THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 7, 1996 TAG: 9607040171
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: 68 lines
WHEN WORD GOT out on the Internet about Andy Jacobs' Olympic tickets, the offers began rolling in.
Andy's two A Level tickets to the opening ceremonies, the ones that set him back $636 each? ``I've been offered $2,000 apiece for them,'' he says.
Andy also bought two tickets - he'll be going to Atlanta with Jeanett Jensen - to the men's gymnastics gold medal round.
Only $212 each for those.
He's been offered $1,400 for the pair.
Greco-Roman wrestling, now that was a bargain, a mere $43 each for two tickets to the gold medal round.
The cost of Jacobs' six tickets: $1,782.
Hotel: $1,800 and change for six nights in Macon, Ga.
Total value of package, not counting meals, souvenirs and gas for his car: almost $3,600.
``A lot of credit cards, a lot of monthly payments'' have gone into the creation of Jacobs' Olympic dream.
``If I didn't go,'' he says, ``I'd regret it for the rest of my life.''
That could be a long time, seeing as how Jacobs is only 24.
When he isn't attending Tidewater Community College, he works two jobs. From 4 a.m. until noon, he can be found at BJ's Wholesale Club in Virginia Beach, where he is a stock clerk. In the evenings this summer, he's parking cars at the Sheraton Oceanfront.
Jacobs works hard for his money. He could use the $4,000 he was offered for the opening-ceremony tickets.
What's more, he says, other net surfers came forward hoping to snap up all six of his Olympic tickets.
``I've been offered enough to pay for the tickets, my hotel room and tuition to TCC for the next two years,'' he says.
Was he tempted to cash in?
``Nah,'' he says. ``I just wanted to see what somebody would offer.''
Jacobs, understand, is something of an Olympic fanatic. His home is packed with flags, books and other memorabilia relating to the Games. And as an amateur gymnast for 15 years, he feels a special affinity for the competition.
``I never wanted to go to the Super Bowl or the World Series,'' he says. ``I always wanted to go to the Olympics.''
In June, Jacobs was talking on the phone to a friend in Washington, D.C. The friend happened to mention that the Olympic torch was coming through town that day.
When, asked Andy.
In about five hours, he was told.
``Fifteen minutes later,'' he says, ``I was on the road to D.C.''
He made it just in time to get a glimpse of the torch as it was being carried through the capital.
``Pretty cool. I drove all that way for a five-minute experience,'' he says. ``An hour later, I got in the car and came back. But it was well worth it.''
Now, as the Games get closer, ``tears start welling up when I see a commercial for the Olympics,'' he says. ``It's kicked in that I'm finally going. I'm like sleepless.''
When he finally dozes off, does he ever have visions of those dreamy offers on the Internet?
He laughs and answers:
``It's only money.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Huy Nguyen\The Virginian-Pilot
KEYWORDS: SUMMER OLYMPICS by CNB