RIO DE JANEIRO – If you want Danielle Page to speak Serbian, your options on the menu are limited.
“I can order a beer,” Page told me. “But thatap about it.”
Page was born in the USA. She fell in love with soccer as a child growing up in Colorado Springs. But there she was, playing basketball in Brazil for Serbia on Thursday, with her mother waving the Serbian flag in the stands, cheering like crazy for a dreamer that found a way to make it to the Olympics.
“Itap beyond my wildest dreams,” said Page, who graduated from Lewis-Palmer High School.
Page scored 10 points and added seven rebounds during a 68-54 loss to Spain in the semifinals of the Olympic tournament. Although disappointed with the defeat, Page has a shot at a medal, when Serbia takes on France this weekend, with the bronze at stake.
Until the eighth grade, Page never tried basketball. Until late in high school, she did not blossom. After playing at Nebraska, she found demand for her skills in Europe. And last year, while Page was playing in France, a Serbian coach approached the 6-foot-2 forward and asked if she would like a chance to compete in the Olympics, if the paperwork of becoming a naturalized citizen could be worked out in time.
“It wasn’t greeted 100 percent positively in Serbia initially,” said Page, whose acceptance from Serbian teammates was immediate, although basketball fans on the streets of Belgrade weren’t so certain they liked an American taking a spot on the national squad. “But you come in and help win the European championship, then everybody is your friend. Now, I’m Serbian.”
Ten relatives, all wearing homemade jerseys honoring No. 15 in red, have been attendance in Rio. They are the Serbian army from Colorado Springs.
“How random is that? I never would have envisioned that.” said Page, who has averaged 10.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in seven Olympic appearances.
She has learned the the words to the Serbian national anthem, which she sings loudly at every opportunity. The rest of the language, however, is a tongue-twister. “They’re sticking consonants together, and my mouth doesn’t make sounds properly. So people are always giving me a hard time. But I try,” said Page, who has spent a grand total of four months of her 29 years in Serbia.
But she has learned the important stuff. Like how to get a beer.
“Daj mi pivo.”
What else do you need?
