Any way you slice it, there is something magnificent about large scale athletic competition. Putting aside the untimely death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, sad beyond words, this year’s Winter Olympics is certainly no exception. Sure there are always glitches, although China seemed to have fewer of them for its Summer Olympics two years ago notwithstanding the extraordinary complexity, but the overall aggregation of special moments more than compensates. Fans, most of whom have traveled from far and wide to root for their country’s athletes, cheering their countrymen on to victory… or perhaps just for showing up and trying at all. The expressions on the victors and those whose day was not to be are caught by the omnipresent cameras, as we watch and cheer them on.
The Winter Olympics does seem to have its share of unbelievable danger and incomprehensible speed, where I am sure human beings were never intended to go. Great drama, genuine thrills and some truly crazy moments. National teams are outfitted in designer-created outfits, linking individual and nation by an array of colors and styles. Wow! Nations often design the lifetime of large numbers of children, taking the most athletically gifted and putting them into lifelong training and coaching facilities, looking for those who might be able to rise above the rest. The stories of the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany), Russia and China are the stuff of legend. National commitment, zeal, disciplined focus and some underlying driving need to make one’s athletes “better” than those of any other country. A symbol of national superiority in… well… everything.
“U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!” is the loudest faction at any Olympics, often eclipsing even the home cheering sections. It sounds pretty obnoxious, but then, how can you not root for our home team and exactly what would a “polite” cheer sound like? With so many athletes in so many competitions, individual names often get lost in a sea of national chants. But this is a competition of individuals (with the exception of team sports and relays, where it is still about “individual effort” coordinated with “others”). Individuals who have sacrificed, worked hard and earned the right to stand and compete among the best.
Is this really a competition among entire countries? Is America wounded to the quick when Bode Miller only takes a bronze or the Americans are washed out of the medals in the pairs figure skating competition? Isn’t the magnificence of China’s 31-year-old Shen Xue and 36-year-old Zhao Hongbo (ancient by Olympic standards), who delivered a magnificent pairs skating performance, taking the gold, enough of a reward for everybody able to watch this stunning performance? Who could forget the face of Alexandre Bilodeau, a freestyle skier who ended Canada’s gold medal drought, as he hugged his beloved older brother, Frédéric, whose lifelong struggle with cerebral palsy was obscured in a huge grin and a shower of love at the triumph of his younger brother?
Oh the Americans are winning gold everywhere, to be sure, in a flow of medals. Hannah Kearny pulled in the first American gold (and the first gold of the Olympics) as she slashed her way through the vicious mogul course, and Seth Wescott garnered his gold at the men’s snowboard cross. They’ll be more, of course, but in the end, it is about individual excellence. Winter sports tend to require more training, special venues, and great access to specialized equipment than summer sports. That alone seems to present a financial barrier that is clearly absent as you watch the great Kenyan runners in the longest summer races. But in this battle of nations, it is easy to overlook the joy that can only belong to the individuals who have competed, win or lose, and their families and coaches who have stood behind them for years.
Throwing money to “buy” and train athletes is an old tradition. The Yankees’ purse has purchased some mighty fine baseball teams over the years. Sometimes it really does get down to “my city has more money to buy star athletes than your city” – salary caps become loopholes for lawyers to design around – but I’d like to think that even though there are a vast array of well-trained professionals at the Olympics these days, the moments of individual triumph rise above it all and bless all of us in the glory of that moment. I’d like to think that we can all find joy in every victory, regardless of national origin, and nobility in every effort, regardless of the outcome. And yeah, I know, I know, the American hockey team is a definite underdog!
I’m Peter Dekom, and I am still in awe at the abilities and commitments of all of these excellent athletes. Go world!
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