Katie Moses Swope, ’97, traveled to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympic Games to serve as the communications lead for USA BMX and the first-ever U.S. Olympic Skateboarding Team.

BY CONSTANCE GIBBS

While serving as a resident assistant for Duchesne Hall her junior year, Katie Moses Swope, ’97, decorated the hallway with a countdown to the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Each resident door tag featured the Olympic rings carefully handcrafted by Swope. At the end of that school year, Swope would travel to Atlanta to work the beach volleyball venue. The experience would shape the rest of her professional career.

“I always loved watching the Olympics from a young age because of the human interest stories,” Swope said. “I wanted to be able to tell those stories one day, about how athletes worked their way up to this moment.”

After graduating with a degree in communications, Swope spent 16 years as part of the ESPN communications team. She worked on more than 100 events, including the X Games, Monday Night Football and NASCAR. Though action sports existed before the X Games, Swope was part of the team that created the platform that catapulted action sports into popular culture.

“I always give Maryville credit for setting my career trajectory,” Swope said. “I loved how small it was and that I wasn’t just a number like I would have been at a larger university. My professors made learning a personalized experience for me, and at times, I would struggle with test taking. One of my communications professors suggested I take a verbal test, and it was one of my best results in his class. My experiences and internships through Maryville greatly impacted my career path.”

In 2013, Swope founded her own boutique public relations firm, MoSwo PR. The firm works with action sports athletes and adaptive sports athletes living with disabilities. Its clients include Brighton Zeuner, who became the youngest gold medalist at the X Games Minneapolis 2017 when she won women’s skateboard park the day after her 13th birthday.

Twenty-five years after adorning Duchesne Hall with Olympic-themed decorations, Swope traveled to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games as the communications lead for USA BMX and the first-ever U.S. Olympic Skateboarding Team, overseeing public relations and media for 17 Olympians and two Paralympians.

“I’ve come full circle,” Swope said. “Now it’s my own daughter who is that young girl watching the Olympics and being inspired by the athletes.”

After a yearlong delay because of the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics were held with strict COVID-19 protocols in place. Swope was required to get tested for COVID before traveling abroad and every day during the Tokyo Games. Masks were mandated at nearly all times outside of competition, and social distancing was required, including a ban on spectators attending events.

“At times, the protocols were overwhelming, but the priority was keeping everyone safe,” Swope said. “Being in Tokyo amid a global pandemic actually made the experience even more special, because we realized how grateful we were to have made it there. The people of Japan couldn’t have been more welcoming and helpful, or more excited to host the world. Tokyo was so beautiful, and it was really sad to see all the gorgeous venues and stadiums remain empty.”

In her role, Swope was responsible for educating the media. This was especially true for skateboarding, which made its Olympic debut in Tokyo. Swope spoke with media outlets to share the history of the sport and its counterculture roots. She provided previews of what would happen during competition and spotlighted which athletes to watch.

“It was my job to keep the sport authentic,” she said. “Like getting Al Roker, the co-host and weatherman of NBC’s TODAY show, to use the word ‘runs’ instead of ‘routines’ on live television.”

Her work paid off. Media outlets called skateboarding the most refreshing sport at the Tokyo Games. Everyone learned what the skate community already knew: its culture is based not on winning but in joy and individuality. “Skateboarding is more than a sport — it’s a community and a family,” Swope said. “The camaraderie and unity between these athletes is real and inspiring.”

Swope’s expertise extended to crisis communication as well, including disseminating information regarding U.S. BMX racer Connor Fields, who crashed and suffered a head injury during competition. After being rushed to a local hospital, Fields flew home to the U.S. a few days later. “I’ve learned that speed beats smart every time,” Swope said. “Unfortunately, I’ve dealt with some pretty heavy topics in my career. But it’s a little faster-paced at an Olympic event. At the end of the day, if I’ve shared information before the media can speculate, I’ve done my job.”

Perhaps her most important responsibility in Tokyo was communicating with the families of athletes — the mothers, fathers, spouses, siblings and friends who couldn’t travel to Japan because of COVID restrictions.

“I feel honored that I got to be with the athletes in person, especially the medal winners,” Swope said. “We call it ‘managing victory,’ as those athletes would spend the next 24 hours participating in rigorous media interviews. I was constantly updating the families so it felt like they were right there, standing next to their son or daughter. It was important to me that they got to be a part of the Olympic experience.”

Swope currently resides in Denverwith her husband and best friend, Steve Swope, and the couple’s three energetic, adventurous children.