The Olympics have come to an end and I have regained a portion of my life. I reclaimed my afternoons and I'm back to getting to bed before midnight, but it was fun while it lasted.
Who inspired me this year? An Olympics or two ago, (1996 actually) there was a tiny little thing that bounced off a Vault in gymnastics and landed on 2 legs and immediately, And I Mean IMMEDIATELY pulled her left leg up, because it was hurt. Keri Strug didn't hurt her leg on that landing. She hurt it in the preceding vault. But she went for it anyway. Common sense would have said, being able to walk for the rest of your life is more important than getting a great score right now. But athletes don't always recognize Common Sense rules. Their goals are so integrated into their being they can push through situations that would flatten most of us.
This year, I watched Figure Skater Jeremy Abbott hit the ice. Literally. Jeremy launched into some kind of spin/jump, but when he landed it wasn't on his feet. He hit the ice, and fell hard on his hip and then slid HARD into a wall. He lay prone for several seconds. (Just seconds? Felt like forever!) Finally he stood, rubbed his hip, winced in pain and headed for the judges station to withdraw from the competition. Then the fans started applauding and cheering.
I've been to enough sporting events to know when the fans applaud you standing up, they aren't saying GO ON!~ YOU CAN DO IT!!!!! YEA!!!!!!!!. They are just glad you aren't permanently injured. But that's not how Jeremy saw it.
Unable to let the fans down he went on to a truly inspirational program. He hit every jump. As far as I was concerned, he nailed EVERY move and was inspirational! I have a little bit of professional support here. The announcers were as amazed as I was.
That same night Evgeni Plushenko was also inspirational to me, but in a totally different way. Knowing when to walk takes just as much courage as getting back on the horse. Here was a national hero. He knew what was expected of him. We want our heroes to succeed. They EXPECT them to succeed. Evgeni knew he couldn't perform and would either embarrass his country or hurt himself. Either way, he knew it was time to walk, not skate. It was a sad moment, especially for all of his Russian fans. But I was proud of him. It was a really difficult decision.
Then there was skiing. Lots of skiing. I'm not familiar enough with the different events to keep them all straight, but there was one that was memorable. In one event 5 men skiied downhill. Only the first 3 would qualify for the finals. A skier at the back of the pack fell. No way would he qualify,-- but he didn't give up. He got up and continued on to sure failure. Then the skier in 3rd place lost his balance and fell into the one in 2nd place. AHA! Suddenly, what looked like sure failure for one skier was sudden success. Not Giving Up. That's a trait among competitors.
That's how I saw the race. Apparently, Kelly Ripa saw it the same way I did. Micheal Strahan however, saw it differently. He barely noticed the one that fell and got up. Instead, he focused on the two that fell. He said if he had worked that hard to get to the Olympics and someone took him out of a race, he'd be pretty mad. I bet most guys were thinking the same thing. I wonder if that's a male vs. female attitude? Or is there something else that makes us look at the same thing differently?
In the end, for me, the Olympics are a series of stories of people; successes, failures, miracle wins and unexpected loss. I rarely remember who won which Gold, or which country has the most medals. But while the games are going on, I'm hooked. And when they are over, it is the stories that stay with me.
Showing posts with label Olympics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olympics. Show all posts
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Monday, February 10, 2014
Olympic Inspiration
I watched the Olympics opening ceremonies on Friday night. I can't say they were the most beautiful, or extravagant I've ever seen, but I don't think they needed to be. (True confession...I was multi-tasking so my mind or my eyes weren't focused just on them.) I enjoyed them just the same. I loved the music most of all. Russia has such a rich history there, and it was beautiful.
Every time the Olympics come around I like seeing how the host country chooses to showcase it's heritage. Sometimes I really like the music, other times, not as much. Sometimes it seems long, and drawn out. Other times it's stunning. But always it is interesting. I learn a little more about the culture and I find out about a place I will most likely never see. And I am inspired and hopeful that the host country will have a good show, and a successful Olympics.
