BNSF News

Gloria Toteda Recounts Olympic Games Experiences

2010-03-22

Gloria Toteda experienced the best of both worlds during her stint as a volunteer at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

She was able, first of all, to enjoy her time coordinating media interviews with curling athletes. In addition, she was able to attend several events as a spectator and had the chance to touch a gold medal.

Toteda, a sales manager in Industrial Products, was one of 20,000 people from throughout the world who volunteered during the Olympic Games.

"It was so great, it's hard to put into words," Toteda said. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Toteda said her "best" experience was entering the curling venue for the first time and seeing the ice with the Olympic rings underneath it. She realized at that point that she was, really, at the Olympics.

Her assignment was coordinating media interviews with athletes. International Olympic Committee rules require that all athletes be available for the media once they are done on the field of play, and Toteda was responsible for ensuring those protocols were followed during her shift. Several of the teams had press attaches, which helped with that coordination, she said.

The experience was positive overall because people were excited about the competition. But Toteda notes that it was sad to see the athletes struggle when they didn't do as well as they had anticipated.

"When one team lost and realized they were out of the competition, they needed a few minutes to get ready before they were able to speak to the media," she said.

Toteda said she was able to briefly hold one of the gold medals presented to the short-track speed skating team. And she was at the figure skating competition when Evan Lysacek skated his gold-medal winning performance.

Another highlight was seeing how existing facilities were transformed for the Olympics. The home arena for the Vancouver Canucks hockey team, for example, had been completely transformed with Olympics signage and colors.

"It's unbelievable the amount of signage they put up," she said. Toteda said she boarded a public bus one afternoon and was greeted with the crowd singing, "O, Canada," the Canadian national anthem.

"It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience," she said. "But it's one I hope to have again."

BNSF Headquarters

BNSF Railway Company
2650 Lou Menk Dr. 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 961057
Fort Worth, TX 76161-0057
Phone: (817) 352-1000

For more information on the company and its transportation solutions, visit the BNSF Web site at www.bnsf.com