Category Archives: Passion

Passion Week 12: Reflection

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Over the past 12 weeks, I have discussed many of the momentous moments of the London 2012 games. From start to finish, the games were a spectacle. This spectacle was built by a combination of many things. The competition, fans, diverse countries, and ceremonies all came together to make the Games of the XXX Olympiad both successful and memorable. There are a few things about these games that stood out.

First, London was a fantastic host. There is a reason why London has been selected an unprecedented three times; they do the Olympics right. Questions of security, finishing the facilities on time, traffic, and other concerns were answered and standards were met. The London 2012 staff made the games run smoothly, but that’s not all. In order to put on the summer games, the United Kingdom transformed West London from the slums left over from the growing pains of industrial revolutions for centuries to a beautiful Olympic Village with facilities to rival any other Olympic host.

Second, there was something special about the theme of the London 2012 games. I referenced it a few times here in this blog. The theme of the games was “Inspire a Generation.” And this wasn’t just a tagline to put on merchandise, it guided the games. Both the opening and closing ceremonies featured scenes of popular culture and the technological revolution that dominates today’s youth. Athletes were breaking barriers every day, competing (and winning) at younger ages all the time. Missy Franklin, a US swimmer, can take home her haul of precious medals back home for her senior year in high school. The fastest man in the world to run an entire lap around a track, Kirani James, can’t even have a beer in the United States.

And, finally, the games more popular this year than they ever were. With so much access to every event with the evolution of today’s technology, the audience for these summer games was astronomical. Everywhere you went in early August, you could, and would encounter the Olympics on TV, on a newsstand, in your Twitter feed, simply everywhere. Never before has there been so much excitement for the Olympics (albiet Michael Phelps winning eight golds in 2008 was incredible.) Maybe I am biased because I am finally old enough to appreciate everything that goes into and comes out of the Olympics, but the way I see it, these 2012 London Games were the greatest to be played in the modern era.

Passion Week 11: USWNT

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There is something to be said about the effect on a nation that winning a team sport at the Olympics has. That effect is even more profound when the sport won is the most popular sport in the world. Yes, there is no greater source of Olympic pride for a single gold medal than there is for winning one in soccer.

The United States Women’s National Team entered the London Games looking to achieve exactly that honor. Like other superstar athletes (Phelps, Lochte, Bolt, Us Gymnastics), the US Women came to the games with high hopes. And most of all, an opportunity to get revenge.

Just a year prior, the US Women had lost in the finals of the World Cup to Japan on penalty kicks. A heartbreaking loss that saw the Japanese women overcome deficits twice, it set the sights of the USWNT on avenging themselves in 2012.

Coming into London, this women’s team was probably among the most popular teams in their home country in history. Alex Morgan is basically a supermodel. Abby Wombach is a figurehead sponsor for Nike and Gatorade alike. And manager Pia Sundhage was (is) the most successful manager in the history of US Women’s Soccer.

All of this buildup hung in the balance once the soccer actually started and the US Women found themselves down 2-0 early vs France. No problem. Four goals later, the USWNT left with a solid victory, and didn’t trial again until the semifinals.

In maybe the most epic soccer match of the games, the US Women found themselves trailing Canada not once, not twice, but on three occasions (all three times because of Canada’s Christine Sinclair). Their only lead of the game was the only one that mattered. In the 123rd minute Alex Morgan went from supermodel to superhero.

If you haven’t seen it you have to watch the ending now:

watch?v=JINfr7omtN0

Just like the miracle on ice in 1980, the ensuing gold medal match seems like an afterthought after the climax of the semis. However, the final match, another dandy, was the sweetest for the women in the red, white, and blue; as they both achieved their goals that they did not a year ago, and won a title of immeasurable meaning for their country.

Passion Week 10: Lightning Strikes Twice

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Everybody knows the old saying. Lightning never strikes the same place twice. That is, unless the lightning bolt is actually a Usain Bolt.

A legend around the world, and an icon in his home country of Jamaica, Usain Bolt has built his own brand around his incredible athletic performances. He is one of the faces of the sports equipment brand Puma, and appears in advertisements of all types because of his notoriety. His famous victory pose of a lightning strike is known around the world. Bolt first jumped onto the world stage in 2008.

With his electrifying performance in Beijing, Usain Bolt set new world records in both the Men’s 100 and 200 meter dashes. This dominant performance of both contemporary and historical competitors alike earned him the title of “World’s Fastest Man” without question. He then followed his 2008 dominance with another world record at the World Championships in 2009. His world record time of 9.58 seconds for the 100 meters may never be approached for a long time.

