UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 36, Page 10
July 3, 1996
Kate Pohlig was definitely at the right place at right time

     Unbelievable, overwhelming, fantastic!" That's how Kathleen
Pohlig, athletics, described the experience of being an Olympic torch
bearer.
     It all began when organizers contacted her, searching for
volunteer escorts for the torch. Several persons applied, and Pohlig
and Susan Groff, athletics, were selected. Groff escorted the torch
through Elsmere.
     When Pohlig reached her assigned meeting place at Elkton, Md.,
the organizers asked her if she would do them a favor. She admitted
her first feeling was disappointment, thinking she would be asked to
sit out the event on the sidelines. But that feeling changed to
elation when they requested that she consider carrying the torch.
     She changed into a torch bearer's outfit, boarded a van equipped
with videos and soft drinks to be taken to her drop-off point and was
given tips on keeping her arm extended, carrying the torch and passing
the flame. She also was advised to keep smiling and look excited, and,
she recalled, that was no problem at all.
     At her drop-off point, a crowd of people there led a cheer "for
Kate." While she was awaiting the flame, people came up and talked to
her and photographed her with her torch. She was an instant celebrity.
     "I'm from New Jersey, but I explained my University of Delaware
connection, and they seemed pleased to welcome me," she said.
     Furthermore, it didn't rain on her parade-the showers stopped
just before she ran.
     "It was an exciting experience and one I will never forget. I
bought my torch, one of the 10,000 used on the route, as a memento.
Nothing like this has ever happened to me before," Pohlig said.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure