The
Olympics on the surface is presented as a celebration of athletics where
athletes vie to represent their countries in the best possible manner on a
global platform. Countries are pitted
against each other as the daily medal count serves as a reminder of which
country has produced the greatest athletes.
On a deeper level the Olympics is a celebration of athletics at the
highest level where athletes train their entire lives for this one opportunity
to prove themselves at the highest level of competition. I never really get into the Olympics as a
form of blind patriotism to root for America in the medal standings. I do always want to see Americans succeed and
represent our country well, but it’s the stories behind the athletes competing
that really get me excited. I’ll watch
any sport that is on during the Olympics and really enjoy the stories NBC airs
highlighting how certain athletes battled adversity in their lives to get to
this moment.
As a former track and field athlete track is
my favorite sport to watch during the Games as I know more about the stories
behind the athletes competing and the hard work it takes to succeed at the
highest level. It is the one time every
four years that the world tunes into track and field and feigns interest in the
sport. Even World Championships
excluding coverage for Usain Bolt get a pass by mainstream media. Therefore, there is even greater scrutiny on
how well these athletes perform at the Games since it is where their legacies
are formed and cemented. Jim Ryun,
arguably the greatest American distance runner of all time, has been proclaimed
a choker by many for his inability to capture gold at the Olympics. Billy Mills iconic victory with the quote
“Every passion has it destiny” has been framed in the rooms of many Americans. There were many positive moments from these
Olympic Games, Oscar Pistorius, a man with prosthetic legs advanced in 400m,
Galen Rupp won the silver medal becoming the first American to medal in the
10,000 meter in 48 years, Mo Fareh captured the hearts of his home country as
he won double gold, Usain Bolt cemented himself as a track and field legend and
David Rudisha smashed the world record in the 800. However, with the good also came some real
low moments from the Games.
I’ve always been drawn to athletes
who weren’t world beaters in high school and did not attend big time running
schools. I have a tough time getting
behind those runners who have had all the resources behind them to help them
succeed. The success of a blue collar
athlete who has overcome obstacles is all the more satisfying. Morgan Uceny fits the bill of the type of
runner who I want to see succeed. She
was not a Footlocker national finalist in high school, in fact she didn’t even
run cross country her junior or senior year.
After high school she attended Cornell, a school better known for their
academics than their athletics. After
years of steady improvement she broke out in a major way in 2011. She had the number one time in the world
heading into last year’s World Championships in Deagu. Many viewed her has the favorite to win or at
least medal, but tragically she tripped, fell, and finished tenth far behind
her number one world ranking. Fast
forward to this year Uceny won the Olympic trials out in Eugene, qualified for
her 1st Olympic Games and made it into the finals. There was no way history could repeat
itself. It was unfathomable to even
think she could fall again on the world’s biggest stage. Heading into the final lap she was right in
the thick of things, in a post race interview she said she felt good and was in
position to medal. And then the
unthinkable happened her left foot was clipped and down she went. She slammed the track repeatedly her hands,
broke down in tears and did not get up until the race was over. History had repeated itself on the biggest
stage in sports and one could not help, but feel for her.
If I ever made it to the Olympics
all I could ask for is a fair shake, to know I left everything out on the
track. I could walk away with my head
held high knowing I gave it my all against the best in the world. But to get tripped, fall, and walk away with
the thought of what could have been is a horrible feeling. If there is any takeaway from something like
this it is to focus on the journey and not the destination. Often in life we focus so much on the end
game and how we wish to perform once we are there rather than enjoy the
journey. During my time at Marist a
cross country season was defined in my eyes on how we performed at one meet,
regionals. Throughout my four years we
were pretty much locked into 2nd place in the MAAC. No matter how well ran we were never going to
beat Iona, a top ten team nationally, and baring some disaster we were going to
beat the rest of teams. Therefore, all
the focus was on regionals. A top ten
finish was viewed as a successful season, somewhere between eleven and fifteen
was average and beyond fifteen was a subpar season. The immense pressure placed on one race
resulted in some of the highest and lowest moments of my running career. However, when I look back at my running career
some of my finest moments came during the ride.
That one fifteen mile long run hungover early Sunday that you dread
going into, but ending up firing on all cylinders as you head back down route 9
from Culinary. Thousand meter repeats at
Bowdoin that gradually get faster with each progressive one until you feel that
sensation on this day you’re unbeatable.
Those are the moments I felt alive, that I truly enjoyed and
missed. One race should never define a
career, person, or a team. Despite that
one race no one can look at Morgan Uceny and say she, someone who is living out
her dream on a daily basis, is not a success.
At the end of the day we might not get that victory we sought out after
in the beginning, but that shouldn’t stop us from enjoying the ride and maybe
we’ll learn to get by on little victories.
No comments:
Post a Comment