If Jason Lezak can beat then-world record holder Alain Bernard, and come from more than 3/4's of a body length behind, to win the gold for the men's 400m freestyle relay...
And if Natalie Coughlin can win back-to-back golds for her 100m backstroke, smashing records at the same time, when everyone was convinced she was just another pretty face...
And if the U.S. men's gymnastics team - made up almost completely of Olympic rookies - can not only prove everyone wrong and qualify for the final, but go on to win an Olympic medal when commentators thought they were doomed before they even began...
And if Dara Torres, a forty-one year old mom, can come to her fifth olympics, and anchor the women's 400m free to a silver medal...
Then anything is possible.
Honestly, how can you watch the Beijing Olympics and not be amazed?
I've never been all too invested in the Summer Olympics. Remember Athens? Oh yeah, Phelps was a golden boy there as well, and there was a lot of hoopla over the Hamm brothers then, but eh. There were better things to do and watch on TV.
Yet, this year - this Olympics - is different. There have always been great stories, but never have I identified more with the athletes. Their successes mean it's possible for the rest of us to achieve dizzying heights, jump through hoops of fire, and play through the pain. Watching their feats makes me think that I can do anything. If they can do it, I can do it. Maybe not in the swimming pool, or on the balance beam, but in my own way, in my own things, I can do it.
I can rise through adversity. We all can.
So go on Michael Phelps. Win the eight gold medals you went to Beijing for. I'll be watching every moment of the way, cheering you on - armpits, elbowpits, and kneepits sweating the whole time from anticipation and excitement.
And Ian Thorpe and the Frenchmen can say whatever they want. Because that old cliche is true: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will never hurt us. No, they'll motivate us to do better, to prove everyone wrong.
There's a little bit of Michael Phelps and Jason Lezak and Dara Torres in all of us. I know that there's more going on behind the scenes, more that happened in the last four years, than just what we're seeing on NBC tonight. It's all about hard work and determination and ambition. But it's reaffirming to know that all it takes to become something amazing is heart. A lot of heart.
It's the same old American dream, but the U.S. team is making me finally believe.
3 years ago
