I love the Olympics-Dreams Come True 1984

I love the Olympics! I just got done watching USA Basketball team with my grandson Gryffin. It is so special the way it makes you feel. When the best in the world competes for Bronze, Silver and Gold.

Forty years ago, this week I was a young 28-year-old marketer for Peter Eckrich & Sons (a subsidiary of Beatrice Foods) and wrote a marketing plan to sponsorship of the USA Olympics. Which surprisingly was approved and won me a trip to the 1984 Olympics in LA as a sponsor.

It was a magical week with my wife Louise. ?I got to watch Carl Lewis run the 100-yard dash and Edwin Mosses run the 400-meter hurdles both gold medalists. People around the world were so nice to us.

On the sixth night I got to go see the woman gymnastic finals and see Mary Lou Retton win the gold in the vault with a perfect 10. If that was not enough, we sat right in front of Linda Evans of Dynasty the number one TV show at the time and Bart Conners and Peter Vidmar both Gold Medalists in Gymnastics came up to see her and we got to talk with them.

The picture is of the Gymnastic Program with Linda, Bart and Peter’s signature. The moral of the story is whether you are an athlete of not, dreams can come true if you help others achieve their goals. I was so blessed to have this happen to me. #USAOlympics #MarketingOlympics #Iloveolympics #innovatrium #UWW #Johndegraff

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