Meet the Olympics Superfan Who Spent her Savings to Get to Her 7th Games
Covered with pins and adornments, Vivianne Robinson is hard to miss in the streets of Paris. The "Olympic Super Fan" has attended seven games over the span of 40 years. But the trip to her last one in Paris came at a hefty price.
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00:00This Olympics is the most I ever spent on any Olympics, because I wanted to be in Paris.
00:06I was determined that I wanted to see the Olympics in Paris, one of my favorite cities.
00:12And I spent over $10,000 to get here.
00:16And I almost maxed out all my credit cards.
00:19And I worked two jobs. I had one in the morning at the beach,
00:23and then I had one at night bagging groceries.
00:26And I kept saving and saving and buying tickets little by little.
00:30Ended up with 38 tickets to the games.
00:33I kind of overdid it, but I'm having a good time seeing all the games.
00:37But it was hard to save up, and it's a big budget.
00:41But it's 1,000 times worth it.
00:43Started through pins, and then I saw on TV they were showing Atlanta Olympics.
00:48Everybody was trading pins.
00:50And I said, I got to go, and I just took off with no place to stay or anything.
00:53I went to Atlanta.
00:55I set up a little table, and I make little name-on-rice necklaces from Venice Beach.
01:00And I would trade with all the athletes.
01:02I would give them a necklace, and they'd give me a pin.
01:05So I got all the pins, and I got to meet all the athletes.
01:08In those days, it wasn't high security like now.
01:11Now you can't even get near the athlete village.
01:14So I was just meeting all the athletes and getting pictures, and it was so much fun.
01:19Okay, now see if you like any of my pins.
01:24No, any of these here.
01:27Santa?
01:28Oh, that's okay.
01:29Any one is okay for you.
01:34Sure, there you go.
01:35I started collecting pins in 84.
01:40That was called Sam the Eagle.
01:43That was the mascot in those days.
01:46See, 1984, look at that.
01:48It's Sam the Eagle.
01:50Thank you so much.
01:52It just makes me feel so honored and appreciated,
01:55and people just get a kick out of my outfit.
01:59They always want to take pictures.
02:01And I just like to stop and make everybody happy if I can.
02:05As long as they're smiling, I'm happy.
02:07See?
02:13It is a little bit overwhelming.
02:16I can't really get anywhere because everybody stops me for pictures.
02:20It took me a long time to get to the venues, but it's okay.
02:26See that? Pictures never stop.
02:29Countries I went to for the Olympics,
02:31France, USA, Atlanta and L.A.,
02:36Rio and Brazil, London and England,
02:41and Athens and Greece, and Sydney and Australia.
02:46See, once one Olympic is over, then I start planning for the next one.
02:50So everything's going to come off.
02:52I got to uncut everything off and start all over again for L.A. Olympics.
02:57I guess I'm going to be having the American flag everywhere from head to toe.
03:01We're going to have L.A. 28 Olympics.
03:04That one is in the future.
03:06But then I have all the Paris ones, Atlanta,
03:11and of course, you know, I have to have the Disney pins.
03:14I'm going to have a Rio Olympics.
03:17Oh, I'm going to do it forever.
03:19I'm going to save all my money and just concentrate on Olympics.