I had planned to enjoy the Olympics in full fashion this summer. I had surgery scheduled for June 14 and my Doc had said my recovery could be up to 12 weeks. It felt like a long time, but with the Olympics on, I can honestly say I looked forward to that part of it….
Well, 8 weeks after my surgery, I am thankful that my recovery was so short and I was back to work before the Olympics even began…
But I did enjoy watching them almost every evening and even more than the competition, my heart is captivated by the stories…
The stories and the faces of each person…..
The smiles and the tears….
The moments alone and the celebration or sorrow with others…
The parents, the siblings, the coaches, the athletes….so many stories!
I think of Gabby and Ellis who are both nicknamed the flying squirrel in their sports…
I think of the relay team that broke a world record and the runner who ran on a broken leg as to not let down his team and the athlete who ran even though he had both his lower legs amputated as an infant…
I think of the many who worked hard, trained hard, gave it their all, spent lots of money to get to London and yet who lost (maybe instead of lost, it is more those who didn’t win)
The one’s whose names were never highlighted, never on the Today show, never on the podium…whose stories were never told!
Did you know that 10,500 athletes competed from 205 nations…
Did you know 4700 medals were made and given out…
Recently I read the following….
In the United States, the odds of making the Olympic team are staggering, let alone winning a medal in the Games themselves. Let’s take the marathon as an example. First, you must qualify to run in the Olympic Trials, held a few months before the actual Olympic Marathon. Of the hundreds of thousands of marathoners in the US, less than 300 runners, male and female, meet the qualifying standard.
Then, these 300 runners must run in the Olympic Trials Marathon. Only the top three finishers make up the US team. Theoretically, a runner could hold the world marathon record, have won every marathon they participated in in the last four years, then unfortunately have a tough day, finish fourth by a mere few seconds and not make the Team. You have to be one of the three best on that specific day. Weigh the odds of all this happening. No one, bar none, is a shoe in.
Now, look at the chances of winning a gold medal or even a silver or bronze. You have to be the best in the entire world and not just on paper but on that designated day. You must beat the best every other country has to offer.
When we look at the numbers, it gives us a more realistic understanding of what it actually takes to earn an Olympic spot. And, to think that these athletes have only one chance every four years. What can be said for those athletes who not only compete in the Olympic Games more than once, but also win medals each time?
In the last few weeks I learned about a handful of athletes and their stories…
But in my day-to-day, admiring their stories does not change my life….
I am going to admire the stories of the everyday people around me who demonstrate commitment, passion, sacrifice and moments of great glory and who share the vulnerability of experiencing disappointment and sorrow. Life may not be the Olympic Games, but a lot of the same attributes are lived out in every day stories….stories of people worth knowing and celebrating!