Entering London, Bolt was under as much pressure as any athlete in the games. The favorite to win another gold, Bolt could not live up to expectations in Olympic Trials in Jamaica, losing to his countryman Johan Blake in both the 100 and 200 meter races. However, the Olympic stage brings out the best of champions, and London brought out the best of the World’s Fastest Man. Running a time of 9.63 (a new Olympic record, second all time only to his own world record) Usain Bolt became the first man to defend his title in the 100 meters since Carl Lewis in 1988. For perspective, nobody Lewis ran against that year broke the 10-second barrier.

Usain Bolt’s victory at the Olympics was a defining moment of the games because it was so hyped up before the torch was ever lit. The day of the men’s 100 meters final was circled on the calendars of everyone attached to the games, and Bolt did not disappoint. His story may not be the most inspiring, but it is definitely the most electrifying.

Passion Week 9: The Greatest Moment of 2012

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Up to this point my passion blog was about finding defining moments of the games that stood out in general, and evaluating their significance. This post is different. This post is about my single most defining moment of these London games. Forget Phelps, Lochte, Bolt, Douglas, Raismann, Wiggins, Ennis, Morgan, Wombach, Richards-Ross, or any of the “heros” of the games. For me, London 2012 was all about one exchange.

After completion of the second semifinal of the men’s 400 meters, two men, who could not have been more opposite of one another, came together to share a moment captured on camera for the world. Kirani James of Grenada approached Oscar Pistorius of South Africa immediately after crossing the finish line to ask Pistorius for his racer’s bib. James wanted it is as a keepsake, displaying his tremendous respect of Pistorius, and the incredible sportsmanship he displays in competition.

I mentioned the two could not have been more opposite. Kirani James had just won the semifinal easily, while Pistorius labored to finish in last place. Yet James was the one asking for memorabilia. Why? I don’t like to assume, but it’s safe in this case to assume that it’s because Oscar Pistorius has no legs. A double-amputee below each knee since before he was a year old, Pistorius broke glass ceilings one-after-another on his way to competing against the able-bodied elite at London. Oscar was a champion before he even started running in London, and Kirani James knew that. Kirani celebrated this by taking Oscar’s bib and holding it high over his head for the world to see the real champion before them; not the man who came in first, the man who came in last.

How else are the two different? James is from Grenada, Pistorius from South Africa. Coming into the 2012 games, Grenada had never won an Olympic medal, of any color. South Africa has enjoyed Olympic success for a century.

The last difference between the two men is perhaps what makes James’ actions so incredible. Oscar Pistorius is 25 years old, but Kirani James is only 20. By the standards of many, James is still just a kid. Just a kid with ability completely unmatched combined with the sportsmanship of a seasoned veteran.

I hardly need to explain how this moment embodies the Olympic spirit because it is so perfect. The combination of James’ victory, Pistorius’ incredible journey just to compete, the unity of two men from completely different worlds, and the sportsmanship associated with this highest level of competition make this moment, for me, the cornerstone of the spirit of the London games.

If you were a keen observer or already knew about this, you would realize this was only a semifinal. The next day, James competed in the finals. It’s the icing on the cake for this story: James won the 400 meters final with ease, winning the first ever medal for his country. The 20-year-old put his island nation on his back, and sent them into euphoria as he ran his way to infamy.

James didn’t celebrate right away, though. He made sure to shake every competitor’s hand first.

Photo Credit:

http://speedendurance.speedenduranceco.netdna-cdn.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Kirani-James-Oscar-Pistorius_thumb.jpg

Athlete’s Ages found at:

www.London2012.com/athletes/

Passion Week 8: Against All Odds

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Perhaps the biggest story of the games this year had nothing to do with winning a medal. It had everything to do with one man competing against all the odds, against the wills of the world. The man making all the headlines at the games this year was Oscar Pistorius.

Like I said, Pistorius did not win an Olympic medal. In fact, he didn’t even compete in the finals. At first glance, the journey of this amazing runner from South Africa ended when he crossed the finish line in his semifinal heat last. But, this isn’t about a normal man or a normal runner.

To this point, I have failed to mention the most important detail of his story. Pistorius is a paraplegic. Born without legs, Pistorius never felt himself disadvantaged, just different. Maybe that’s why he could compete with the best athletes in the world at the Olympics. He didn’t care that he was the only one without legs; an important component to running. He didn’t care that he wasn’t supposed to be there, or that he wasn’t supposed to be able to compete on the same level as able bodied individuals.

Not only did Pistorius defy the odds in just being in London, he defied the critics once he got there. Oscar was criticized by many pundits who believed his legs gave him a competitive advantage. How they could assert this I don’t know, two stocks of carbon fiber could never compare to the beautiful assimilation of bone and muscle that make up the lower legs. But they did. And Pistorius, like he always was, didn’t listen, and went on his way.

Pistorius represented his country, and he did it against the odds. Now an international symbol of overcoming adversity, Pistorius ran himself into the history of the Olympics and into the hearts of viewers everywhere; all before he took a single step.

