Paris Games latest volunteer opportunity for AU alum Ernie Peterson

BY TRENT PALMER ’06

2 MIN. READ 

Ernie Peterson ’73, a retired property appraiser from the Daytona Beach area in Florida, has spent much of his retirement volunteering at sporting events, most notably having “worked” at 8 Olympic games. 

“You work a 12-hour day at the Olympics. No pay but it’s worth it. It’s worth every penny,” he said. In addition to volunteering at the Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002, he’s also traveled to Italy, Canada, Russia, Brazil, and Tokyo to help with the most famous of international sporting events. 

And when it comes to volunteering, especially in the world of sports, Peterson has quite the resume. He’s worked a dozen NCAA men’s basketball tournaments as a game clock operator, was a player escort at Lindsay Vonn’s final World Cup skiing event in Sweden, interviewed Michael Phelps at an Omaha Olympic trials, and has even assisted at a Rubik’s cube competition.

“I developed an appreciation for volunteering, especially on the world stage, because of my time at Anderson.” Peterson was a married student while at Anderson College in the 70’s but saw how the Tri-S program deeply impacted the lives of some of his classmates in how they got to experience something so different from where they were from. He never got to go on a Tri-S trip BUT, through his sports volunteering, especially with the Olympics, Peterson has certainly got a taste of experiencing other cultures around the globe. “You experience things you just can’t fully understand when you see it on TV. It will change your life. It has mine.”

Peterson said that some of his most memorable moments have come in Sochi and Rio where he witnessed some difficult things about people’s way of life. He realized he took some things for granted living in the States. One specific Olympic memory came in Sochi at a women’s snowboarding event. It was after the medal rounds and two athletes, from two different countries, went over to a fenced area where their mothers were there supporting them on their runs. They did their best at a hug through a fence as all were overcome with emotion from the day. One athlete won gold and the other finished fourth. “You wouldn’t have known who won and who just missed the medal stand based on the pride and love the family was showing their child, it was a special and emotional sight to see.” 

Ernie talked about the consistency of what he observes when rubbing shoulders with Olympians over the years, “The rest of us go through our daily lives, but these Olympians give up everything…parents move them to get best coaching, no dating, not much social life. The dedication to their sport and pursuit of excellence is incredible.”

This Paris Games may very well be Ernie’s last as an Olympic volunteer. “Old man time has said try fishing” he says. But, when asked about the possibility of Los Angeles in just four years, Peterson doesn’t give it a hard no. “Actually, the Milan winter games in 2026 would be fun. But that might be too cold for a Florida guy like me.”

Anderson University is on a mission to educate students for lives of faith and service, offering more than 60 undergraduate majors, 30 three-year degrees, 20 NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports, alongside adult and graduate programs. The private, liberal arts institution is fully accredited and recognized among top colleges for its business, computer science, cybersecurity, dance, engineering, nursing, and teacher education programs. Anderson University was established in 1917 in Anderson, Indiana, by the Church of God.