Current:Home > ScamsSurprise! USA water polo team gets tickets to see the Eras Tour in Paris from Taylor Swift-InfoLens
Surprise! USA water polo team gets tickets to see the Eras Tour in Paris from Taylor Swift
View Date:2024-12-23 18:51:47
A cold email with a big wish led to a once-in-a-lifetime night for 23 members of the U.S. women's water polo team.
"I don't know how I'm going to top this," says Ally Beck over Zoom. Beck, the operational manager, reached out to Taylor Swift's team earlier this year hoping to surprise her athletes with tickets to the Eras Tour.
"We've been preparing for the Olympics and got invited by France to do a test event in Paris," Beck says. When she looked for activities for the team to do, she noticed Swift would kick off the second year of her record-breaking tour in the French capital city. So she e-mailed the singer's team.
Weeks went by and while Beck was boarding the plane from Los Angeles to France, she got a reply that stopped her in her tracks.
"The audible squeal that came out of me on the plane," she says. "I was like, 'Oh, I'm sorry, everyone.'"
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Beck waited until the Wednesday before the concert to tell the team.
You can see the reaction in the video above.
"The girls just lost it," Beck says. "And from there, it was like, 'What are we going to wear?' We were squealing down the hallway."
'There is no amount of times to say thank you'
On Friday, 15 water polo athletes and eight staff members piled into the VIP floor section dubbed the "Red" lounge. Two of the biggest Swifties on the team are Denise Mammolito, the utility outside shooter, and center Ava Johnson. Mammolito's first concert was Swift's second era: "Fearless."
The Eras Tour added to an already amazing week for the team, after rapper Flavor Flav said he would help financially support the team's trip to the summer games in Paris.
Team captain Maggie Steffens took to Instagram with an inspirational post that read in part: "Some may not know this, but most Olympians need a 2nd (or 3rd) job to support chasing the dream (myself included!) and most teams rely on sponsors for travel, accommodations, nutritional support, rent/lodging, and simply affording to live in this day and age. Especially female sports and female athletes."
Flavor Flav replied, "AYYY YOOO,,, as a girl dad and supporter of all women’s sports - imma personally sponsor you my girl,,, whatever you need. And imma sponsor the whole team. My manager is in touch with your agent and imma use all my relationships and resources to help all y’all even more. That’s a FLAVOR FLAV promise."
Beck could not be more grateful to Swift and Flavor Flav for their generosity and kindness.
"There is no amount of times to say thank you," Beck says, "just seeing everybody light up, enjoy like the power that is Taylor and kind of getting to watch her in her element and then the extra layer of knowing she's rocking the La Défense arena and we're going to go for gold there in a couple of months, just the amount of inspiration we were able to draw from her is a whole other level."
The team will compete in the stadium at the end of July and beginning of August. They are poised to defend their three consecutive gold titles: 2012 in London, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and 2020 in Tokyo.
Swift continues her European leg of the Eras Tour in Sweden this weekend before heading to Lisbon, Portugal, next week.
Don't miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for the free, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat.
Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network's Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
veryGood! (39)
Related
- J.Crew Outlet Quietly Drops Their Black Friday Deals - Save Up to 70% off Everything, Styles Start at $12
- Fire inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park doubles in size; now spans 23 acres
- Steelers name Russell Wilson starting QB in long-awaited decision
- RFK Jr.'s name to remain on presidential ballot in North Carolina
- Sofia Richie Reveals 5-Month-Old Daughter Eloise Has a Real Phone
- Blake Lively’s Brother-in-Law Bart Johnson Fiercely Defends Her Amid It Ends With Us Criticism
- 11th Circuit allows Alabama to enforce its ban on gender-affirming care for minors
- Yolanda Hadid Shares Sweet Way She’s Spoiling Gigi Hadid's Daughter Khai Malik
- Round 2 in the Trump-vs-Mexico matchup looks ominous for Mexico
- Why Black students are still disciplined at higher rates: Takeaways from AP’s report
Ranking
- Agents search home of ex-lieutenant facing scrutiny as police probe leak of school shooting evidence
- Jaguar tells owners of older I-Pace electric SUVs to park them outdoors due to battery fire risk
- A second elephant calf in 2 weeks is born at a California zoo
- Gabby Petito’s Dad Shares His Family “Can’t Stop Crying” 3 Years After Her Death
- Gun groups sue to overturn Maine’s new three-day waiting period to buy firearms
- When the US left Kabul, these Americans tried to help Afghans left behind. It still haunts them
- Tallulah Willis Shares Update on Dad Bruce Willis Amid Health Battle
- Shania Twain's Husband Frédéric Thiébaud Gives Glimpse Inside Their Love Story on Her Birthday
Recommendation
-
AP Top 25: Oregon remains No. 1 as Big Ten grabs 4 of top 5 spots; Georgia, Miami out of top 10
-
Nikki Garcia's Husband Artem Chigvintsev Arrested for Domestic Violence
-
A Pivotal Senate Race Could Make or Break Maryland’s Quest for Clean Energy Future
-
Video shows 37 passengers evacuate from New York City ferry after fire breaks out
-
Jordan Chiles Reveals She Still Has Bronze Medal in Emotional Update After 2024 Olympics Controversy
-
How to get rid of body odor, according to medical experts
-
Apple announces date for 2024 event: iPhone 16, new Watches and more expected to be unveiled
-
US Open Day 3 highlights: Coco Gauff cruises, but title defense is about to get tougher