Current:Home > ScamsSurprise! USA water polo team gets tickets to see the Eras Tour in Paris from Taylor Swift -Streamline Finance
Surprise! USA water polo team gets tickets to see the Eras Tour in Paris from Taylor Swift
View
Date:2025-04-12 10:45:43
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! (3)
Related
- Breaking debut in Olympics raises question: Are breakers artists or athletes?
- Trump pledged to roll back protections for transgender students. They’re flooding crisis hotlines
- The Bachelorette's Desiree Hartsock Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Chris Siegfried
- Keke Palmer Says Ryan Murphy “Ripped” Into Her Over Scream Queens Schedule
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Rare Alo Yoga Flash Sale: Don’t Miss 60% Off Deals With Styles as Low as $5
- Republican Dan Newhouse wins reelection to US House in Washington
- Florida education officials report hundreds of books pulled from school libraries
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Denzel Washington teases retirement — and a role in 'Black Panther 3'
Ranking
- Family of explorer who died in the Titan sub implosion seeks $50M-plus in wrongful death lawsuit
- Mariah Carey's Amazon Holiday Merch Is All I Want for Christmas—and It's Selling Out Fast!
- My Chemical Romance will perform 'The Black Parade' in full during 2025 tour: See dates
- Isiah Pacheco injury updates: When will Chiefs RB return?
- Your Wedding Guests Will Thank You if You Get Married at These All-Inclusive Resorts
- Multi-State Offshore Wind Pact Weakened After Connecticut Sits Out First Selection
- TikToker Campbell “Pookie” Puckett Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby With Jett Puckett
- Hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field can be fixed for about $55M in time for 2026 season, per report
Recommendation
Meet 11-year-old skateboarder Zheng Haohao, the youngest Olympian competing in Paris
About Charles Hanover
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones responds to CeeDee Lamb's excuse about curtains at AT&T Stadium
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones responds to CeeDee Lamb's excuse about curtains at AT&T Stadium
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
What happens to Donald Trump’s criminal conviction? Here are a few ways it could go
Residents urged to shelter in place after apparent explosion at Louisville business
Will the NBA Cup become a treasured tradition? League hopes so, but it’s too soon to tell