“Here he comes!” someone shouted as a dark blue Volvo SUV came over a hill in Loma Portal and a group of about 30 adults and children, many waving American flags, began to cheer.
The front seat passenger looked on in momentary disbelief before a wide grin broke out upon seeing faces he recognized as neighbors and friends.
Tate Carew, the Olympic athlete, was home.
Dressed in a light blue tracksuit with a circular patch that read “United States Olympic Team” around the perimeter with an American flag and the Olympic rings in the middle. A huge Olympic flag was hung from the Carew family’s front porch.
Members of the crowd gathered around Carew, who was thrilled to see each of the people.
“We are so proud of you!” said many in the crowd along with, “You did so well!”
“You must be exhausted,” said a neighbor.
“I feel good,” Carew said. “I slept on the plane.”
Some in the crowd were new to the neighborhood and introduced themselves as side conversations began. But it was the Olympic skateboarder they came to see.
Carew told visitors he arrived in Paris several days after the Opening Ceremony. When not involved in four days of practice, he toured Paris and saw the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and other sites.
He noted on the day of his event (park skateboarding) he did not feel nervous or tense despite performing in front of 25,000, “by far the biggest crowd ever.” After his event on Aug. 7, Carew stayed for the Closing Ceremony where he witnessed actor Tom Cruise’s stunt leap from the stadium’s upper ring onto the playing surface before he took the Olympic flag from the venue.
And the highlight of his Olympic experience?
“Probably meeting Snoop Dogg,” Carew said. “I saw him and said, ‘Hello Snoop Dogg’ and he said ‘Hello Tate Dogg!'”
Then at his event, Carew was elated when he looked up and saw both Snoop Dogg and famed skateboarder Tony Hawk among the spectators.
Soon, several youngsters from the neighborhood appeared with skateboards, which Carew cheerfully autographed. Later, an elderly couple appeared with an “early model” skateboard, which the man laughingly swore he rode as a youngster. Carew autographed that too.
Carew pulled three massive bags of “swag” he brought home from the SUV and showed a lanyard and plastic bag with dozens of country pins he exchanged with other athletes including a tiny orange pair of clogs from the Netherlands. “These are only part of them,” he said as people crowded forward to get a look.
“And will we see Tate in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles?” a neighbor asked.
“I plan to be there,” Carew replied, noting that qualifying point totals begin in 2026 at venues around the world.
Speaking to the people of Point Loma and Ocean Beach, Carew said, “It’s been an honor and I’m glad I’ve been able to represent you the best I could and hopefully I’ll bring home some medals in ’28.”
Will Carew take some time off to relax and unwind from his Olympic experience?
“This month I have the Rock Star Tour in Oregon and next month The X Games in Japan and after that an event in Brazil,” Carew said.
But Carew’s immediate plan? After people dispersed, he and his mother drove to Ortiz’s Taco Shop for his favorite giant burrito.
