Olympic Gold
The thrill of last minute victories.
Excruciating spills on the ice and downhill.
Poetry in motion – on skis, skates, snowboards.
The 2010 Winter Olympic Games have given spectators plenty of drama and delight, as we have watched the world’s athletes compete for gold, silver, bronze and sometimes just the priviledge of being a competitor on the world stage. While the distance of television can’t match the excitement of actually being in the crowd, those of us who have tuned in each evening have shared some amazing moments.
I think my most vivid Olympics memories will be the things we never expected to happen. The quietly ambitious American men’s Nordic cross country skiing team working together during the race to win gold. The Canadian figure skater, who performed a magnificent if tearful program just days after her mother died suddenly of a heart attack. The snowboarders, who added the half pipe as an Olympic venue and rocking out to music as a pre-competition warm-up. Older skiers who have used experience to their advantage, and very young skaters who have showed amazing composure. The faces of parents in the stands who watch and cheer no matter what happens. In fact, there is drama in each athlete’s story of determination and dedication to their sport.
Of course, there have also been tragedies. The first one happened before the Games ever began. On a practice run, a young Olympic hopeful was killed when his luge left the track and he struck a support beam. Sadly, there were also other athletes who crashed in the bobsled, downhill skiing, speed skating and snowboarding. Perhaps, the most unforgettable examples of things-gone-terribly-wrong were simple but disastrous mistakes: in particular, the coach who panicked with mistaken directions and sent his gold medal athlete home disqualified.
In between all these have been smaller reminders of why the Olympics are called “games” - sport is not a predictable day job. Anything can happen. The leader can tire. The long shot can win. A team can pull together. An upset can be overcome. The Olympics are, by definition dramatic, and we love anticipating the unexpected.
So, at the end of all this heart-stopping drama, what do we, the spectators, take with us into the coming year?
I hope, it’s inspiration! I hope we allow ourselves to celebrate the exhilaration of what’s it’s like to give heart and soul to a difficult, but joyful endeavor. I hope we reconnect with people, old and young, from other nations who love their countries as much as we love ours. I hope we keep the crystalline memories of performances of exquisite beauty and grace. Most of all, I hope we hold onto the strength of character we have witnessed and use that kind of courage to face our own moguls, free falls, lane changes and uphill battles.
Our personal, professional and even political lives are not so much different than athletics: we put in years of training for what we are about to do. Our goals for ourselves require skill, teamwork and practice, practice, practice. Every day is a new day, but every misstep can be costly. Our friends and family members are cheering us on, and real success, a good life well lived, depends on how we run the race. No matter how things go, the finish line awaits us.
I don’t know where you are in your life, but remember this: when we finally turn off the television after the Closing Ceremonies in Vancouver, if we let the Games inspire us to be more than we ever thought we could be, then we all take home Olympic Gold!
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February 25th, 2010 at 10:41 am
This is your personal best.In this entry you have won the Gold.You have written the epilogue of the games ….. for those players at the games and for those of us who have watched.Your inspiration has given joyful motivation to all of us who lament the ending of this year’s Winter Olympic Games.With your reminder we will let the determination of EACH player stay within our hearts and minds to enlighten our souls to go for Gold…. as the medal of “The Common Good for All.”
February 26th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Thanks! Now we just have to keep that spirit in our hearts and lives!