By:Jennifer Marino
Skelos, of Rockville Centre, is working as a runner for NBC during the two weeks of the Olympics. The former South Side High School swimmer did her best to keep swimming commentators Dan Hicks, Rowdy Gaines and Melissa Stark comfortable in 100-degree heat. She spent time at the swimming venue, at a broadcast trailer about 10 minutes away and at the international broadcasting center. Besides accommodating the broadcasters, Skelos has also helped the researchers who focus on finding out the history of the athletes.
She described her experiences in a phone interview. It-s been amazing, she said of watching Americans win gold medals, including the world-record relay team. Skelos, 19, will be a junior at the College of William and Mary in the fall, where she is on the swim team and majoring in elementary education and kinesiology. She competes in the 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle as well as the 200 freestyle relay.
Skelos petitioned the Rockville Centre Board of Education to start a swim team at South Side in 2000. The whole Skelos family has chlorine in the blood. Both of Alexis-s parents, Faith and Peter, swam in college, and younger sister Daphne has been on the South Side swim team since she was in seventh grade. The Olympics is the ultimate goal, said Alexis, for swimmers and other athletes.
The weather has been the talk of these Olympics. Skelos said that last Wednesday the temperature was 113 in the sun and 105 in the shade, according to the thermometer on an audio technician-s watch.
Originally, Skelos, who is half Greek, was going to volunteer with the Greek Olympic Committee, but a conversation her father had with a friend changed her mind. Her father-s friend works for NBC, and said Skelos would be well taken care of and get paid if she worked with the network at the Olympics, as part of its intern program for runners. Skelos sent in her application and was accepted. I-m just happy to be here, she said.
This is Skelos-s second experience in Greece. She and her family went to visit members of her extended family when she was 7. Her father-s grandparents were born in Greece.
Skelos saw many of the swimming events as well as a dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony, but couldn-t take any pictures. The swimming competition ended last Saturday, and then Skelos moved to the wrestling venue, which is farther from the center of the Olympic complex. She was excited about watching a different sport and seeing a different area of Athens.
Faith and Daphne Skelos have also been attending the Olympics, and staying with family. They went to see diving and gymnastics, and sat with Alexis to watch swimming.
Alexis will come back to the U.S. on Sept. 1, and leave the next morning for William and Mary.
