Gaia Olympics 2004/Summary

## Preparations underway

The event was originally scheduled to be held on August 27th, 2004, but was eventually postponed to the following day due to various complications. Johnny K. Gambino announced that in spite of these issues, he had everyone "working to the bone" to have it completed. In the early hours of the 28th, little red and blue flags were placed all over Gaia in preparation for the race later that day. These flags spanned from Isle de Gambino, where a "START" banner was hung from the roof of Gambino's Mansion, to Durem, where a "CHECKPOINT" banner was hung from the Arc.

Later that morning, the doors to Gambino's Mansion were officially opened and all Gaians were invited inside to socialize about the upcoming festivities. However just as attendees began to grow concerned by Gambino's apparent absence from the gathering, he arrived to announce that the race was delayed once again due to bad weather. It would now take place the following morning.

## Let the race begin

> *Welcome to the First GAIA Olympic Race sponsored by yours truly, Johnny K. Gambino!*
> — **Johnny K. Gambino**
>
>

On the morning of the 29th, all of the contestants gathered in front of Gambino's Mansion. There were six in total; two hand-selected by Gambino himself from each of the three towns along the course. Representing the Isle was Sasha and Gino Gambino (Gambino's son). From Barton Town was Ian and Leon. And finally from Durem was Moira and Edmund (Gambino's long-time friend and colleague).

The race course for the event.* Isle de Gambino
* Port of Gambino
* Bass'ken Lake
* Barton Town
* Barton West
* Durem Reclamation Facility
* Durem
1/7
From Isle de Gambino, the contestants would dive into the sea and swim to the Port of Gambino where they would cross the docks into Bass'ken Lake. From there, they would swim across and enter Barton Town, run past the Forums Bar, and through Barton West and the Durem Reclamation Facility. Then in Durem, they would make a straight shot past the Clock Tower, through the checkpoint at the Arc, and into the second half of the course.

Turning left from the Arc in Durem, the contestants would make their way back, swim across the Reclamation Facility pool, and cross the bridge in Barton West. Returning to Barton Town, they would head south past the Personals Building and up through the Arena. Following the path out of town and along the east shore of Bass'ken Lake, they would continue through the Port, swim back to the Isle, and cross the finish line at the mansion.

### The first half

At 10:30am, guests took their seats and received party favors. Ten minutes later at 10:40, the race began. Contests ran through the Isle and across the Port of Gambino docks where Moira took the lead and Gino fell behind, much to Gambino's dismay. At 11:45am, Ian was the first to dive into Bass'ken Lake with Edmund and Sasha following closely behind. Despite gaining the lead, Ian is momentarily distracted by a shopping trip at The Ole Fishing Hole which allows Moira to take the lead once again as Gino struggles to keep up.

At 12:33pm, Edmund speeds far into first place through Barton Town. Sasha gets lost in town and starts running in the opposite direction while Ian is distracted once again by a good deal at Barton Jewelers. Amongst the confusion, Gino manages his way into second place which Gambino is only marginally impressed by. Moira catches up once again on the way across Barton West and the swim through Durem Reclamation Facility, neck in neck with Edmund toward their home turf.

For a moment, Gambino realizes that in the heat of the action, he had forgotten to announce the race beyond those already in attendance. He remedies this at 1:33pm.

At 2:32pm, the contestants set foot in Durem. Moira finally catches up to Edmund. Ian and Leon keep up a decent pace, while Sasha gets lost once again and Gino lags behind.

### The second half

As the racers hit the checkpoint, Edmund is distracted by a pretty woman in red and Ian stops to do more shopping which allows Moira to gain first place again. Regaining focus, Edmund shoots back into first place as all of the contestants race back toward Barton. Edmund runs into some trouble which Gambino encourages Gino to take advantage of, assuring that it's "NOT cheating". The opportunity is lost however as he regains his footing once again.

At 4:48pm, the contestants are back in Barton Town. Edmund is easily distracted by Vanessa outside of the Personals Building before they disappear together inside as everyone else gives it their all, with Sasha finally gaining traction. This was short-lived however as she got lost once again, allowing Gino to take the lead with Gambino cheering him on and considering allowing him to eat at the dinner table again if he's able to win.

At 5:38pm, Sasha catches up on the second swim through Bass'ken with Gino lagging all the way behind. At 6:20pm, Edmund calls Gambino's cellphone to inform him that he's dropped out of the race.

At 6:45pm, Moira crosses the finish line at Gambino's Mansion followed by Sasha, Ian, and Leon with Gino nowhere in sight. The event begins to wind down as Gino reappears and pushes his way to the finish line. Gambino begrudgingly shares the results of the race: Moira wins the gold medal, Sasha wins silver, and Ian wins bronze.

## Further Notes

* Some foul play might have been involved with the race. Gambino chose his close friend Edmund who he knew would be the most capable and placed bets on him. It was also likely that it was orchestrated as a test to push Gino toward greatness so he could live up to the family name, with Gambino encouraging him to cheat along the way in order to win the gold medal.
* Edmund's speed and reputation as a skirt chaser during the race is referenced once again in A Gaia Christmas Story from the Christmas 2004 event.

## Sources

1. ↑ GaiaOnline.com, "First GAIA Olympic Event Coming Soon...". Archive (October 19th, 2023)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 GaiaOnline.com, "Hold Yer Horses, GAIA OLYMPICS ARE COMING". Archive (October 19th, 2023)
3. ↑ GaiaOnline.com, "Welcome to Barton". Archive (August 28th, 2004)
4. ↑ LiveJournal.com, Go Gaia Online Community Journal, "Gaian Olympics". Archive (November 15th, 2023)
5. ↑ GaiaOnline.com, "it's saterday and it's past 8:00 so whats on ?????????????". Archive (October 19th, 2023)
6. ↑ GaiaOnline.com, "if its 8am pst time wat time will it b in uk". Archive (November 15th, 2023)
7. ↑ GaiaOnline.com, First Gaia Olympics (Page 272). Image archive (November 15th, 2023)
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 GaiaOnline.com, "1st Olympic Race - Stats". Archive (August 31st, 2004)
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 GaiaOnline.com, "1st Olympic Race". Archive (August 31st, 2004)
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 GaiaOnline.com, "1st Olympic Race", Race Map (Image).