Why I Love the Olympics



World records.

Childhood dreams fulfilled. 

Athletes surpassing the unthinkable. 

The thrill of victory. 

Winning by one one-hundredth of a second. 

Need I go on?  They only come around every two years, but each time, the Olympic Games have me glued to the TV for two weeks. The news commentators may go over the top in their dramatizations of the US athletes' stories, but I love every one.  I love it even more when the athletes are humble about their accomplishments, giving the praise to their parents, their god, and their own hard work. It is for this reason that I have more respect for Michael Phelps at the London games than in Beijing.  He matured a lot between Games and has become a more likable athlete. 

Below are a list of some of my all-time favorite Olympic moments (in no particular order):

1) Beijing 2008: Michael Phelps beat Cavic in the 100M Fly by the narrowest of margins. I remember watching it with Hannah at midnight, squeezing each other and yelling at the TV, hoping he would make it his 8th gold in one Olympics. I feel bad for my parents who were asleep at the time. Because they weren't asleep after he won, for we were squealing and jumping up and down!
    

2) London 2012: The personality & success of Missy Franklin. Seriously, who can't love Missy's smile? And personality? And the fact that she declined six-figure endorsements and sponsorships so that she could still swim for her high school swim team?  Way to swim for the pure joy and love of swimming! Oh and congrats on the four golds and a bronze. 

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/olympics/missy-franklin-forgo-millions-swim-college/story?id=16923530

3) Missy Franklin grabbed gold in her 100M back AND broke a world record! I wish I could post a picture of her coach's face after she won. It was priceless.



4) The way so many of the athletes want to be a good example and continue the legacy of the sport. I think Missy Franklin put it well when she said,"My biggest goal is to be a role model."

5) Vancouver 2010: Evan Lysacek skates his personal best and finally wins gold after placing in a heart breaking 4th place at the 2006 Games.   You can't help but love watching his flawless triple jumps and exquisite lines.

6) Athens 2004: Men's Gymnastics All-around champion Paul Hamm almost lost his title by falling on his vault and nearly stjmbling into the judges' stand.  But he was just so awesome that he still managed to grab gold.

7) London 2012: Carmelita Jeter  (Women's 100M sprint) said in an interview after her semifinal, " I'm just so happy to be here!" She was all smiles and kept on repeating this phrase.  She went on to win the silver medal in that same event.  I love it when athletes care more about being at the Olympics and the experience and their sport, than they do about winning. I am postitive they care a TON about winning, or else they would't be at the Games. But the fact that they can express their love and joy for competing shows a greater maturity and makes it so much more fun to watch.  It also makes them more attractive as an athlete, and causes me to root for them even more.



8) London 2012: Michael Phelps and his teammates in their 4x100 medley relay. After winning his 18th Olympic gold, he gave a lot of the credit to his teammates for giving him a big lead. That's what I call teamwork! (This may actually have been in the free relay, but I can't remember).

9) Atlanta 1996: The Magnificent Seven, otherwise known as the US Women's Gymnastic's team. They had never won gold.  The Russians had never lost gold.  On the final vault of the competition, Kerri Strug sacrificed her career for her team's gold.  She fell flat on her butt on her first vault, and limped over to attempt her second one.  She knew her vault mattered.  Her team was counting on her.  So she stuck her second vault, nearly on one foot.  And then she sat down.  She had a third degree lateral strain and tendon damage.  Although she had qualified for the all-around competition, her career was over.  I am so impressed by her determination to push through the inevitable pain of her fall and earning a 9.712 on her second vault.



10) Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings exemplified what it means to compete for the love of the sport. They're such good athletes that they are able to anticipate each other's moves. So many times I think they are going to miss a play, but then they show their mettle and get the ball back over the net. "Never stop playing until the ball is dead!" I wish them all the best in their quest to their three-pete Olympic Gold!



11) London 2012: Katie Ledecky won the women's 800 free in swimming. She was only 15 years old, and definitely not a favorite to win that race. All eyes were on the swimmer from Great Britain. As the race started, Ledecky swam with a fast pace, so fast that the commentators thought she would burn out by the end. But she knew what she was doing. Or did she? What matters is that she continued to swim strong, winning the race by 4 seconds, beating her qualification time by 11 seconds, and making an American Record. Sometimes it's nice being the underdog and not having any expectations. It allows you to just go out and let your body do its thing!



12) Salt Lake 2002: Sarah Hughes wasn't the favorite to win, but she went out and skated for the joy of it. She smiled. She let her body do what it had been trained to do. She didn't force anything. And that's exactly when dreams are realized. She took home gold that year.

"Confidence is the little voice at the back of your mind telling you that you belong." Once an athlete masters this truth, she can do anything, maybe even become an Olympic athlete.