If you lived in Atlanta back in 1996, you may have been lucky to get tickets to one or a few of the events. The tickets were beautiful and we all did our best not to bend them because we wanted to keep them forever! And remember how excited we were about our U.S. Women's Gymnastics team? Would they become the first ever women's team to win a gold medal for the United States? The seven members of the team were Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Dominique Dawes, Kerri Strug, Amy Chow, Amanda Borden and Jaycie Phelps.
It was torture knowing that they were competing during the day, but we wouldn't get to watch it until that night on television. When somebody said they knew what happened we would go screaming out of the room with our hands over our ears! "Don't tell me! Don't tell me!"
When Dominique Moceanu started her floor routine and the crowd realized her music was to "The Devil Went Down To Georgia", they went wild! It was a brilliant choice that was sure to make an already pro-American crowd absolutely thrilled. There were 33,000 fans at the Georgia Dome that day. Check it out...
Photo: Getty Images
It was a moment I'll never forget for as long as I live. This was also the year that Kerri Strug landed her second vault on one foot. Of course I had to give you the replay on that one too!
Those seven women became known as the Magnificent Seven. They won the gold medal!
Atlanta was a special place to call home from the moment the International Olympic Committee announced that we would get to host the games until the Olympic cauldron was extinguished during the closing ceremony. To get to say that you lived in a city that hosted an Olympic Games is a special thing. It was magical. It was electric. And I'd like to think Charlie Daniels brought a little bit of Georgia into the homes of people all over the world! Good luck charm? I think so!
About four years ago, the Magnificent Seven were reunited. As special as that gold medal moment was for all of us watching, could you imagine how it felt for them? Watch the reunion below...