Thinking Olympics

As a former Olympian, I have been glued to the television set for the past week. Watching the Opening Ceremony brought back a flood of emotions I had hidden somewhere deep within my heart. I cried as I watched the athletes marching into the Bird's Nest feeling that moment of 1984 all over again. There were 80,000 fans screaming, "U.S. A. . . U.S.A." They were there to cheer us on, to celebrate the years we had been training, to share our dreams, our goals, and our hopes. My heart thumped as I marched; my breathing became labored; and I felt the joyous tears drizzle down my cheeks. It was all I had hoped for--all I had imagined. This was a moment I had practiced in my dreams a thousand times, and now I was there in the midst of all those incredible athletes. It does seem now like it was a dream--almost as if it were somebody else's life. It is hard to imagine that I was an Olympian. Now 24 years later, I still have that passion for athletics--for the belief that athletics are more than muscles wound tightly around a body. It is more than a ball going in a hoop, a leap over a hurdle, a dive off a platform, a body pulling through water. While it is the body that we might admire--that delicious lean, beautiful body which can glide, float, sprint, jump, and run; it is the heart which determines the greatness. Every Olympian has a story. Every athlete has a tale about perseverance, persistance, obstacles, and challenges. None of them will tell you that it was easy--that their workouts were simple--that they never felt a drop of sweat. Some of them will tell tales about things they sacrificed: time, money, relationships, jobs. Their stories are about dreams and passion. Their stories are about people who were willing to do whatever was necessary to follow their passion. This is one of the things athletics represents: learning to follow one's passion and to feel the glory in doing that. It is overcoming doubt, insecurity, self limitations, and fear. It is the inner struggle which defines us. This is what I truly love about athletics: the opportunity for self growth. What I took away from being an Olympian in '84 and '88 was more than the experience of walking in an Opening Ceremony or playing against great competition. I became a different person through the opportunites of playing athletics. It is what I wish to give to my players.