Point Reyes Light - September 14, 2000
Olympic medalist here
By Don Schinske Although the record books won't show it, the first American awarded a medal at the 2000 Olympics was a Point Reyes Station resident, who got one for just sort of showing up.
Laura Marcoux, who splits time between West Marin and Lake Tahoe, is a United Airlines flight attendant. She regularly flies to Sydney, Australia, and she was there last week when she decided to get tickets to some of the upcoming Olympic events, particularly the equestrian competition.
As it happens, she got a ticket to attend a dedication ceremony for the Olympics last Saturday, which was held beside "a beautiful pond" in Sydney's Hyde Park, Marcoux recalled Tuesday.
VIP section The flight attendant took her seat in the audience. However, she was soon approached by a police officer who asked if she would rather sit in front with all the dignitaries. Mystified, Marcoux moved up. All she could guess is that there were a few empty seats in the VIP section, and organizers invited her to the front to make the section look fuller for the cameras. (Malcoux acknowledged looking "pretty presentable" that day).
The dedication, complete with 50-piece band and 100-person choir, went off without a hitch. The congenial Marcoux met a whole array of muckety-mucks: the mayor of Sydney; the father at Sydney's cathedral; the premier of New South Wales, Bob Carr; plus the president of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch.
The flight attendant throughout simply told her fellow dignitaries she was "with United," an explanation that flew well enough: United happens to be the "official airlines" of the 2000 Olympics.
At ceremony's end, commemorative medals were passed out to all speakers and important guests, including Marcoux. The Cypress Road resident mused, "I have an Olympic medal now."