Mom In Transition

What was life like before the Olympics? Are my TV programs reruns (I hope)? Why can’t I remember to watch American Idol (how dare them air this during the Olympics)? I am not sure why I am drawn to watch hours of winter sports that I don’t pay any attention to all year long. The night of the opening ceremony for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics my mother asked me…do athletes participate in the Olympics for their own personal gain or record or for their country? As I watch day 12 of the Olympics I find myself still pondering the question and wonder how an Olympic athlete may actually respond to my mother’s question. Since I don’t personally know any Olympians, I decided to do a little research.

I started my research with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) web site and see what they were selling as the meaning of the Olympics. Did you know that the modern day Olympics was founded by the vision and commitment of Pierre de Coubertin in 1896? The Olympic Museum link under education documents produces a nice handout explaining the history of the Olympics and the meaning of the Modern Olympic Games. Although the Olympic Games has had its own transitions, the important things to know about the Olympic Movement are the core values and representative Olympic symbols. The core values are excellence (the motto), friendship (flame) and respect (rings). I actually found the motto and creed of the Olympics to be helpful. The Motto…Citius, Altius, Fortius (in case you didn’t figure it out…this is Latin for Swifter, Higher, Stronger) is meant to encourage the athletes to give his or her best during competition. The creed states…the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well. Interesting. Honestly, I never knew this. Apparently, Coubertin felt that participation in the Olympic Games supports a life lesson of doing one’s best and striving for personal excellence…not a bad goal.

In reviewing the Olympic Museum documents, it appears to me that the focus IS on the individual Olympians and not necessarily the countries or a medal count. This seems great and all, but don’t participants have any sense of national pride when representing their country. I originally found it disturbing to find out that Olympians will represent another country for the sake of having a better opportunity to participate in the Olympics. Did you hear about the Reeds? Allison Reed is competing in ice dancing and representing Georgia. She has never even been to Georgia. Her siblings are also competing and representing Japan. All were born in America. However, this “country hopping” as Wikipedia calls it seems to be more common than you would think. You should check out the list of Olympians that transferred country representation. So is it that Olympic participation is really all about the individual athlete rather than the country?

At this point, I have determined that the reasons athletes aspire to participate in the Olympic Games are not totally black and white and may go through transitions over the years. I also believe that the original motivation for competing in the Olympics may develop and grow into something more meaningful and inspirational as an athlete matures and lives through an Olympic experience. I see this especially in the interviews and performance of Bode Miller. As we know, in Torino he did not live up to all the hype and you can read online all about the reasons why. However, four years later in Vancouver, Bode has made a major transition and does not disappoint. He is an obvious example of an athlete with such passion and desire to excel. Has Bode been overcome with the spirit of the Olympic Games? Maybe the Olympic Movement really is about excellence in the individual, friendship among participants, respect for nations and not about owning the podium…although definitely a nice bonus. GO USA! What do you think?