The University of Mississippi Athletics
Olympic Games About More Than Softball For Kloezeman
8/26/2004 | Softball
Aug. 26, 2004
ATHENS, Greece - When Chloe Kloezeman heard her name announced as one of the final selections for the roster of the Greek National team, which would compete in the 2004 Olympic Games, she knew her life was about to change as she realized one of her dreams.
Little did she know how much her life was about to be changed by the event.
Kloezeman, a signee with the Ole Miss softball team, dreamed of competing in the Olympics since her youth. The shortstop began her journey when she heard about a call for tryouts for all women of direct Greek descent to compete for a spot on the Greek National Team roster for the 2004 Olympic Games.
Kloezeman worked tirelessly for two years, competing in events around the United State and the world, before finding herself on the final roster in July of 2004.
From there, the world began to change for Kloezeman as she not only experienced a new level of softball, but found herself digging deeper into her family history and reconnecting with her roots.
Kloezeman, whose family name on her mother's side is Kanalakis, found out the true depth of family connections and the significance of the Games when she arrived in Crete with her family a week before the Olympic Games officially opened.
"(In Crete) we visited the village that my ancestors were from, and reconnected with some of the extended family there," Kloezeman said. "After hearing that a Kanalakis would be participating in the Olympics, three cousins of mine came out to watch us play. They were extremely excited and were ready and willing to sit and watch a game (softball) they had never heard of or watched before.
"They brought gifts for me and encouraged me to come and visit them," Kloezeman said. "They ensured me that I would always have a place to stay."
The love and excitement around the Greek softball team shown by her family was only the beginning of the experience for the Burlingame, Calif., native. Once the team reached Athens, she realized that the pride the Greeks took in their team and being the birthplace of the Games, ran deeper than she imagined. It was even more significant since many of the roster members of the Greek team, were Americans of Greek descent.
"I was so impressed by the Greek fans," Kloezeman said. "They had so much heart, and loved the team unconditionally. When we played the United States, every time the fans would chant "U-S-A", they would be drowned out by the "HELLAS" cheers (from the Greek fans).
"The crowd really gave us energy, and we were sad to disappoint them by our end result," Kloezeman said.
The Greek crowd wasn't the only group excited about the performance of Kloezeman and her teammates. Stateside, there were many people who woke up at 4 a.m. to watch the Hellas take on the United States team, including Ole Miss head softball coach Candi Letts.
 | The Olympics have changed my life and opened my eyes to the beautiful culture and civilization here in the birthplace of the Games. Chloe Kloezeman |
"I was so excited to get to watch Chloe play against the premiere softball team in the world," said Letts. "We couldn't make it to Athens, so I didn't care what time the game was broadcast, I wasn't missing the opportunity to see her enjoy this moment."
The United States defeated the Greek team 7-0 on the way to the gold medal.
Kloezeman displayed her defensive prowess against some of the world's top softball players as she recorded four putouts and 18 assists at the "hot corner" of third base, while suffering only one error.
Softball wasn't the only thing Kloezeman experienced during her time in Athens. She experienced the culture of her ancestors' first-hand for the first time, as everyone welcomed the American as part of their world.
"Living in the village and just walking down the street gave me a taste of how accommodating the Greek culture really is," Kloezeman said. "The volunteers would do anything to make you feel at home and get you where you wanted to go. Everyone here is quick to lend a hand and would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. The language barrier created interest from the people, and they were very supportive of our efforts."
Despite the disappointment of not bringing home a medal, the opportunity to simply compete in the Olympics in their birthplace and experience the culture of her ancestors first hand proved to be enough for Kloezeman.
"The Olympics have changed my life and opened my eyes to the beautiful culture and civilization here in the birthplace of the Games," Kloezeman said. "I will take a piece of the Greek people home with me, and cherish the memories for the rest of my life."