Olympic Greatness Begins at Home
The Paris Summer Olympics will end with the closing ceremonies scheduled for later today. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been mesmerized by the athletic excellence displayed by those engaged in a multitude of sports. Competing with athletes from all over the world is commendable, and makes them all winners in my book. Personal accomplishment for these athletes needs to be given a voice; but as they say, it really does take a village.
Many times in watching the various events on TV, the camera panned to the parents of those competing. Their anxious energy was palpable. For those high profile athletes who have repeated events, we had more than one opportunity to observe their parents’ display of emotional investment. Their joy upon witnessing triumph couldn’t be contained. Conversely, when defeat or coming up short shattered dreams of victory, parents still stood in pride and applauded robustly for their children. After all, love and pride from a mom or dad transcends, even the tough times.
When my kids were younger, of course I thought they were all Olympic bound. There was that soccer game when my 9 year old daughter made a spectacular kick to score a goal. The only problem was that score ended up in the opponent’s goal. I loved her ecumenical and kumbaya approach to that game. And then there was my other daughter’s tenure as a shot put protégé on her high school track and field team. Truth be told, I missed her one time participation as a shot putter. Turns out she barely hurled the heavy lead ball. It didn’t even clear the protective net. So much for that. In hindsight, our younger son provided the best chance in our family for athletic excellence, but then I squelched the dream when I told him he needed to be home for dinner.
The dedication it takes to achieve Olympic level achievement is awe-inspiring. Once upon a time these very accomplished athletes were young ones who maybe dabbled in their sport. However, at some point, their talent became apparent. I especially appreciate the pledge to those sports that don’t have the high profile status such as gymnastics, swimming, or track and field. What about women’s wrestling, or fencing, javelin? The road to elite medal status in these sports most likely had to be buoyed by parents who believed their kid could succeed in the less traveled path towards realizing a dream. Such support made it possible to cross into the threshold of staunch commitment towards champion potential. I can only imagine the acceptance of sacrifice embraced by these parents.
How many times do you hear about athletes who move to a different location to train with a renowned coach? Sometimes that relocation is even to a different country where coaches, trainers, and therapists constitute a team procured for success. Talk about a financial commitment and redefinition of family life. Yes, coaches and trainers are pivotal to their potential, but it’s the parents who have the courage and wherewithal to recognize their child’s dream. They commit to doing whatever it takes to offer the best chance at accomplishment.
As we place the Paris Olympics in the history books, I’m certain there’s a whole plethora of young athletes who are dreaming of the day when they can wave their country’s flag on a victory lap of success. Moving forward, I’ll be wishing all of them well. As for their parents? They already have champion status in my book.