Upon arriving, the team headed directly to the LA2015 offices where they were briefed on their role for that evening's Opening Ceremony. Perfect Sense took the lead pairing honored guests with delegations during the Parade of Athletes. A complete team effort, moving guests from the stands to the parade and back to their seats, Perfect Sense paired over 500 guests to march with athletes and coaches representing 165 countries. Entering the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to deafening cheers, the Parade of Athletes and Opening Ceremony set the stage for what proved to be an inspiring, life-changing week celebrating the abilities of these courageous athletes.
The next morning at 5:00am, the team reported to the starting line of the triathlon, the first of 16 Unified Sports Experiences (USE) that the Perfect Sense team would oversee during the World Games. Continuing its long-standing support of Unified Sports, Perfect Sense helped execute these 16 exhibition events that provided foreign dignitaries, professional athletes, celebrities, and other honored guests to take the field and join Special Olympics athletes as teammates. From Pete Sampras playing tennis doubles, to Apolo Ohno racing in a roller skating relay, and George Lopez teeing off in a foursome, the week was complete with story after story of people from all walks of life coming together as teammates, creating greater understanding and celebrating, for all the world to see, the values of inclusion and acceptance.
During these 16 events, over 1400 individuals participated, and the Perfect Sense team was at every one -- organizing teams, distributing uniforms, managing the event flow, and handing out medals. For those that participated as teammates, the thousands who filled the stands to cheer, and those, like our team, that worked behind the scenes to bring them to life, the Unified Sports Experiences left a lasting impact.
Our work with LA2015, however, extended far beyond one week of Unified Sports Experiences. The Closing Ceremony on August 2, marked the conclusion of a four year relationship between Perfect Sense and LA2015 when the city was first awarded the bid to host the Games. Over the past four years and three site redesigns, scores of employees at Perfect Sense played a major role in bringing the Games to life online -- spreading awareness and excitement to fans around the world.
