Story link: https://www.wralsportsfan.com/olympic-mission-creating-connections-through-sports/21556969/
Before heading to Paris, our team compiled a list of over 200 people attending the Olympics who had connections to North Carolina– from athletes and coaches to businessmen. About two weeks before the trip, my parents mentioned that someone from our church was going on a mission trip to the Olympics to lead a sports camp. Coincidentally, my professor—who also attends our church—had already added the man’s name to our spreadsheet of Olympic contacts. Each student on our team was asked to reach out to a few people before leaving, to make it easier to connect once we arrived. I volunteered to contact the man putting on the camp before even checking the name.
I typed “Rik Seymour” into LinkedIn and immediately thought: “I know that guy!” I went to a small K–12 school in Raleigh, and Mr. Seymour was the father of Kam Seymour, who not only went to my high school but also attended UNC. She was a year ahead of me, and I often saw her around campus. I messaged Mr. Seymour right away, letting him know I knew his daughter and went to her high school. I’m sure he would’ve accepted my interview request regardless, but he quickly replied and said he’d be happy to talk.
Once in Paris, we met up under the Eiffel Tower, where Seymour and his team were set up passing out sports gear and bracelets with Bible verses. We recorded the interview, and I planned to film the sports camp later in the week. But later that day, I was told the package was due the next day for WRAL. I checked the camp location and was shocked—it was just one metro stop away from our hotel. Since we were staying in southern Paris, that kind of convenience was rare; most trips required multiple trains and at least 30 minutes of travel. I got lucky.
The next day, I reached the camp in 15 minutes. It was held at a park that also doubled as a fan zone. Seymour had told me before this “wasn’t your typical sports camp.” Mr. Seymour had told me, “This isn’t your typical sports camp,” and he was right. He’d set up cones on a public court and simply start playing. As people passed by, he’d invite them to join. During the hour I was there, the participants ranged from kids under 10 to adults over 30. The one thing they all had in common was the amount of fun they were having. With years of coaching experience, Mr. Seymour ran drills that were not only engaging but actually developed skills—even in that short amount of time.
After filming, I headed back to the hotel and spent a few hours editing before returning to the park to shoot my standup. It was my first time turning a package around that quickly, and I made the deadline just in time. For the rest of the week, Mr. Seymour kept in touch, updating me on their activities and offering help if we ever needed anything. It was comforting to know someone from home was in Paris with us. It hit me how small the world really is—two people from the same Raleigh church and high school community, meeting in Paris during the Olympics.