From Ohio to the 2024 Olympics: Follow these Columbus residents' journey to Paris

Ed Hilbert can remember it like it was yesterday.

He was 9 years old, sitting in his brand-new home on the East Side of Columbus, his eyes glued to the television as the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City played on the screen.

"I remember saying to myself, 'I'm going to this one way or the other.'"

That very moment not only shaped his combined 24 years as a track and field player and coach but also the very dream that one day he would be able to go to the Olympics.

Kayla Shelley is no different, but it was the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta for her.

"I just remember being a little girl doing the gymnastics in my living room, trying to recreate what they were doing on TV," she said.

After about two years of planning and several thousand dollars later, 65-year-old Hilbert and his wife, Susan, of Worthington, and 40-year-old Shelley, her husband and two children of Delaware, will make their way to the Paris Olympics this Friday.

And they're not alone. With the opening ceremony days away , about 30 other local Ohioans are part of the millions setting out to watch the 2024 Olympics live in Paris.

How attending the 2024 Olympics became a dream come true for Columbus locals

After the pandemic ruined Hilbert's chances of attending the Tokyo games in 2020, he was determined this year to finally scratch off the top item on his bucket list and see the Olympics in person. For him and his wife, this cost about $15,000.

Hilbert said he planned for a seven-day trip to France. They'll spend five of those days watching several games from track and field, 110-meter men's hurdle, gymnastics, beach volleyball and water polo.

Shelley said she wanted to celebrate her 15th wedding anniversary by realizing her dream of seeing the Olympics live. For her family, this cost about $20,000.

She plans to stay in Paris for seven days and will watch six events—swimming, beach volleyball, soccer, water polo, field hockey and even the gymnastics team USA finals.

"The price kind of depends on the popularity of the game," she said. "I think we spent about $2,500 for the team qualifier for gymnastics, but for soccer, it was like $25 to $50 per person."

Shelley said the first step was registering for the lottery tickets, which were released roughly 18 months ago. But obtaining the tickets is just the beginning.

Planning to attend the Olympics is no small feat. From navigating a foreign country to preparing for the mounting costs and logistics, there are multiple factors to consider—such as picking a hotel in relation to the venues where the games will take place—which can easily get lost in the weeds.

Thankfully for Hilbert and Shelley, one Facebook group has all the answers.

A Facebook group helps locals prepare to attend the Olympics

With over 46,000 members from across the globe, the "Paris 2024 Olympics Preparing and Preparation" Facebook group offers advice on flights, meet-ups, transportation, hotel accommodations and where to get memorabilia to ease the process for first-timers like Hilbert and Shelley.

Through this group, Columbus locals were able to connect and meet on June 8 at Keystone Pub & Patio in Polaris to share their excitement about attending the upcoming games.

"I think the Facebook group has just been fun to be in because that's how you connect with different people," Shelley said. "It was neat to talk to other people, get their perspective, of what they're doing and what information they have."

Hilbert said he took advice from people in the group who attended the Olympics in previous years. For him, knowing how to organize his itinerary was most important.

"In this group, you ask questions, and people give answers," Hilbert said. "If you really got the logistics down, then you will know how to get from your hotel to the venue at the right times, and that's been a tremendous help."

Now that months of planning is over, Hilbert will set out for Paris this Friday.

"Hey, I'm going to the Olympics, this is a dream come true."

ABayo@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: From Ohio to the 2024 Olympics: Follow these Columbus residents' journey to Paris