Today is Olympic Day. A day to celebrate everything the Olympic Games stand for and most importantly a great opportunity to show a child the power of sport. It is a day to be inspired and inspire others.
For me, it is also a day to remember the first time I was inspired by the Olympics. I was 11 years old and had just taken some time off of swimming because I thought there were more exciting ways to spend my time. My dad was a huge Olympic fan and had planned a family vacation to the 1984 LA Games. There were so many reasons not to go…."the traffic will be insane", "all the hotels are full" and "tickets are impossible to find". My dad, the native LA guy, wasn't concerned for a second about all of the warnings. He knew he would find a way.
And he did…and so began my dream. We found tickets to every event we wanted to attend. My '84 Olympic experience began with the Opening Ceremonies…and that was just the beginning. It took to me about 2 seconds to catch the Olympic Fever. From that point, we went to boxing matches, wrestling matches, volleyball games, track and field and, of course, swimming! I waited outside the venue for everyone's autograph…from Pernell Whitaker to Mary T Meagher! I had everyone sign a little American Flag and saved it until my dad's house burnt down 3 years ago.
On our way home from LA, I called my best friend and told her I was going to start swimming again. I was truly inspired and motivated. From that moment on, when I imagined my dream Olympic moment, it had memories of the LA Games written all over it. I would imagine Mary Lou nailing her final vault to win the all-around gold medal or Tracy Caulkins watching the American Flag being raised with tears in her eyes. I would replace their moment with my face.
Today is a celebration of "the dream"! A celebration of kids everywhere believing they can do anything they want to, as long as they put their mind to it.
Showing posts with label The Olympic Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Olympic Games. Show all posts
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Sharing the Olympic experience with my kids.
Just yesterday, I began to teach my son to say the word, "Olympics." At first it sounded a bit like..."Omilnick". Gradually he got to where you could understand what he was trying to say. He has no idea what the Olympic Games are all about. All he cares about is that we get to fly on an airplane. Even when we are on the airplane, he gets super excited about seeing all of the other airplanes off in the distance.
But, my daughter is kind of intrigued by the whole thing. I think they might be talking about it a bit in preschool. I told her teachers she would be gone for the month because we were taking her to the Olympics. When I say it, I think it sounds pretty great.
I get very psyched about the 17 days of excitement and emotion. I hope she can feel it even a little bit. And I do think they both will, actually. I remember my first Olympics was in 1984 at the LA Games. I was beyond excited...granted I was 11. But I will never forget feeding off the energy of the crowd. I didn't have to be in an venue to feel the buzz, it was everywhere.
I don't know how many races and events we will take the kids to but we will definitely introduce them to as much of the Olympic culture as we can. There will be constant activity with bands and medal ceremonies or even impromptu parties in the streets...just because someone from Austria won. I love how people sing, dance and paint their faces all to show how proud they are of their country.
This will be my 7th Olympics either as a spectator or as a competitor. They never get old to me and they always pump my blood. For me, it is very simple. I appreciate how everything has come down to these few moments on the ice or the hill or the rink. If it doesn't happen now, these athletes will have to wait 4 more years to give it another try. I know they have lots of other meaningful competitions in between but an Olympic medal seems to be the pinnacle. I love cheering for them, all of them, and I hope my kids will love cheering for them as well.
But, my daughter is kind of intrigued by the whole thing. I think they might be talking about it a bit in preschool. I told her teachers she would be gone for the month because we were taking her to the Olympics. When I say it, I think it sounds pretty great.
I get very psyched about the 17 days of excitement and emotion. I hope she can feel it even a little bit. And I do think they both will, actually. I remember my first Olympics was in 1984 at the LA Games. I was beyond excited...granted I was 11. But I will never forget feeding off the energy of the crowd. I didn't have to be in an venue to feel the buzz, it was everywhere.
I don't know how many races and events we will take the kids to but we will definitely introduce them to as much of the Olympic culture as we can. There will be constant activity with bands and medal ceremonies or even impromptu parties in the streets...just because someone from Austria won. I love how people sing, dance and paint their faces all to show how proud they are of their country.
This will be my 7th Olympics either as a spectator or as a competitor. They never get old to me and they always pump my blood. For me, it is very simple. I appreciate how everything has come down to these few moments on the ice or the hill or the rink. If it doesn't happen now, these athletes will have to wait 4 more years to give it another try. I know they have lots of other meaningful competitions in between but an Olympic medal seems to be the pinnacle. I love cheering for them, all of them, and I hope my kids will love cheering for them as well.
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