STORYCORPS SHORT PIECES

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum photo

Dick Fosbury and Reynaldo Brown enjoyed reliving competing at the Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games.

A quick conversation: Reynaldo Brown and Dick Fosbury

Dick Fosbury was a rising junior at Oregon State University. Reynaldo Brown was entering his senior year at Compton High School.

The two high jumpers were at different points in their lives entering the Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games, using different jumping techniques. Brown used what was then the traditional straddle method to clear the bar, while Fosbury was revolutionizing the sport with his famed Fosbury Flop en route to the gold medal.

Listen: “Even though we all spoke different languages and all that, we still understood each other.”

Despite their differences, the Olympic experience was one to remember for both athletes as they partnered for a StoryCorps conversation.

“I was excited and nervous and mostly curious about being in the Olympic Village with athletes from countries that spoke different languages, dressed differently, ate different foods,” Fosbury said. “It was a real opener.”

“That was wonderful for me, man, being young like I was,” Brown said. “I wanted to absorb it all. Even though we all spoke different languages, we all understood each other.”

Listen to the entire StoryCorps Conversation between Dick Fosbury and Reynaldo Brown.

When Brown mentioned his fondness for the Mexico City Opening Ceremony, Fosbury chuckled at a memory.

“I missed that,” he said. “The night before, I went out to the pyramids where they were bringing the torch from Greece.”

Out with a group of Team USA swimmers, they saw the torch relay then went out with a group of Mexican athletes, thinking that returning to the Olympic Village would not be a problem.

“We stayed out all night and got in the biggest traffic jam in the world,” Fosbury said. “So we missed out.”

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The museum will extend its regular schedule to include additional days, inviting guests to explore interactive exhibits, Olympic and Paralympic memorabilia, and immersive storytelling experiences.

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The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum offers a timeless experience by capturing the history of Team USA at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the hopes and dreams of future generations.

DIRECTIONS

Downtown Colorado Springs:

200 S. Sierra Madre Street 80903

719.497.1234

View map

PARKING

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum offers parking in the adjacent Park Union District lot for $7.50 per-day. Metered parking is also available on Sierra Madre and Vermijo.

Olympic Marks are used under license from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. 36 U.S.C. 220506
Website development supported in part by a grant from the Colorado Tourism Office.