Olympic Love

As the Olympics come to an end, I felt it important to explain why they mean so much to me. As you may have read before here, I started gymnastics when I was not even 3 years old. In Kindergarten, my mom let me go to a real gym and learn how to train. My coach was from Romania and one summer, showed us the TV movie Nadia; the first gymnast to ever get a perfect score.

That movie filled me with fire. I needed to go to the Olympics and also be the best. I started telling people I’d be there someday. I started to really believe it.

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In 1984, the Olympics were hosted an hour from my home. I remember my mom picking me up from preschool to take us to watch the torch run by. We met up with my grandparents, and cousins and I remember watching the flame run by me. At 4 years old, that moment was pretty impactful.

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At age 8, I grew out of our little gym. I had been the best there for a long time and my mom knew that if I was going to have a real shot, I needed proper competition.

The professional gym was no joke. So many girls my age were far better than I. I worked so hard every practice. I went to practice for 3 hours a day 4 days a week during the school year and 6 days a week during the summer. I ate, slept, and breathed gymnastics. It was my whole life.

All of my friends came from gymnastics.

Unfortunately, at the height of my training, I developed tendinitis in my heel and my parents decided that my career was over. I was only 10. To say that I was devastated would be a massive understatement. I was truly heartbroken.

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2 years later I watched the Olympics on tv and ached for the chance to be there. When you get the Olympics into your system, it never really leaves.

As a teenager, I dreamt about going back. The doctors had said I would grow out of my tendinitis, and I did. But the cost and lack of parental support made it a pipe dream.

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In college, I took a gymnastics class for fun. After that first class, I was sore for a week. We only really did floor work but I ultimately climbed back to the abilities of my younger self. My tumbling passes didn’t have many twists but the flips came easily. A little hard work gave me the confidence to know that it was never that I wasn’t good enough. Sometimes, circumstances just change the trajectory of our lives.

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In 2002, I wasn’t living in Salt Lake during the Winter Olympics and even got to watch the 2 women bobsled final in person. We stood at the finish line and met the families of all the athletes.

There was a woman from Latvia I think who had overcome breast cancer. Her whole family was cheering her on with pink ribbons and survivor signs. And there was a Japanese documentarian filming her whole journey. We made friends with them all and got to cheer on Latvia.

Feeling that excitement and wonder filled me with renewed passion. For the next week, I wondered what sport I could join this late in life (I was 21) that could get me to the Olympics. I seriously thought about it. I settled on bobsled, but ultimately my dreams ended there. I was moving to San Diego a month later and I was sure training for bobsleds there was non existent.

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This year I have been teaching my kids all about the Olympics. I started with Curling. I explained the mechanics and the rules that I only really learned myself fairly recently. My 8 year old really got into it. she was cheering and celebrating right along with our team.

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And when I watch the Olympics, all of those feelings float to the surface. The excitement and the payoff after all that hard work is palpable. The elation the athletes feel, gives me a visceral reaction and I can’t help but feel all the same feelings.

The same goes for the upset. I felt Ilia Malanin’s pain in my soul. I just wanted to reach through the screen and hug him so tightly. On the flip side, when Alyssa Liu finished her final skate, the joy that flooded through my whole body was everything. She brings light to all who watch her. So the end of the Olympics brings a lot of emotions. I will be happy to get my free time back but I will definitely feel the loss too. Luckily, I only have to wait 2 years and next time, it will be on my back porch. I entered the lottery to try and get tickets. I honestly don’t even care what event we go to. I just hope I can be there, to show my children that hard work pays off, and to cheer on my fellow Americans and honestly, all the other athletes too.

Were you affected by the Olympics in any way? I want to hear about it.