Krysta Palmer Tokyo 2020 Olympics
A look at the home page of 'Cheering for Krysta' run by the Palmer's and close family friend, Tammy Lancaster.
Anyone who has followed Krysta Palmer’s diving journey in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – and, of course, on social media – has likely stumbled upon the ‘Cheering for Krysta’ Facebook page at some point.
As of Wednesday morning, the page had nearly 1,800 followers and has shared nearly all of the media coverage of Northern Nevada’s top diver from local outlets to national stories.
The curator of the page is a decade-long family friend of the Palmer’s, Tammy Lancaster.
An accountant by day, Lancaster spent many nights over the last few weeks staying up late to track down
“I try to keep up on all the comments and try to keep up on things that are upbeat and interesting,” said Lancaster. “For someone who can’t talk to Krysta, but wants to know how she’s doing, I try to put that out there.”
Getting the page started
Lancaster met the Palmer’s in 2009, initially getting to know Krysta’s father, Mitch, through motorcycle riding.
After Mitch had an accident, Lancaster started a GoFundMe page to help try and cover some of the medical costs.
“We were always close friends and rode together, then after the accident became closer because it was very hard on her mom,” said Lancaster. “Through the years, we’ve stayed close as Krysta developed in trampoline and such.”
“She’s been there for us through some of the hardest times,” said Palmer of Lancaster. “Her running the page is cool because she knows us so well. … Cheering for Krysta has really evolved over time.”
The FaceBook page didn’t start with the Olympic Games.
In fact, it’s been used on and off since 2017 when Lancaster tried to help Krysta’s parents afford a trip to Budapest.
“One of the motorcycle community started this page to raise money for her parents to go to Budapest and see her in her first international event,” Lancaster said.
The original name of the page was ‘Budapest or Bust’
Lancaster has spent enough time around the Palmer’s to know that when it comes time to compete, they’re not heading to the latest social media feed.
“We weren’t sure how any of this was going to go,” said Lancaster, “they’re such an amazing family and that’s why I do it.”
Lancaster ha spent the last few weeks scrolling through hundreds of comments and interacting with Palmer’s online fan club constantly.
“A way to reach the people about what’s going on with Krysta and a way for them to reach her because a lot of people just don’t have the ability,” said Lancaster. “It’s community support, but from all over the country.
“I’ve never met a more selfless, grounded family in my life,” Lancaster said of the Palmers.
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