Inspiring Olympians
Athletes from the XXIII Winter Olympic Games have filled the news with stories of their victories and defeats. These inspiring athletes can help students to persevere in spite of setbacks.
The Olympics are the largest regularly scheduled peace time gathering of nations. It offers a unique opportunity… where athletes are from doesn’t limit how far they can go.
Snowboarder Red Gerard overslept the morning of his event and couldn’t find his Olympic jacket, but still brought home the gold at the age of 17. He eats burritos, watches TV and takes care not to get injured.
Veteran snowboarder, Shaun White, won halfpipe gold with his final run, but it was the young 17-yearold Chloe Kim who brought home halfpipe gold for the women. Kim had already won gold, but did a final run because she knew she could do better. What young athlete wouldn’t want to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated like she is? Ester Ledecka representing the Czech Republic won double gold medals in snowboarding and skiing. Her humble disbelief was actually the realization of a dream that started when she was 5 years old. She wanted to compete in multiple sports and win multiple golds.
Jessie Diggins, cross country skier for U.S., won gold after a very close finish and carried the team flag in the closing ceremonies. Diggins is known as the “glitter fairy” because she paints her face before events. She reads lots of books when she’s on the road. Diggins writes down her goals because when she achieves them she knows that she was brave enough to have the guts to want them.
Mikaela Shiffrin won gold in the giant slalom and silver in the Alpine combined. She believes it’s about showing heart and passion as much as it is about the medals. She spoke of moments of victory and defeat, but said she was walking away with a huge smile.
Olympians are complex elite level athletes whose performance can be influenced by many factors such as the disruption of their routine and the glare of the world spotlight. Shiffrin dropped out of an event due to scheduling issues and took a disappointing fourth in the Slalom after a late night medal ceremony.
Many athletes feel like they carry the weight of a nation on their shoulders. Some fly in just in time to compete hoping the jetlag will keep their mind quiet so that muscle memory can power them through their performance.
Lindsay Vonn brought home the bronze in the downhill. She was proud to have given it her all and come home with a medal. Vonn talked about the unity of sportsmanship and how it brings athletes together as true champions.
After repeatedly facing off with Canada at the Olympics, the US women’s hockey team finally took home gold. Nail-biting overtime and shootouts aside, this is the first time in 20 years they’d won. Playing year after year intensified the rivalry, but they used the heartbreak of losing to fuel their belief that they could win.
The formal opening ceremonies were contrasted by the more playful closing ceremonies full of spinning snowflakes and colorful swirls. The closing ceremonies featured Soohorang, the white tiger mascot of the games that was depicted with drones that lit up the sky above the stadium.
An elegantly lit prayer pagoda capped the opening number of the closing ceremony to symbolize career luck and fame. The pagoda helps improve mental powers and develop better concentration when studying. This temple of wisdom is believed to tame the mind and bring peace. Students who place a pagoda over their desk feel energized and alert when they study.
During an interview at the games, Ivanka Trump talked about being inspired by the commitment to excellence of the athletes who make it to this high level of competition. She was struck by the honest raw emotion of the athletes and enjoyed seeing the beauty of that emotion when they won.
Seventeen days of the greatest athletes competing in the largest worldwide forum has brought many inspiring stories to light. Many aspire to the joy and pride of being a part of something bigger than one’s self.
The world can feel smaller when we share in the glory of the success of athletes regardless of their nationality. While sporting games may not solve the problems of the world they can give us hope in humanity. Athletes show us the spirit of sportsmanship as they fall down, but get up again. Students who persevere with their studies in this manner can also find success.