If skater Erin Jackson wins a medal in the Olympic 500-meter dash in Beijing on Sunday, February 13, she will no doubt thank her friend Brittany Poe once again. Bowe kindly gave her a starting ticket from that distance after the US trials in Milwaukee to Jackson, who was in danger of missing the Winter Olympics due to a foul.
Bo immediately became a heroine in the United States. Olympic spiritIt seemed everywhere. The fact that Poe is white and Jackson is black plays an important role in praise in the deeply politically divided country. Although Bo will soon win gold in the 1,000 and 1,500 meters, Americans will especially remember that generous gesture. It's the cheerful story Americans crave. The couple have already been guests on the widely watched breakfast show Good morning America.
Community spirit
Jackson has won four of eight World Cup races in the 500m this season and is the favorite at the Games. However, due to a blunder at the US trials in Milwaukee, she missed out on an Olympic ticket at that distance. Bo, who has more chances of winning medals in the 1,000 and 1,500 meters in Beijing, decided to give up her starting ticket for the 500 meters to Jackson.
This gesture has a long history, because Beau (33 years old) and Jackson (29 years old) have known each other for twenty years. With Joey Mantia, also an Olympic skater, they were part of Ocala Speed, a skater club in the 60,000-person city of Ocala, Florida. There they trained from their primary school years with Rene Hildebrand, who owned a 150-meter track and mastered the intricacies of figure skating through study.
Hildebrand radiates a sense of community and calls her students friends. This has also attracted foreign skaters, including former Dutch star Elma de Vries. Bo informed Hildebrand before announcing her decision to award Jackson the ticket. “She told me on Friday that I could sleep knowing Erin was going to the games,” Hildebrand wrote on Facebook. “I was hoping another solution was possible, because Brittany is also a medal candidate.”
Despite her world titles and records, Brittany Bowe wasn't a household name in the United States yet. At least Olympic gold is necessary for this. Or the gesture she made this week. In which, probably unconsciously, she provided an impeccable example of marketing: If you stopped skating, you definitely wouldn't have to write application letters for a job.
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