I can be easily inspired. Some would say I tend to be a little sappy about this stuff. I stand guilty. I like it when things work out. When the work of thousands come off without a major hitch. What is sad is when we focus on all the wrong things. One snowflake that didn't open when it should, hotel glitches....
There may be three things that affects the focus of these Olympics. 1) It's Russia. Even with the cold war gone, we are still in competition to show we are better, and we look for any chance to prove it. 2) The unfortunate threat of terrorism--but truthfully, hasn't that been true for the last 30 years? 3) Social Media. A twitter page has been set up just to highlight all the little things that are wrong....door knobs, bad water, rooms not ready.... I wonder if twitter had been available at any previous Olympics what problems would have been revealed? Plenty, I'm sure. Nothing of that magnitude comes off without a hitch.
We live in an age where mocking anyone or anything seems to have become an Olympic sport and most of us could qualify for the team.
I hope in the weeks to come we hear less about the glitches, and more about the real focus...the athletes. I'm looking for the stories about them. Where they come from. What they overcame. The villages around the world that has a hero in Sochi. That has always been the best part of the Olympics for me. Hearing their stories, seeing the competition.
Politics will always be a part of it. It can't help it. We are intertwined, and in competition with one another, worldwide. But it needs to be a small part of the story. Not the focus. I'm looking forward to being inspired.
Every time the Olympics come around I like seeing how the host country chooses to showcase it's heritage. Sometimes I really like the music, other times, not as much. Sometimes it seems long, and drawn out. Other times it's stunning. But always it is interesting. I learn a little more about the culture and I find out about a place I will most likely never see. And I am inspired and hopeful that the host country will have a good show, and a successful Olympics.
I can be easily inspired. Some would say I tend to be a little sappy about this stuff. I stand guilty. I like it when things work out. When the work of thousands come off without a major hitch. What is sad is when we focus on all the wrong things. One snowflake that didn't open when it should, hotel glitches....
There may be three things that affects the focus of these Olympics. 1) It's Russia. Even with the cold war gone, we are still in competition to show we are better, and we look for any chance to prove it. 2) The unfortunate threat of terrorism--but truthfully, hasn't that been true for the last 30 years? 3) Social Media. A twitter page has been set up just to highlight all the little things that are wrong....door knobs, bad water, rooms not ready.... I wonder if twitter had been available at any previous Olympics what problems would have been revealed? Plenty, I'm sure. Nothing of that magnitude comes off without a hitch.
We live in an age where mocking anyone or anything seems to have become an Olympic sport and most of us could qualify for the team.
I hope in the weeks to come we hear less about the glitches, and more about the real focus...the athletes. I'm looking for the stories about them. Where they come from. What they overcame. The villages around the world that has a hero in Sochi. That has always been the best part of the Olympics for me. Hearing their stories, seeing the competition.
Politics will always be a part of it. It can't help it. We are intertwined, and in competition with one another, worldwide. But it needs to be a small part of the story. Not the focus. I'm looking forward to being inspired.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Realities of an Olympian
I have had a hard time keeping up with my blog this past week. I've been glued to the TV watching the Olympics. If they ever make television watching an event, perhaps I can qualify for a team! I've written and re-written this post several times, but I keep tweaking it as I watch a little more. (I find it interesting that women, who would normally groan when their husbands are glued to the television watching sports and flipping through channels to catch all the games, are quite likely to be doing the same thing when the Olympics are on.) The athletes amaze me. The stories behind them are interesting. I have to say though, I don't think anyone did the background stories better than ABC in the 80's. I learned about people in different countries, saw their villages and towns, and therefore, became involved in the outcome of obscure sports I knew nothing about. This year a few stories really stuck out.
Olympic Athletes run, swim, jump to the beat of a different drummer. They sacrifice normal childhoods. They carry determination and dedication to levels that leave the rest of us breathless.
And then there is another huge part in the life of an Olympic Athlete. The Parents. I watched them in the stands, barely contained in their seats as they encouraged, prayed, and rooted their children on. The bond between the parents and these kids is special. Without their infinite support, many of the athletes would never have made it to London.
