. At the 2008 games in Beijing, Carrie Lingo was 11 years removed from her Cape Henlopen High School graduation. She was a member of the United States Field Hockey team and for several days had to don the mask very familiar to many us now. "It was very humid and there were days that we did have to wear masks just because of the air quality," Lingo remembered.
Another similarity from her experience to what today's Team USA contingent has now is preparing for the Games taking place half a world away. "Usually when you are awake and training in the United States they are sleeping over there," Lingo said. "Now your body needs to be awake and training when it is supposed to be sleeping."
Despite the different look and sound to these Games and despite these Olympics being forced to postpone for one year due to the pandemic, Lingo is still excited for what Tokyo will produce over the next few weeks. "It has been so fun seeing the athletes arrive and the social media is so strong. We are getting play-by-play of arrivals at the airport so it is more of a personal touch." During the summer of 2008, it was Lingo traveling to Asia and competing against the best her sport. Now she plans to take-in this edition of the Olympics from the comforts of her home near the Delaware coast with her family. It may be a different year, a different location, but as the years pass, the appreciation of what she did does not diminish. "It is something I will always cherish and I will always have," Lingo said. "I will never forget when we were at the Olympics one of the senior athletes looked at me and said "you know once you are an Olympian you are always an Olympian'."