MINNEAPOLIS — It's just after 10 p.m. on Friday, and the Target Center, which was nearly packed an hour ago, falls silent as one of USA Gymnastics' busiest volunteers heads for the exit. Beacon, a 4-year-old golden retriever, is the organization's first therapy dog and only part-time four-legged staff member. He wears a badge, travels to major competitions like the Olympic trials and holds the title of USAG's “nice guy.”
Tonight, Beacon is exhausted. He’s spent a long day consoling athletes and coaches, calming members of the women’s national team before their first night of competition at the Olympic trials and providing them with a belly to rub and gentle face licks after a harrowing competition in which two of the country’s top prospects were injured.
“He's tired now,” said Tracey Callahan Molnar, a Beacon handler and former gymnast and coach who is never more than five feet away. “I think we did an important job. It was a tough night for some of the gymnasts and I think Beacon helped celebrate the good things and was there and provided support through the challenges.”
Those began before the meet even started. Shilese Jones, a two-time world champion and considered a lock to make the team, was injured during vault warmups. After landing a double-twisting Yurchenko, she grabbed her left knee and was helped off the arena by her coach, Sarah Korngold, and the national team’s technical leader, Chellsie Memmel. She returned to compete on uneven bars and earned the highest score of the night, but was eliminated from the other events and her status on Sunday is uncertain.
Shortly afterward, Kayla DiCello, a 2021 alternate who has looked as promising as anyone recently, began the competition on vault. She landed awkwardly, sat on the mat and shook her head. She left the floor in a wheelchair and crying and later withdrew from the competition with an Achilles injury.
Around the arena, DiCello’s friends and competitors were in shock. Her roommate here in Minneapolis and one of her best friends, reigning Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee, cried as she lined up to take her first dive. It was a devastating start to an important night for these women competing for one of five spots on Team USA.
After the competition, Beacon got to work. He and Callahan Molnar went out to the stadium and spent about 40 minutes with the gymnasts and their coaches, including Lee, who rubbed his back, stroked his soft fur and, when he could convince them, rubbed his belly.
“I watch the ladies and if they perk up when they see him, I walk over to them,” Callahan Molnar said. “Tonight, a few called out to him or came to see him on their own.” Not all of the gymnasts grew up around dogs, so he’s aware that interacting with Beacon is a new experience for some. Sometimes, Beacon directs Callahan Molnar’s attention to someone with a gentle tug on his leash. He’s drawn to two things: hearing his name and an innate sense of when someone needs him.
“He turns around in an instant without realizing who it is,” Callahan Molnar said. “He picks up on stress and reaches out to that person immediately.” She says therapy dogs like Beacon act as a kind of emotional sponge. “They absorb the stress of the people they are relieving,” she said. “So even though you can lie still for two hours, you're exhausted afterward.”
That's why Beacon needs a good night's sleep right now and is stuffy. He's had a 15-hour day that started when Callahan Molnar woke him up at 7. Here's a look at a day in the life of USAG's most popular employee.
From 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Callahan Molnar doesn't want to do it, but she wakes him up when he gets out of bed at 7. The two share a suite at the Hampton Inn with two beds, and Beacon started the night in his bed. Now he's lying in the middle of hers, his head resting on her pillow. “It's a great way to start the day,” she said. “Hopefully for him, but definitely for me.”
11:30 am-1:30 pm: Beacon attends the first of two scheduled comfort sessions at USAG’s athlete hotel. Callahan Molnar leads his good boy into a conference room where he waits for gymnasts and coaches to filter through the entire session. Beacon is part of USAG’s mental health program, a move by the organization to better care for the whole athlete. “Science shows that petting a dog — or even watching someone pet a dog — can lower blood pressure and anxiety, help increase feel-good hormones serotonin and dopamine, and reduce cortisol levels,” Callahan Molnar said. Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone. “We all need a certain amount,” she said, “but too much is not healthy.”
14.00-15.00 hours: Beacon is taking a much-needed break as Callahan Molnar is interviewed for another story about them. She's become quite the celebrity since working her first USAG event, an elite rhythmic gymnastics qualifier in Indianapolis, just over a year ago. “In any other aspect of my life, I would shy away from the spotlight,” Callahan Molnar said. “But I'm happy to talk about Beacon and pet therapy with anyone who will listen. I see myself as her companion.”
The two have been together since Beacon, whom she named after a bright light that guided her, was a puppy. He was first her service animal, before she trained him in obedience and certified him as a therapy dog through Pet Partners. At home in Pasadena, California, he volunteers at local hospitals.
3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.: The moment the couple gets up to leave, they are like magnets. “It's hard to walk from point A to point B with him to find that moment of respite,” she said. “Everyone wants to say hello to him and he wants to say hello to them. It takes him 20 minutes to get there… it's not very far.”
15:30 – 17:30: Second session at the athletes’ hotel. As competition approaches, Beacon, joined by two other therapy dogs, another golden retriever and a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, provides the gymnasts with a distraction from the stress of the events. In each city, Callahan Molnar, a 40-year USAG employee, coordinates several teams of therapy dogs and handlers who volunteer at events. Fifteen work here in Minneapolis, including USA Gymnastics CEO Li Li Leung’s husband, Chris, and Siberian husky Suma. During sessions, it’s not uncommon for gymnasts to bring gifts for Beacon: a teddy bear wearing a T-shirt with Beacon and the gymnast’s photo on the front, a handmade keychain with his name on it, a beaded bracelet and a personalized guest book with sweet notes written for him by members of the women’s national team.
17:30 to 19:00 hours: The duo returns to their hotel to relax and eat. Callahan Molnar grabbed an extra bagel from the breakfast buffet that now becomes his dinner. Beacon finishes the kibble that she has fortified with blueberries, raspberries, chopped pumpkin seeds, and kefir. He has a great night that begins with a walk back to the stadium. When he stops, Callahan Molnar steps back and lets him work or hands him his cards, complete with his Instagram account, date of birth, likes (swimming and hiking) and dislikes (celery) on the back. .
7-9pm: Beacon and Callahan Molnar watch the competition from a room in the Target Center. Before warm-ups, Leanne Wong gave her one of her signature handmade hair bows, which she wears for the rest of the night on her headgear. She is learning to interact with mascots like USAG's Flip the Cat, but she prefers to spend the hours during competition in the break room.
On Saturday and Sunday, the men's and women's teams will be named the competition, and Beacon will be there for those who need it. Once the selection committee breaks the news of who was selected, he, Callahan Molnar and another team of therapy dogs will be available to athletes not included on Team USA and their families. He spent the past week selecting the other perfect couple to accompany them on this duty. “It's a delicate situation,” he said. “His job those nights is a big responsibility.”
