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Sunday's Internet Edition, October 12, 2008.
Gold medal celebration held for Brown-Trafton
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Photo by Laura Bemis
Galt Mayor Andrew Meredith presents gold medal winner Stephanie Brown-Trafton the key to the city, the city's highest honor, for making history in Galt, and for setting a gold medal example for all the world to see.
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By Kerensa Uyeta-Buckley
Staff Writer
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Whether it was to get an autograph, catch a glimpse of an Olympic champion, or simply take part of an Olympic local athlete’s celebration, thousands of people showed up to honor Stephanie Brown-Trafton at a welcome-home ceremony last Wednesday.
Fans young and old jammed Galt Community Park to welcome Brown-Trafton, 28, who won the gold medal in the women’s discus at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China one week earlier.
The event was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as one fan put it, for fans to meet Brown-Trafton, a Galt resident who threw a distance of 64.74 to win the first U.S. gold medal in the event since 1932.
American flags lined the street, a huge banner hung over the park entrance, and Boy Scouts, youth football players, baseball players and youth cheerleaders all stood in the front row of a swarm of eager fans to greet Brown-Trafton.
Brown-Trafton arrived in a convertible that followed two police escort cars, sirens wailing, waving and showing the crowd her gold medal, which ignited a loud cheer from the estimated group of over one thousand people.
Marisa Amick, who brought her two children to get their picture taken with Brown-Trafton, said she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet an Olympic gold medallist.
“It was just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I really wanted to take that opportunity,” Amick said after the celebration. “It was really good seeing her, seeing the gold medal, seeing what she’s done as a person, it’s going to be almost bigger than life,” Amick said.
The park was decked out with the Olympic rings and small American flags held by children and their parents.
Sacramento County Supervisor for the Fifth District Don Nottoli designated the day as Stephanie Brown-Trafton Day and told the medal winner that her achievement was recognized by those near and far.
“There’s nothing that beats a hometown welcome for a hero, and that’s what she’s got tonight. So congratulations, Stephanie,” Nottoli said.
Groups from both Galt and Sacramento spoke during a ceremony and presented tokens of recognition to Brown-Trafton.
Galt mayor Andrew Meredith presented the key to the city of Galt to Brown-Trafton and recognized her for inspiring children to follow their dreams.
“Tonight we celebrate your gold medal performance as a community,” Meredith said.
A special moment for Brown-Trafton and her family came when the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard, including her friend George Kirbyson, presented the American flag that had been flown in Iraq.
Kirbyson presented the flag personally to his friend, who had paraded with it during her victory lap after clinching gold in Beijing.
“That’s her flag now. It truly is a part of history,” Kirbyson said, after handing the folded up flag to Brown-Trafton who was seated next to her husband Jerry.
Brown-Trafton also was presented a gift from the 1956 U.S. women’s discus gold medal winner, handed to her by Galt city clerk Elizabeth Aguire at the ceremony Wednesday.
After Brown-Trafton was honored, she addressed the crowd, thanking her husband for being there for her during her Olympic journey and thanking her family, including her father, Steve Brown, and her employer.
Brown-Trafton told her audience that she had dreamed of being an Olympian since she was four years old and that her teachers made it possible for her dream to come true.
Brown-Trafton spoke to the children in the audience, advising them to stay focused on their dreams.
“Whatever you want to do, you just have to keep dreaming about it,” Brown-Trafton said.
She signed autographs and took pictures with fans until every last person was gone, and before that, fireworks surprised the crowd with a beautiful display of light bringing a close to the Olympic party.
For one who captured it all with her winning throw at the Olympics, Brown-Trafton said she was happily surprised by the amount of well wishers who came Wednesday.
She was noticeably humbled by the turnout.
“I wasn’t expecting this. It’s a great honor. This is something that happens for military and people of great honor,” Brown-Trafton said. “I’m not sure I fit into that category.”
Brown-Trafton, who threw out candy to the crowd from her car on her arrival, joked that she’d have to bring more candy next time.
“I was amazed. I didn’t have enough candy to throw out,” Brown-Trafton said after finishing her autograph session. “I ran out of candy about halfway down, so next time I win a gold medal, I’ll bring lots of candy.”
Her father said that he knew his daughter had the skills and ability to achieve her dream.
“I’ve always been very confident that she had the ability to succeed at the world level. I’ve known it for a long time,” Brown said, seated with the rest of the Brown-Trafton group.
“Stephanie’s been working at this for 15 years and. if you count her younger athletic achievements, she’s been maybe working at it for 20 years,” said Brown.
Afterwards, Meredith said that the city had been expecting maybe 1,000 people for the celebration and that the turnout more than exceeded their expectations.
“We’re so proud of her. We’re in a time where athletes are living so far beyond the average American, and it’s great to have an inspirational role model like Stephanie that’s humble, down to earth, and she embodies everything that all of us want to be,” Meredith said.
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