PARIS — Covered with pins and adornments, Vivianne Robinson is hard to miss in the streets of Paris.
The Olympics superfan has attended seven Summer Games over the span of 40 years. But this trip to Paris came at a hefty price — $10,000 to be precise.
Robinson, 66 and from Los Angeles, maxed out her credit cards and worked two jobs to afford the trip and the 38 event tickets she purchased. She worked on Venice Beach during the day, putting names on rice necklaces, and bagged groceries at night. She said she has to work two more years to make up for the money she spent following her passion for the Summer Olympics to Paris.
''It was hard to save up and it's a big budget, but it's a thousand times worth it,'' she says.
Even still, she was disappointed to pay $1,600 for the opening ceremony only to end up watching a screen on a bridge. ''You know how long that takes to make that much money?'' she asks, eventually adding: ''But things happen in life and life goes on and you win if you lose a few.''
During her interview, a passerby suggests Robinson use her fame to open an account and ask people to help fund her passion.
''That doesn't matter. I can make the money eventually,'' she responds.
Robinson's fascination with the Olympics started when her mother worked as a translator for athletes at the University of California, Los Angeles, during the 1984 Olympics in the city. Her mother would come home after work with pins from athletes that she passed to her daughter.
