It has been another exciting week at the Olympics. For the United States, it ended on a positive note with the men’s volleyball team winning gold a week after the tragedy that coach Hugh McCutcheon endured.
I was very pleased to see Shawn Johnson win an individual gold medal. Miss Johnson, you are a class act and an impeccable role model for young women
While I am not a fan of having beach volleyball as an Olympic sport I must say that it is very exciting to watch, even more so than indoor volleyball. The performances of both Misty-May Treanor / Kerri Walsh and Tood Rogers / Phil Dalhausser were very admirable. In the case of Rogers and Dalhausser, their patience, perseverance and determination were a lesson for us all.
No commenting on the Olympics would be complete without mention of Usain Bolt. I can’t say I care about the behavior of the Usain Bolt. It is hard to tell if he is showing off or just genuinely having fun. Regardless, his performance has been extraordinary. The ease in which he won the 100 m and broke the world record is almost frightening. Then to turn around and break Michael Johnson’s 200 m record was quite remarkable. What is scary about these events is that Mr. Bolt has not even been training for a very long period of time as a sprinter. I expect we’ll continue to see great performances from Mr. Bolt for some time. I do hope he will work on his demeanor in addition to his sprinting.
The U.S. track and field performance has been a disappointment unfortunately. Particularly when both the women and men’s teams dropped the baton in the 4 x 100m relay. I would have to guess this is one area where the athletes will have regrets. I wonder how much they practiced this for this event?
Overall, I would have to classify a 2008 Beijing Olympics as a success. I have seen countless world and Olympic records broken, including Michael Phelps’ unprecedented eight gold medals. I’ve witnessed countries receive their first medal ever in any events. As always, there were many inspirational stories of athletes achieving their dreams. I even saw a 33-year-old woman gymnast and 41-year-old woman swimmer win silver medals. Although we will most likely always have our differences with China, you have to give them credit for putting on an unforgettable show. The opening and closing ceremonies were extraordinary and the athletic venues were top notch.
The Olympics did what it always does. It inspires. It puts on display for all to see that hard work pays off, that anything is possible if you put forth the effort in an athletic sense. But we all know that it is also true in any area of life. So take a lesson from the world’s Olympic athletes and go do your best to achieve whatever that gold medal is for you in your life. Give it your all and live your life with no regrets!
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