Being part of the Dia de Portugal Newark Festival was an honor.
Thank you to Claudia, Lewis, Maria Rose and the crew of volunteers and exceptionally hard workers in putting this successful event together. Everyone was so helpful and welcoming. It felt like one big family. 🙂
We made a visit to Seabra’s Marisqueira for traditional Portuguese cuisine, notably the sardinhas, and sharing stories and a tasty bread dipped clam sauce with the elder italian gentleman to my right.
One highlight was the passion of a particular individual at the festival… Tony Barrigas (@barrigas7). Muito obrigado for displaying your adamant burst of intense emotion about Portugal being represented at 2018 Winter Olympics in cross country skiing. Your pride was beaming and infectious. Thank you for that moment.
The day of the parade was absolutely exceptional. Roller skiing alongside other enthusiastic fellow Portuguese with Ferry Street lined with cheering crowds, put a huge smile on my face. I was inspired. Giving high fives, seeing the genuine smiles, taking pictures with the cute children, police officers, and many more. Meeting Pete (@pizzavandriver) and his wife (@anabaptista75), who followed my journey to the Olympics was so cool. Right before the parade started, I had a chat with a teenager who was open to making his dreams come true. Let’s do it my man, your life will be forever changed.
Being surrounded by fellow compatriots and engaging with the community was great and this is one small step towards bringing more attention to winter sports in Portugal. Pioneering the way for future development of Nordic cross country skiers has been a goal of mine since the 2018 WInter Olympics, as Danny Silva (2006 and 2010 Portuguese Winter Olympian) has done for me. Currently, there are Portuguese skiers around the globe, based in Norway, Czech Republic, Portugal and Canada. Let’s build upon the foundation we created in PyeongChang, South Korea and discover more talent all over the world. Newark, NYC and this area has a lot of potential and we can unite together, with LifeLong Olympic, in the power of sport.
Viva Portugal. Força Portugal.