The story that touched me the most was Gabby Douglas. Not because she is aptly nicknamed The Flying Squirrel. Not because she has a smile that could end world wars or a perky effervescence that makes you want to grab the person standing next to you and hug them. No, those are nice qualities for a star, but that's not what Gabby's story truly signifies. If the dictionary showed a picture of Sacrifice, Gabby's face should be it. And so should her mother's.
Two years ago Gabby decided that she wanted to go to the Olympics and in order to do that she convinced her mother to let her move to Des Moines, Iowa to train with Shawn Johnson's trainer. The family didn't move. Just Gabby. She was 14. What guts that took. Nerve. Sacrifice. Dedication. Love. I'm talking about her mother.
Gabby moved in with a host family. When asked how many times she has been home in 2 years, she said 'I haven't been home'. Wow. From age 14-16, never went home. I assume her mother has been out to see her at least a few times, but that question wasn't asked, so I don't know. It costs money to travel. And raising an athlete is expensive. All I know is that I don't know if I could make that sacrifice as a mom. How do you let them go? For most of us letting our kids go to summer camp for a week is hard.
As much as the athletes sacrifice, what the families sacrifice is almost beyond comprehension for me. The money. The time. (Any parent of a child athlete knows how much little league can cost in both time and money.) These families are into full time sports training! As a parent it is always a struggle to find a balance between pushing a kid too hard, or holding them back. But the financial sacrifice would stop most of us.
Athletes sacrifice a lot, but their sacrifice is different than their parents. A parent didn't sacrifice for something they loved. They sacrificed for someONE they loved.
I watched Gabby's mother and her host mom as she took gold in the All-around in gymnastics. I'm a weeper. Give me an emotional moment...happy, sad, nostalgic, patriotic...I'll be hugging the box of Kleenex.
I watched them through my tears and I heard myself whisper "You go, Mom! You earned this too."
The athletes may be our heroes, but the parents... well they are in a class by themselves.
Olympic Athletes run, swim, jump to the beat of a different drummer. They sacrifice normal childhoods. They carry determination and dedication to levels that leave the rest of us breathless.
And then there is another huge part in the life of an Olympic Athlete. The Parents. I watched them in the stands, barely contained in their seats as they encouraged, prayed, and rooted their children on. The bond between the parents and these kids is special. Without their infinite support, many of the athletes would never have made it to London.
The story that touched me the most was Gabby Douglas. Not because she is aptly nicknamed The Flying Squirrel. Not because she has a smile that could end world wars or a perky effervescence that makes you want to grab the person standing next to you and hug them. No, those are nice qualities for a star, but that's not what Gabby's story truly signifies. If the dictionary showed a picture of Sacrifice, Gabby's face should be it. And so should her mother's.
Two years ago Gabby decided that she wanted to go to the Olympics and in order to do that she convinced her mother to let her move to Des Moines, Iowa to train with Shawn Johnson's trainer. The family didn't move. Just Gabby. She was 14. What guts that took. Nerve. Sacrifice. Dedication. Love. I'm talking about her mother.
Gabby moved in with a host family. When asked how many times she has been home in 2 years, she said 'I haven't been home'. Wow. From age 14-16, never went home. I assume her mother has been out to see her at least a few times, but that question wasn't asked, so I don't know. It costs money to travel. And raising an athlete is expensive. All I know is that I don't know if I could make that sacrifice as a mom. How do you let them go? For most of us letting our kids go to summer camp for a week is hard.
As much as the athletes sacrifice, what the families sacrifice is almost beyond comprehension for me. The money. The time. (Any parent of a child athlete knows how much little league can cost in both time and money.) These families are into full time sports training! As a parent it is always a struggle to find a balance between pushing a kid too hard, or holding them back. But the financial sacrifice would stop most of us.
Athletes sacrifice a lot, but their sacrifice is different than their parents. A parent didn't sacrifice for something they loved. They sacrificed for someONE they loved.
I watched Gabby's mother and her host mom as she took gold in the All-around in gymnastics. I'm a weeper. Give me an emotional moment...happy, sad, nostalgic, patriotic...I'll be hugging the box of Kleenex.
