I never thought I would have to go as far as Australia to write a story on a fellow Bayonne High School alumnus, I was of course always familiar with hertrack breaking record all through school, but I never had the opportunity to talk with her one on one.Now here I am in beautiful Sydney, waiting patientlywith pen and paper in hand for Monica to finish her interviewwith NBC. It’s a delightful day with a temperature of about85 degrees, and the sun shimmering down brightly. I can almostfeel the same excitement in the air as Monica must have felt when winning the gold metal.Nearly an hour and an half after arriving to the Olympic tent I spot Monica trying to escape a gaggle of anxiousreporters. Eventually I get her attention and she calls me overto where she is sitting, the infield grass of the track. After allthe congratulations and formalities our interview begins. She is friendly and open so I enjoy her companyImmediately. She starts off by telling me of her Uncle who wasin the 1976 Olympics running for Poland. “He was my mentor, whenever I felt my practices were becoming to intense and wanted to quit he was always there to encourage me to thrive for success.” Unfortunately, Monica’s Uncle Peter passed away in 1996, but Monica says that despite the pain she felt she knows her Uncle is smiling down on her today: “I used to fearthe death of a loved one the most, but I realize now that death isa part of life and that a death in this life might signify a birth inanother.”Most people don’t realize the nervousness and anxiety that accompany someone to the Olympics. For Monica this plague attacked before her big day. “I went out to dinner with my teammates that evening. It wasn’t until 2 o’clock that morningwhen it starting feeling as if the kangaroo steaks I had fordinner were shill hopping around in my stomach.” Monica thought that she wouldn’t even be able to compete...
