Swifter, Higher, Stronger

"And we compel men to exercise their bodies not only for the games, so that they can win the prizes-for very few of them go to them-but to gain a greater good from it for the whole city, and for the men themselves" Lucian, Anacharsis, ca. AD 170

Today, a friend of mine commented, that she just didn't understand the hoopla surrounding the Olympic Games. "What's the big deal?", she asked. I was stunned, as I'd not had anyone utter such words since junior high. "What do you mean that you don't understand the importance?", I exclaimed incredulously. Although I tried to explain why I considered the Olympic Games to be so important I failed to convince her. However, her lack of enthusiasm and interest in the Games did give me reason to ponder the Olympics and what they mean to me--and what I wish they meant to everyone.

When Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin established the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896 his goal was to not only revive the type of fellowship that had been so popular during the glory days of the Greeks but to also improve sports education in the French schools. Training for a modern version of the Olympic Games would be a way to do achieve this goal. Yet what has transpired out of Monsieur Coubertin's idea has been far greater, I'm sure, than he ever imagined. I know that I, for one, am very grateful to him and his idea. Since I was a young girl the Olympics, both Winter and Summer, have played an important and influential part in my life. I am attached to the Olympic Games. I love them. I love them wholeheartedly and unconditionally. I am....Olympic Obsessed.

However, after much contemplation I realize that if one doesn't get it, if they just can't appreciate the importance and the excitement of the greatest two weeks in sports that occurs every two years (previously every four years until 1994), well, there's no use exhausting myself in trying. Of course, this is not in accordance with the Olymipc motto of Citius, Altius, Fortius (which translate to "swifter, higher, stronger"). But hey--if I don't stop trying I may miss something important happening right now in Beijing! Such as, a nail biter final in the women's gymnastics final, Michael Phelps tying Mark Spitz's gold medal record, or watching the fastest man in the world win the 100m sprint.

Bottom line, the Olympics is the biggest party in the world that doesn't end at midnight, but rather, continues for two straight weeks. A vast array of food, fellowship, cultures, and sport. It's the place to be whether experiencing in person or via television. (I've done both and enjoyed them both almost equally.) It's a chance for that athlete who, as a youngster, practiced in torn tennis shoes 'til the toes bled. Who drove miles and miles in his or her family's dilapidated station wagon to attend practices and competitions. And for what? Not for money or fame but to wear his or her country's flag on the sleeve and serve as an ambassador. To be surrounded by the world's best in sport. To medal is just the icing on the cake. I cannot think of a greater honor. It brings out the patriot in me that no Lee Greenwood song or Sly Stallone movie could ever replicate.


If any of this doesn't sound like enough of a reason, well, then, yes, it's also a time when people put political, racial, and religious preferences aside for the good of sport. It gives us all hope that there is still good in human beings. Even when nearby countries are at war, rulers are being overthrown, villages are being pillaged and children are being orphaned, we must never lose sight of what is possible. That which is possible is what occurs for two weeks every two years in: where humans of all races, creed, and gender come together.



I'm no longer the youngster who did skating programs in the family's living room and floor exercise programs in the front lawn. I did practice tennis 'til my toes bled, though, but it was much too late in life to ever achieve Olympic status. So, I will settle with continuing to mark my Olympic schedules on a calendar and plant myself in front of the tube every night for two weeks. To enjoy what I consider to be the greatest party on Earth.