I’m not an athlete and I have never been an athlete – and newsflash: I am never going to be an athlete. Shocking, I know, but best I be honest about my non-athletic aspirations as I congratulate our Olympic and Paralympic athletes for what I consider to be super-human feats. No matter the sport, these competitors have my respect for their commitment. I am in awe of these people.
I used to think it was about the medals, but when you watch the Olympics, you realize it’s about so much more than that. These athletes want to win, for sure, but it’s their personal desire to compete – against others, against themselves. Be the best. Push. Beat their time. Raise the bar of their personal best. To achieve a goal that they’ve set. Sacrifice. Hard work.
The pressure is unreal. And for many of these athletes, it’s not going to gain them glory or fame. But that’s not what drives these athletes. They are striving for something more, something deeper than medals. At least, that’s how I see it. It’s inspiring.
When I think of playing sports, I have traumatic flashbacks to gym class in public school where the field of skilled, agile, hyper-competitive children were weeded out, set for school yard stardom, and the awkwardly uncoordinated string-beans with thick glasses, like myself, were always the last picked for the team. Good times.
But if there was athleticism in being a spectator of sports, say, a prize for the most enthusiastic fan, I’d have a gold medal. When I pledge allegiance to a team or player, my fandom is legendary. You’d want me to cheer for you. Agents would fight to sign me; multi-million dollar contracts just for me to attend games. Money well spent. Still, nobody would want me on their actual team because I’m not an actual athlete.
Most of my friends are, though. Even my spouse, the Carpenter, ran track in school, played basketball, volleyball, broomball, ball hockey and baseball. He loved to compete in school and even made it to championships. He’s still competitive now, but it’s more about being right about everything all the time than it is about scoring goals (I am good to compete at this level).
These last few days, we’ve been watching the Olympics sports coverage together whenever we can. I forgot how much this global event captures our attention. We will watch sports we have no connection to for hours and care about it.
The Olympics are amazing. It’s intense. It’s addictive. I cannot look away. If there is a Canadian flag on their uniform, I’m emotionally connected to that athlete. I am in it to win it with them. The adrenaline is real. The emotions are heightened. The outcome, a shared experience. The stories of how they got to this point are amazing. That’s where the real gold is, the triumphs of spirit.
Thank you to every Olympian and Paralympian for inspiring us, for competing for your country and showing us what perseverance and passion look like, at a time when we need something to cheer about. That’s gold.
Inspired, I’m thinking of taking up a sport. Kidding. I’ll leave that to the professionals.
But if you need a fan, my agent is taking calls.
