Obama steals the show

Friday afternoon, I moseyed my way on over to Bill Armstrong Stadium hoping to catch a glimpse of my first Little 500 race. After taking a few laps around the stands, I parked it near an entrance for the pre-race ceremonies. While I was chatting with a few patrons, I noticed something spectacular out of the corner of my eye.\nSuddenly, 15 police officers and about seven or eight other men, clad in blue blazers with five-point star pins on their lapels cleared a path for someone important to walk through. From the cluster of people emerged arguably one of the most recognizable faces in America – Sen. Barack Obama.\nMy press pass granted me access into the crowded infield. As the senator took his lap, the shutter of cameras and the screams of sorority girls resonated throughout the stadium with a raucous effect.\nI have never seen a celebrity of Obama’s status before. One time, I saw Sinbad in Chicago and I was unphased. But when I saw the presidential-hopeful I instantly transformed from a composed young adult to a sheepish schoolgirl at a Spice Girls concert. Obama stood and watched the first few laps near a group of screaming college students, shouting his slogans and capturing his image in their camera phones. Students did everything from screaming his praises to thanking him for the Dave Matthews concert. A girl was hyperventilating on her cell phone, yelling “I just shook his hand!” Needless to say, it was quite a scene.\nObama shook hands, had \ncasual conversations with students and truly gave everyone the treatment expected from a fat-cat politician.\nI was fortunate enough to be one of the lucky patrons to shake Obama’s hand. Sadly for the sanitary values of my roommates, I have not applied any soap to the lucky hand.\nI ended up sitting there for about 30 minutes, not taking my eyes off Obama for anything. When I walked out of the stadium, I felt the most euphoric feeling. Obama’s appearance Friday brought incredible energy to the race and left a major impression on the lore of Little 500.\nAs a fan of both sports and politics, Obama provided me with a very memorable afternoon and a great start for an incredible weekend.