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HOLDING OUT HOPE
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July 2012
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by Greg Girard
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Category: Letter From The Editor
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I still hold out hope of competing in the Olympics one day. It's one of those dreams I can't seem to let go. The Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 is when my dream really took hold. Still in the midst of the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc countries boycotted the event in response to the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Games held in Moscow. There seemed to be an added patriotic buzz about those games. It was the Olympics of Carl Lewis, Mary Lou Retton, Edwin Moses, Greg Louganis and Tracy Caulkins. The U.S. dominated, winning 174 medals (121 more than second-place Romania), and I was hooked.
I will admit the number of sports I can qualify for is narrowing after 28 years. Track and field doesn't look promising anymore. I thought about diving, but one wrong spin and I'll be on YouTube under the title "Most Painful Belly Flop in History." Maybe rowing, although they tend to practice really early in the morning.
Then I came upon the sport of trampoline. Really, who can't bounce up and down? I do it all the time with my kids in the back yard. It felt like this was the answer until I learned trampolinists bounce more than 30 feet in the air and contort their bodies in ways not practical for a man nearing the start of his fifth decade of life. I rue the day they got rid of pigeon shooting after the 1900 Olympics.
It would seem my only hope is the winter games, where my favorite event, curling, takes place. Yes, shuffleboard on ice is my ticket to Olympic glory. I can still eat and drink whatever I want, I just need to learn how to sweep ice and knock my opponents' deformed hockey puck away from the center circle. Remember to look for me in Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 games.
Our cover story this month on water polo ace Brenda Villa (Page 22) will give you insight on the dedication of true Olympic athletes. The intense training, the strict nutrition and the year-round competitions are a way of life for these athletes in pursuit of their dream, and Villa is no exception. Her leadership in and out of the pool is worth celebrating.
Speaking of someone living a dream: When Craig Morgan (Page 42) isn't singing in front of thousands of fans on stage or making another country music album, he hosts his own Outdoor Channel show where he hunts, sky dives and races off-road at locations around the world. Not a bad way to go through life. He's proved a few times over that doing what you love is the best way to live.
My dream of Olympic glory may be a bit far-fetched at this point, but I can't help being inspired by all the athletes competing. Their focus, drive and determination toward excellence are worth emulating in whatever passions we pursue in life. Safe driving.
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