September Track Camp - What it means to be an Olympian

After a hop, skip, and jump around the USA via the friendly skies tomorrow, I'll be back home from our national team track camp in Colorado Springs. Good time being on the track again with the ladies, of course. Great supplemental oxygen session at the Olympic Training Center, great conference calls on some really interesting topics (which reminded me how much I miss school and being immersed on a daily basis in ex phys!). Also a really empowering afternoon of Olympic Ambassador Training.

The Olympic Ambassador Training program was started for the Athens Olympics to help Olympic hopefuls ease into the technical aspects of becoming an Olympian with presentations given that include information like details of the Olympic Village, how contact with the media works (did you know there will be 20,000 official members of the media in London???), even how to correctly hold the American flag during post-event celebrations. I had a bit of a heads-up on some of the information having attended the 2007 Pan Am Games, a continental version of the Olympics held the year prior to the Games, but there was still good information to be had and it was definitely a good reminder of what it really means to be an Olympian.

Maybe my most poignant reminder of what it means to be an Olympian revolved around the idea of being a role model and demonstration key aspects of character. One question posed to us was if we remembered when it was that it "clicked" that what we wanted as a goal in our lives was to become an Olympian. For me, the answer was simple - the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. When Kerri Strug landed that final routine - that was it. Overcoming the odds, accomplishing a feat that wasn't supposed to happen. Doing it for herself, her teammates, her coaches, family, friends, country, everybody along the way - amazing. What a magical year that was. So many role models for me. The US women's soccer team with that drop-to-your knees and proclaim excellence kind of win - heart. Carl Lewis and Jackie Joyner Kersee coming back for one more round - dedication (Carl Lewis' sister, Carol Lewis, an accomplished Olympian herself, was actually one of our presenters). Michael Johnson and those golden shoes - confidence. Even Muhammad Ali lighting the torch - perseverance. The chant of U-S-A - the reminder that the Olympics is the one time we can forget our differences and cheer as one. Yes, 1996 was my "click."