Skiers from Ghana and Other Olympic Delights

I remember when our kids were small, we anticipated the Winter Olympics with excitement. Every Opening Ceremony we’d have milkshakes as we tried to identify the flags associated with the parade of athletes. And then, for the next two weeks, we’d cheer the skiers, ice skaters, and hockey players. Then and now, Olympic games facilitate a feeling of cohesiveness in the world which always feels needed. After so many years, I still love the milkshakes and the cheering. Such fun. 

Especially within the individual sports, I continue to be amazed at the dedication, commitment and sacrifice required to perform at the most elite level such as the Olympics. I recall having no such discipline as a child to realize a dream of excellence in any sport. I tried skiing once. It didn’t go so well. I knew it was a problem (and so did everyone else on the slope) when I didn’t know how to stop. I hoped after my youngest daughter began ice skating lessons she might become the next Kristi Yamaguchi or Tara Lapinski, but alas, those hopes were dashed during my daughter’s final ice skating lesson when the instructor “suggested” she advance her progress by repeating the beginner lessons. So much for gold medal aspirations. 

What really amazes me, however, in the realm of sporting excellence is the fact that there are actually six athletes scheduled to compete in these 2022 Winter Games who are from African nations. Now, I might be totally wrong, but last time I checked, Ghana is not a place that sees much snow, yet Carlos Maeder is an alpine skier from Ghana scheduled to compete. Nigeria has a cross country skier, and Madagascar has two skiers that will proudly represent their warm weather nations with the likes of Norwegian and Swiss snow lovers. My question is this. How does one from places like Ghana or Nigeria even think about traversing down a snow-covered mountain with snow gear and goggles? I’d bet there are many Africans who’ve never even seen snow. 

I suppose the answer to such an existential question offers a glimpse into what all excellent athletes must possess. The ability to dream, forge through adversity, and believe in Olympic-worthy excellence are the common denominators for all those competing. It just adds an extra layer of awe when someone born near the equator makes a career based in snow. 

Remember the Jamaican bobsled team? They became the darlings of the 1988 Winter games in Calgary, Canada, and subsequently became the subject of the movie “Cool Runnings.” I am old enough to remember their great success story. This year, the warm-loving country of Jamaica will be represented once again by a four-man bobsled team who qualified for the Olympics for the first time in 24 years. No doubt, we will all be cheering them on because of their perseverance and tenacious goal.

I tip my hat to all athletes who’ve achieved their Olympic quest. I know many viewers of the games might become preoccupied with the medal counts of the more “accomplished” winter sport countries, but I’ll be sure to keep track of those who’ve defied the odds buried in their homelands of perpetual sand and sun. Already they are winners to me. I’ll be toasting them with my milkshake.