Passion Week 7: On the topic of the Olympics

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My questions for the audience, and for the future of my blogs are as follows:

1. What specific Olympic moment have you connected with the most? (from any games)

2. What is one word that defines the games?

3. How do the concepts of unity and competition work together to create the Olympic spirit?

4. How do the events of London 2012 “Inspire a Generation?”

Passion Week 6: The Joy and Celebration of Victory

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Many of you last week asked me what the Olympics are all about. To me, there are two main principles of the Olympics.

First, there is the beautiful display of unity, pageantry, and sportsmanship that comes along with the games every two years (Summer AND Winter). This half of the games cherishes the ability of the world to unite and compete. It is not about the winners, the losers, or even the competition. It is about the celebration of the participants; the celebration of the capacity of human ability. It is the celebration of humanity.

Conversely, the second component of the Olympic Games is the competition. It is the unique opportunity to the athletes to prove themselves. The opportunity for them to strive for the goal of champion. Like any competition, the Olympics celebrate victory, and provide the world’s largest stage for its champions to celebrate their victory.

This week’s post is about the latter meaning of the games. Specifically, the joy of victory. There are very few feelings more fulfilling than that of victory, and the joy it brings to a gold medalist can be a beautiful sight. Thus was the case for a champion probably none of you have ever heard of.

Does the name Robert Harting ring a bell? You know, the German discus gold medalist? No? Somehow I’m not surprised. Robert Harting surprised everyone when he took home gold in London, but not himself. Evidently, Harting had a celebration prepared, but the joy of Olympic victory set in, and his emotions took over.

Here’s how it happened. Harting, realizing his victory, sprints across the track to find a German flag in the stands. He grabs, throws it aside, and proceeds into his patented celebration: tearing his shirt in half, letting out a scream only a 6’6″, 280 pound man can produce. He then grabs the flag again and begins to take a lap around the track with the German colors as his cape.

The only problem: on the backstretch, the track is set up for the Women’s 110-meter hurdles. He’s far from a sprinter, and even further from a hurdles runner. He’s about to go from exaltation to public humiliation.

But this is the Olympics, Harting just won gold; no three-and-a-half-foot structure is going to get into his way. It’s him vs. ten hurdles in 100 meters; with the crowd, the adrenaline, and joy of victory at his back. No problem.

To me, it’s moments like this that are what make the Olympics so special.

If you want to see the whole fiasco, a good video is here. Special thanks to CTVOlympics for helping me describe the scene:

Photo Credit:

http://i.usatoday.net/sports/_photos/2012/08/07/Discus-gold-medalists-hilarious-celebration-GF2192I5-x-large.jpg

Video Citation:

CTVOlympics. “Discus: Best Celebration Ever.” YouTube. August 9, 2012. Web. October 18, 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9VtVXPksAM>

Passion Week 5: The Three-Peat

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It is often said that the hardest thing to do in sports is to repeat as champions. Whether it is the college or pros, a team sport or individual title; there is nothing harder in sports than to stand at the top of the game and defend your title. But if being back-to-back champions is so hard, what does it take to be back-to-back-to-back champs? It brings up a whole new phrase: the three-peat.

Michael Jordan knows what a three-peat is. So does John Wooden and his UCLA Men’s Basketball team (UCLA won seven straight titles. Seven.) This summer, a new team joined the exclusive ranks of the three-peat.

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings first reached the top of the women’s beach volleyball world in Athens 2004. Eight years ago, the pair was much younger, had less kids, and a few less syllables in their last names. In Beijing, the duo completed “the hardest task in sports” by defending their title. This summer, in London, Misty and Kerri finished the unthinkable.

On the surface, this story doesn’t seem so Olympic, or even interesting. But something needs to be said about the atmosphere surrounding the beach volleyball in London. A scene that looked as much like a rock concert as a sporting event, the volleyball court in the shadows of Horse Guard Parade was the place to be this summer. Cheerleaders, dancers, and renditions of “Another One Bites the Dust” at every set point made the beach volleyball in London a spectacle.

Amongst all of the pageantry, Misty May and Kerri Walsh simply went about their business of domination. After winning not just every match, but every set, in the past two Olympics, the pair picked up where they left off. Perhaps the oldest, but most experienced, team in the field, May and Walsh dusted off opponent after opponent. Regardless of age, world ranking, or history, the team of ladies were methodical in dismantling the rest of their sport.

It is this combination of will, continuity, achievement, and the spectacle of it all that made the women’s beach volleyball so enticing in London this summer. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings may never play volleyball together again, but they left a lasting impression that will resonate in their sport and the Olympic Games for many years, and generations, to come.