I watched them through my tears and I heard myself whisper "You go, Mom! You earned this too."
The athletes may be our heroes, but the parents... well they are in a class by themselves.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Daydreams of an Olympic Wannabe
I've been watching the Olympics and I wonder why I couldn't have been like them when I was 16? They are so good, so fit, but really, what sets us apart? I've given it some thought.
Hmm...
Swimming--I love to swim and hang out by the pool. So, why didn't someone pull me aside and say
"Why don't you try out for the Swim Team?"
Tomorrow I will drag myself out of bed at 6:00 am and go to a cardio class at the local pool. UNLESS... it is below 65 degees when I wake up...it is raining...the sun isn't ready to come up...or maybe I just don't feel like it when the alarm goes off. I bet those Olympians have days when they just don't feel like it, too.
Gymnastics--This was my favorite part of PE in school. I loved the balance beam, and I could vault right over that pommel horse! Of course, I don't ever remember being asked to do a back ward flip on the beam, which was just as good. I mean, really, why would someone do a back flip on a 4 inch wide piece of wood, 3 feet off the ground, if they didn't have real eyes in the back of their head? So perhaps, I was missing a secret anatomical part that gymnasts have.
As for the Parallel bars, sure, I remember working out on them. Some moves were really fun, but I wasn't all that impressed with a move called 'traveling'. It meant swinging from one end to the other on my ARMS. OW! They could really get bruised that way. I'm not real big on activities that could get me bruised.
One event really does get me though. It is the men's tumbling on the mats. Have you seen the hand stand they do with the arms spread out at a wide stance? Are they kidding? I'm still working on learning how to do a real push-up, where my nose actually gets within a couple of inches of the mat, instead of a foot away. Oh well... that's the men's gymnastics. I'm a girl! So as long as I can jump 3 feet in the air and do a bunch of twisting and turning and land upright on 2 feet like a cat, I'm good. (Not that I can actually do that, but I'm not 16 and no one asked me to do that when I was, so who knows?)
Yep. When I think about it there really isn't anything separating me from an Olympic athlete except:
Dedication
Determination
Motivation
Physicality
Ability
And the Uneven Parallel Bars.
I don't like heights.
Hmm...
Swimming--I love to swim and hang out by the pool. So, why didn't someone pull me aside and say
"Why don't you try out for the Swim Team?"
Tomorrow I will drag myself out of bed at 6:00 am and go to a cardio class at the local pool. UNLESS... it is below 65 degees when I wake up...it is raining...the sun isn't ready to come up...or maybe I just don't feel like it when the alarm goes off. I bet those Olympians have days when they just don't feel like it, too.
Gymnastics--This was my favorite part of PE in school. I loved the balance beam, and I could vault right over that pommel horse! Of course, I don't ever remember being asked to do a back ward flip on the beam, which was just as good. I mean, really, why would someone do a back flip on a 4 inch wide piece of wood, 3 feet off the ground, if they didn't have real eyes in the back of their head? So perhaps, I was missing a secret anatomical part that gymnasts have.
As for the Parallel bars, sure, I remember working out on them. Some moves were really fun, but I wasn't all that impressed with a move called 'traveling'. It meant swinging from one end to the other on my ARMS. OW! They could really get bruised that way. I'm not real big on activities that could get me bruised.
One event really does get me though. It is the men's tumbling on the mats. Have you seen the hand stand they do with the arms spread out at a wide stance? Are they kidding? I'm still working on learning how to do a real push-up, where my nose actually gets within a couple of inches of the mat, instead of a foot away. Oh well... that's the men's gymnastics. I'm a girl! So as long as I can jump 3 feet in the air and do a bunch of twisting and turning and land upright on 2 feet like a cat, I'm good. (Not that I can actually do that, but I'm not 16 and no one asked me to do that when I was, so who knows?)
Yep. When I think about it there really isn't anything separating me from an Olympic athlete except:
Dedication
Determination
Motivation
Physicality
Ability
And the Uneven Parallel Bars.
I don't like heights.
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