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The Olympic Flame Comes to Town! (February 3)
Mr. Kurita, a runner chosen to carry the Olympic Torch in the relay, looked very satisfied after he ran his leg. "When I was handed the torch, I could feel the emotions of all the others who had carried it like an electric shock up my arm. After finishing my part of the relay, I felt very good--very fulfilled."Right before she got the torch from Mr. Kurita, Sachiko Yamamoto said she felt "half nervous, half excited." Ms. Yamamoto, who was once an Olympic Alpine skier for Japan, graduated from our very own Yamanouchi Middle School. Today she had a big smile on her face, and she seemed to be enjoying herself. After she ran her leg, she told us: "At first, all I could think about was running without letting the flame blow out. I think I did a good job. I was so happy to see how many people turned out to cheer the torch along its way!"
Even the middle school students who ran alongside the torch carriers as "support runners" said they were nervous, but they looked quite happy as they said this.
I was not a runner today, but as I watched the runners go by I felt excited for some reason. My legs began to shake. There were a lot of people crowded around the place where the torch was handed off. Some of them were kindergarteners cheering with pictures of the Snowlets they had drawn themselves, and some of them were old people from a nursing home cheering from their wheelchairs. To tell the truth, I was surprised by the number of people there. It really was a big event.
At the instant the torch was passed from one runner to the next, there was a burst of camera flashes and cheers from the crowd. It was a moment I will never forget. (Compiled from six reports, Yamanouchi Middle School)
