Sharing his Olympic memories

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words could be used to describe the more than 1,000 photos Brian Selenski and his family took while in London for the 2012 Olympic games?

Answer: Very few, if any.

Selenski, whose daughter Paige was a member of the U.S. Olympic field hockey team, has trouble finding the words to describe his experience overseas, watching his own flesh and blood playing on a field in Europe against players from around the globe.

"Proud is an understatement," he said.

Brian and his sons, Greg and Brad, spent two weeks in London, England watching the games, sight-seeing and mingling with fellow Olympian families.

"We traded stories of what it was like to raise them to where they are now," he said.

Seeing the Olympics live and in-person was one thing, but adjusting to life in another country was an entirely different experience in itself.

"It was my first time in Europe," said Brian. "It was different, with the driving on the wrong side of the road. Even the steering wheel's on the opposite side. And the food - it's not like the food we have here."

The Selenskis got around by the London tube during their trip, visiting Big Ben, London Bridge, the Tower of London and other sites in between the Olympic madness.

Brian said parents of U.S. athletes were invited to a special location near the Olympics site sponsored by Procter and Gamble that offered food and beverages to the families at no cost for 12 hours a day.

"There were TVs everywhere with (recliners) and couches so people could watch the games constantly," he said.

The U.S. field hockey team did not medal during the event, and Brian said many of the players, including his daughter, were very disappointed in their results.

"It wasn't enough for them to have gotten to the Olympics - they wanted to bring home a medal," he said. "Everyone said Paige played well, though. I think she did."

And Brian considers himself lucky to have gotten the chance to see Paige and the rest of the women play - he said tickets for other events were exorbitantly priced.

"We went to go see the track and field events, and the tickets cost about $700 for one person," said Brian. "I don't know many parents who went to the opening ceremonies - it cost about $5,000 a ticket - but Paige said it was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen in her life."

That price wasn't too expensive for one famous Brit whom Brian spotted just a few seats away while taking in the track meet.

"I was in my seat and people started gathering around," he said. "I looked over and it was Paul McCartney sitting a few seats away. I just started taking his picture."

Between all the excitement from the games, the entire Selenski clan even got one day to spend together while Paige was resting in between events.

"I asked her if she wanted to go sight-seeing and she said she was too beat up," laughed Brian.

But the real fun was when Brian saw Paige play for the first time as an Olympian.

"I got goosebumps," he said. "There were tens of thousands of people rushing in like it was for a major football game. Then they announced her name and sang the ‘Star Spangled Banner' and the hair stood up on the back of my neck."

Brian said Paige suffered from "Olympic hangover" after the games, but after a week hanging around the family's Harveys Lake house and spending time with friends, she was ready to get back in the game.

Paige played her first field hockey game with her University of Virginia team on Aug. 24.

"It's a big adjustment from playing at the Olympics to playing in Virginia," said Brian.

He believes his daughter will continue to excel in athletics, and he's more than ready to go along for the ride.

"Right off the bat, she said she wants to make it to the World Cup in two years," he said. "I'm very fortunate that God blessed me with a child that has achieved something so amazing."