Mill Run native adds Sochi to her list of Olympics destinations
Jill Kemp, a Mill Run native, is currently working in Sochi, Russia as part of her job with NBC Sports during the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Jill Kemp, a Mill Run native, stands before the sledding track at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Kemp, a broadcast manager for NBC Sports, has been working in Sochi, Russia, since the end of January.
Jill Kemp, a Mill Run native, stands before the sledding track at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Kemp, also pictured below with an Olympic sign, is a broadcast manager for NBC Sports and has been working in Sochi, Russia since the end of January.
She’s been to Vancouver, Beijing, London, Australia, Greece and now Sochi.
While each Olympics experience has introduced Jill Kemp, a Mill Run native, to a culture beyond her own, Sochi has been different from all the rest, specifically in regard to security.
“The security is unprecedented, like I’ve never seen in another Olympics,” Kemp said. “There are security people everywhere. I feel very safe within the venue. I have no concerns.”
Even amid threats of terror attacks by Islamic militants from the North Caucasus, Kemp, a broadcast manager for NBC Sports who now lives in Florida, hopped on a plane out of New York on Jan. 29 and arrived in Sochi, Russia, the next day.
“I would never let that deter me from doing something, because then the terrorists win,” she said.
Prior to arriving in Sochi, Kemp, alongside other Americans, listened to the terrorist alerts that were coming out.
“I tend to think we blow things out of proportion,” she said. “It’s sad, because they want us here. The people are welcoming, friendly, helpful and proud of their country. It’s such a great event and it’s such a great experience, and to have it tainted by people that have no respect for life, it’s very sad.”
The games have also been tainted by a slew of social media reports from travelers who arrived at hotels to find their rooms were still under construction, or so haphazardly put together that some lacked light fixtures, power outlets and even doorknobs.
The games come with the highest price tag in Winter Olympics history — nearly $50 billion estimated by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak. The Russian government has spent that much money on the Olympics in the hopes of turning the Black Sea summer resort into a year-round tourism destination. But persistent rain soaked Sochi in the weeks that led up to the games, which delayed work and turned it into a sodden construction zone.
Kemp noticed that a few items weren’t in her hotel room, her television didn’t work, and she has had to use bottled water to brush her teeth, but is overall pleased with her accommodations.
“It’s growing pains for a new property,” she said. “For me, I have no complaints. I have a nice room, running water, a hot shower, but other places are not as lucky. It’s just growing pains for an area that was built up quickly.”
As a broadcast manager with NBC Sports, Kemp’s job is all logistics. She makes sure everything at a venue runs smoothly.
So far, a majority of her time has been taken up by work. Aside from a 30-minute trip to the mall on Tuesday to buy sushi, Kemp has spent very little time beyond the confines of her work environment.
“It’s very long days and short nights,” she said.
But she’s looking forward to the possibility of exploring Sochi at the end of next week when she has two “dark days” — days when NBC doesn’t have to tape something for air.
“I hope to go down to the main cluster and hopefully take a look at the town down there,” she said. “Each game has it’s own little idiosyncrasies. That’s part of the fun — to immerse yourself in their culture and their way of doing things.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.