Sports

30 years ago, we played our part in the Olympics

Hendersonville High School’s concert band performed during the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, weeks after New Zealand swimmers trained at Patton pool and revved up enthusiasm for the summer games. [COURTESY OF MATTHEW CALLOWAY]

By MATTHEW CALLOWAY, Published: August 22, 2026

The FIFA World Cup dominated the international sports world this summer but 30 years ago Hendersonville was gripped by Olympic fever.

Matthew CallowayAtlanta’s Centennial Olympics brought the summer games closer to Western North Carolina than ever before (or since). As a rising junior at Hendersonville High School, I reveled in the exhilaration. The summer’s Olympic-themed events energized what — to a restless teenager — often felt like a sleepy mountain town.

Excitement began building as the Olympic torch approached. Starting from Los Angeles in late April, the torch relay wound across the country, traversing major cities along its route.

On the morning of Wednesday, June 26, the torch finally made its way from Flat Rock to Hendersonville’s Main Street, cheered on by thousands of onlookers. Fourteen community members participated in the relay, including dance instructor Pat Shepherd and Police Chief Donnie Parks.

Patton pool training propels Kiwi to gold

For the first half of July, Hendersonville hosted New Zealand’s swim team for a two-week stay that added to the Olympic fervor. My friends who were H-CATS swimmers had a unique opportunity to train with these elite athletes and their coach.

The Kiwis’ visit and training culminated with a public swimming exhibition that drew a packed crowd to Patton Pool the weekend before the opening ceremony of the Olympics. A week later, Danyon Loader became New Zealand’s first gold medalist in swimming, winning both the 200- and 400-meter freestyle. Of course, Loader’s time in Hendersonville gave him the winning edge.

Those of us who were part of Hendersonville High School’s 70-member band experienced a heightened level of anticipation. Several months earlier, we learned that our Concert Band was among six high school bands selected to perform in downtown Atlanta during the games. Our 25-member Jazz Band — comprised of Concert Band members — would also perform. We were going to the first four days of the Olympics!

In preparation, each ensemble rehearsed a 50-minute musical program under the demanding baton of director Fran Shelton, who managed to raise the bar of her already rigorous standard even higher. Local performances for the torch relay and exhibition at Patton Pool provided opportunities to finetune our repertoire.

Sleeping on the lunchroom floor

On Friday, June 19, we left Hendersonville before sunrise aboard a pair of charter buses, dressed in our black and white concert attire. Upon arrival, Atlanta’s imposing skyline, massive crowds and stifling 90-degree heat were a marked contrast to our usual surroundings back home.

At noon, the Jazz Band performed at Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Park across from the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, followed by the full Concert Band two hours later at Woodruff Park. Afterward, we changed into our street clothes and roamed the World of Coca-Cola and Underground Atlanta until 8 o’clock at night.

We stayed at the newly completed Lovejoy High School about 20 miles south of downtown. Keeping the trip affordable meant three nights in a sleeping bag on the bare cafeteria floor.

The next three days followed a similar cadence. We were on the road by 8 a.m. with an hour-long stop for fast-food breakfast. The Jazz and Concert Bands performed in succession, followed by free time until 9 or 10 p.m.

Though our trip didn’t include tickets to the opening ceremony or athletic events, the spectacle of Centennial Olympic Park captured our full attention. Buying and trading commemorative Olympic pins proved popular. I picked out a silver Team USA Swatch.

In the evening, a collection of stages around Centennial Park came alive with musical concerts, from well-known singers like John Secada to regional bands like the Squirrel Nut Zippers from Chapel Hill.

A bomb goes off in  Centennial Park

Most of our performances went as planned, but a miscommunication almost caused us to miss our concert at Coca-Cola Olympic City on Sunday. Fortunately, we set up quickly and performed at our best, earning a standing ovation from the audience.

On Monday, a sudden downpour during our performance drenched some band members before they could take cover. After dinner, we said goodbye to Atlanta and boarded our buses, arriving home before midnight.

I never felt unsafe during our time in Atlanta. However, the Olympics took a tragic turn the weekend after our trip. A right-wing domestic terrorist detonated a pipe bomb in Centennial Park, killing 2 and injuring 111. I felt a deep sadness seeing a place my friends and I had enjoyed barely a week earlier defiled by violence.

I’m proud that we could positively represent Hendersonville on the Olympic stage and tremendously grateful for the support from teachers, parents and the community that allowed us to have this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Although I’m certain we made the most of it, Hendersonville’s Olympic summer seemed to pass far too quickly. I returned to a town that felt every bit as small as before but with a newfound sense of connection to the larger world beyond.

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Matthew Calloway is a proud member of Hendersonville High School’s class of 1998. His essay “Sustaining Appalachian Mobilities: Connecting Rail Trails with Local Histories in Western North Carolina” will appear in Wide Branches, Deep Roots: How Appalachian Wisdom Can Help in the Fight for a Sustainable Future, scheduled for publication by West Virginia University Press in December 2026.