Current:Home > MySurprise! USA water polo team gets tickets to see the Eras Tour in Paris from Taylor Swift -MoneyBase
Surprise! USA water polo team gets tickets to see the Eras Tour in Paris from Taylor Swift
View
Date:2025-04-14 04:29:03
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! (1)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- NFL Week 1 announcers: TV broadcasting crews for every game on NBC, CBS, Fox, ESPN
- Sea lion with knife 'embedded' in face rescued in California
- US applications for unemployment benefits fall to lowest level in 7 months
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Larry Birkhead Says Anna Nicole Smith Would Be So Proud of Daughter Dannielynn in 17th Birthday Message
- Florida State joins College Football Playoff field in latest bowl projections
- Company pulls spicy One Chip Challenge from store shelves as Massachusetts investigates teen’s death
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- US announces new $600 million aid package for Ukraine to boost counteroffensive
Ranking
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Superbugs catch a ride on air pollution particles. Is that bad news for people?
- Simone Biles Shares Hope to Return for 2024 Olympics After Experiencing Twisties in Tokyo
- This meteorite is 4.6 billion years old. Here's what it could reveal about Earth's creation
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Company pulls spicy One Chip Challenge from store shelves as Massachusetts investigates teen’s death
- Corporate Nature Restoration Results Murky at Best, Greenwashed at Worst
- Where Al Pacino and Noor Alfallah Stand After She Files for Physical Custody of Their 3-Month-Old Baby
Recommendation
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
Gabon's coup leaders say ousted president is 'freed' and can travel on a medical trip
Accidentally throw away a conversation? Recover deleted messages on your iPhone easily.
Dozens of migrants rescued off Greek island of Lesbos. Search is under way for woman feared missing
Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
High school football coach whose on-field prayer led to SCOTUS ruling quits after 1 game
US Justice Department says New Jersey failed veterans in state-run homes during COVID-19
Are we witnessing the death of movie stars?