The Olympic Fantasy

Just like this year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, the XVIII Olympic Winter Games held in Nagano, Japan opened on my birthday, February 7 in 1998. That was 16 years ago, and it was my 16th birthday. I was still dreaming then but knew that already I was likely too old to be an Olympian.

In fact that year a female U.S. figure skater won the gold at just 15 year old; she was a few months younger than me. Remember Tara Lipinski? That was her only Olympics, but yesterday she was a commentator for the pairs skating which saw the return of Russian dominance. I still remember Tara and Michelle Kwan, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Nancy Kerrigan – all U.S. Olympic figure skaters who won medals during the years I still fantasized.

Indeed it was really just a fantasy. I watched the Olympics as a young girl and held dreams of what it must be like to be an ice skating princess or a gymnastics sensation. Maybe it’s their cute outfits, but for whatever reason those seem to be the most captivating Olympic sports to young girls. And like many around me, I dreamed to be one of them.  However, this dream…this fantasy existed only in my head and was never to be a reality.

At the time I watched those Winter Games in 1998 and was captivated by my peer being an Olympic champion, I had only been ice skating on a rink one time.  At six years old I had taught myself how to do a cartwheel, but the first and only gymnastics class I took was an elective in college. My first skiing experience came after I was married, and my greatest athletic achievement was at 25 years old when I ran a marathon (26.2 miles in case you’re not clear on that grueling distance). There is no specific sport that I have pursued or excelled at over the years, and yet the fantasy remains. The wonder of how grand it must feel to represent your country on the world stage, and if you are so fortunate to come out on top and say in this moment, “I am the BEST in the WORLD!” Oh yes, I still think that sounds exciting. But I know that it is much more than a dream that took them to that podium. It was the relentless pursuit of a goal that involved countless sacrifices I don’t even want to imagine.

With this Olympic fantasy lingering still, I was struck with a touch of sadness as I watched the opening ceremonies on the night of my 32nd birthday. I realized that for the first time when I watch these games, I will be older than probably 90% of the Olympians. My time to plan and prepare had come and gone years before, but now there is a finality to the death of this dream.

So I have been watching these games, paying special attention to the Olympians in their 30s.  It seems for several Americans, age has been a factor in their defeat. Look at snowboarder Shaun White, 27; speed skater Shani Davis, 31; and alpine skier Bode Miller, 36, who all failed to repeat gold or even medal in their favored events at their third Olympic appearances. However, a 40 year old Russian became the oldest athlete to win gold when he clenched the title during the Biatholon Men’s Sprint (a sport I know little about, but they cross-country ski with a gun on their back and periodically shoot at targets…kind of entertaining). The next day a 42 year old Russian earned silver in the Men’s Luge with a 40 year old Italian taking bronze, it’s okay if they were bested by a dominating 24 year old, they both have a long Olympic history. And there’s the 32 year old Dutch speed skater who won gold and now the 30 year old women’s alpine sensation from Slovenia who clenched the first gold for her country when she made history and tied with a 28 year old from Switzerland yesterday.

There are still Olympic champions my age – just not many females and not many Americans so far at these games. And as I’ve watched many surprises unfold at the Olympics these last few days, I am reminded that the Olympic dream comes at such a high price. To be among the elite few that leave the games victorious is a wondrous dream come true, but I imagine the many who go home empty handed are often haunted by their defeat. Is the passionate pursuit worth all the effort? If you love it, then yes I would think that it is.

Last night my five year old sat on my lap watching the pairs skating competition. She wants to go ice skating. She wants to wear a sparkly dress like the “pretty girls” when we go. And she wants Daddy to throw me in the air like the pairs skaters…HAHAHA! It’s special to share an Olympic experience with her showing interest for the first time. She sounds like she’s already forming the Olympic fantasy. But I wonder, for her and her little sister, could it ever be more than a fantasy?  Yes, Adria has some significant limitations but I won’t tell her she can’t try something, and two year old Johanna already exhibits impressive athletic talent. How do I as their mother present them with the right opportunities and encourage them to find a dream that becomes a goal? Time will tell, but their time to start is now. If I had to guess, I think Johanna will prefer something more exciting like snowboarding. Kaitlyn Farrington, 24, and Jamie Anderson, 23, certainly represented the U.S. well with their gold medal performances in snowboarding this week. 

U.S. Olympic figure skater Gracie Gold

 

As I did in my youth, we'll be sure to watch the women's figure skating competition as Gracie Gold, the 18 year old American, hopes to put the U.S. back on the podium after we failed to medal in the sport at the last Olympic games for the first time in decades. She already won bronze in the first ever team competition. Go for Gold, Gracie! Give the young American girls of today an Olympic fantasy.