 

Photo Credit:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/london-2012-olympics/files/2012/07/2012-07-28T223114Z_01_OLYTY497_RTRIDSP_3_OLY-VOLL-BVWVOL-BVW400C02.jpg

Passion Week 4: The Greatest Olympian of All Time

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There is a special class of athletes who are the greatest of anyone to play their sport. Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzky, Roger Federer, and Jim Brown are members of this elite class. This summer, another man joined this class of the elite. In the pools of Sydney, Athens, Beijing, and London, Michael Phelps swam his way to the title of “Greatest Olympian of All Time.”

Perhaps it isn’t fair to place this into the category of “Olympic Moment.” It was not a single moment that resulted in Phelps’s coronation at the pinnacle of sport, rather a culmination of sterling performances as an aggregate over the course of twelve years. After an underwhelming start to the games, Michael earned four gold and two silver medals in 2012, bringing his career total to 22 medals. No other Olympian has twenty. It is entirely indisputable that he is the most decorated Olympian of all time and the greatest swimmer to live. Though some may dissent, Phelps is, and ought to be, considered to be the Greatest Olympian of All Time.

A fantastic compilation by the L.A. Times shows Phelps with each of his 22 medals

We can all relate to the quest and accomplishments of Michael Phelps. And I don’t mean we have all swam in a pool before, or been dubbed the greatest of all time at something. I am referring to the story of achievement that is the Michael Phelps story. After winning medal number nineteen, setting him aside from all other Olympic athletes, Phelps told his coach something we all aspire to utter one day. He said “I have achieved everything that I wanted to.”

Achievement. It is something we all can relate to; perhaps on more of a microscale. We have all set goals, and hopefully we have all experienced the incredible feeling that results from realizing those goals. In London, Michael Phelps showed us the limitless expanse of possibility when we set and achieve goals. You never know; sometimes achievement gives you the title of Greatest of All Time.

 

Photo Credit:

http://www.trbimg.com/img-501e8fbb/turbine/la-sp-on-michael-phelps-ryan-lochte-400-im-oly-001/600

Passion Week 3: The Fab Five

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Entering 2012, the United States women’s gymnastics team had not celebrated a gold medal performance since the Atlanta games of 1996. A traditional power, the American girls failed to reach the pinnacle they were once accustomed to for three straight games, although controversy in Beijing still looms. The actual age of the Chinese participants in 2008 notwithstanding, high hopes and high expectations fell on the contingent from the United States for the London Games.

Enter stage left: The Fab Five. Perhaps the most celebrated team in US gymnastics history, the team of Ali Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Jordan Weiber, Kyla Ross, and McKayla Maroney had reached celebrity status before they even touched UK soil. The comparisons between these five not-yet-eighteen-year-olds and the champion “Magnificent Seven” of 1996 began only days after the team was selected at Olympic Trials. Perhaps the biggest burden came when Sports Illustrated ran this cover:

The Fab Five wasted no time living up to the hype. On the night of qualifying, the girls weren’t just good, they were more than good. In fact, in the case of Ali Raisman, she was too good. Raisman performed so well in qualifying, she hindered the perceived team star, Jordan Wieber, from qualifying for the All-Around title later that week. Only two girls could represent the United States in the coveted individual competition, and after just one night of competition, the world watched as Jordan broke down to tears just as her dream of individual Olympic gold did.

Two nights later, we watched Jordan Wieber mature into a young woman as she wiped away her tears to lead the United States girls to their coronation. Jordan gained many fans on the night of qualifying, fans who could only sympathize for a girl who had her dreams crushed. However, her gains that night dwindled in comparison to the fans she made by picking herself up and focusing on something larger than herself; her team, and her country. Jordan inspired many people that week, and only a part of them have dreams involving Olympic gymnastics.

Another star of the show that night was McKayla Maroney. Widely accepted as the best in the world at her discipline, the vault, McKayla lived up to her reputation. In the only chance she would have to contribute to the team, she was flawless. Well, to the naked eye she was. Judges found a way to deduct points from the seemingly perfect vault, but I’m still not quite sure how. Even the judges themselves were in awe of her performance:

Yes, those are the unhinged jaws of the professionals responsible for giving her a score.

I hinted not-so-secretly earlier that this night would end in celebration for the “Fab Five.” The United States brought home their first women’s team gold in sixteen years, and the five ladies of the hour became instant celebrities.

The Olympics are a time to celebrate the human potential, and the London Games did a fantastic job at that. For the competitions of women’s gymnastics, NBC Universal contributed to that excellence. In an Olympics where the network received constant criticism, NBC helped to make the Fab Five shine. In coverage that was introduced and concluded with “Home” by Phillip Phillips, NBC made every effort (and succeeded) to capture the emotion of the moment that defines so much of the Olympic Games. For the casual observer, the competition in East London seemed so meaningful, and was simple to connect to emotionally. It was no coincidence that the Games of the XXX Olympiad took the US by storm at the same time that the five US Gymnasts stood at the pinnacle of sport.

Photo Credit:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/

http://ryanseacrest.com/