I’m an Olympics Junkie
my life long addiction
Where were you on February 22, 1980?
I was in my living room with my brother and several of his friends watching the “Miracle on Ice”. It was a day that I will never forget. We spent the morning skating on the pond . . . me pretending I was Nadia. The energy of that day has never left me. To this day when I see the footage I am a 13 year old girl again filled with hopes and dreams of my own.
I will never be a perfect 10
My first memory of falling in love with the Olympics was watching Nadia Comaneci getting a perfect 10’s in gymnastics . . . I could never have been a gymnast but seeing her body move with such grace (again, something I never could achieve) stayed with me. The way Nadia was a tiny powerhouse — that I could be. In 1976 I began my Olympic dreams.
Do you remember Wide World of Sports? A weekend sports show hosted by Jim McKay featuring sports from all over the world. Not just normal sports like basketball and football but curling, horseback riding, downhill skiing . . . the agony of defeat was an exhilarating idea. The show expanded life on the farm to unlimited possibilities.
Now to pick a sport . . .
I am limited in my physical abilities. I’m not fast. I am short. I wasn’t particularly strong. I was determined. Obsessed.
I picked up a discus at the shoe store . . . I was buying running shoes . . . running distance was the one thing I was really good at. Of course it never occurred to me to think about running.
The discus said “made in Poland” and I knew I had to have it. My parents reluctantly bought me this circle of black rubber. I brought it home and my brother showed me how to throw it. I was hooked. Everyday for well over a year, I threw the discus. Rain, shine, snow, in the dark . . .
I logged each and every throw. I threw a minimum of 50 throws a day. It was the perfect way to keep a teenage girl out of trouble. Despite my dedication, I never really improved. When the track season rolled around I broke the school record for the mile in my first race and came in dead last in discus. Not only did I come in last, these girls were throwing much, much farther than I did.
Never Give Up
Did I give up? Absolutely not. I spent the next year throwing each day but didn’t spend the time logging each throw. The numbers don’t lie. I never got much better than where I was. This was the end of the line for me and my Olympic dreams.
I kept running. I kept breaking my own records. Even with running there was an end to my progress.
What I learned was something about myself. I never give up. I keep trying but . . .
When I realize I can’t achieve my dream . . . I dream up something else.
This mindset has made for a very interesting life. On the surface it might seem boring, mom, wife, dog, house in the burbs but I assure you this life is anything but boring. I dream, I create a plan, execute it, recalibrate if necessary: repeat.
As I watch the Olympics I get my “fix” of memories and the best part is I’m watching it with my kids, the dog, a fire in the fireplace, snow gently falling — passing on my addiction and hopefully my love of this amazing life.
