A Little Help

We watched history in the making. What Michael Phelps did in winning 8 gold medals in a single Summer Olympics is utterly amazing.

But he could not have done it without the help of his friends.

Particularly the 4x100 free relay.

But that's what makes Phelps' achieved dream so amazing...he could not do it on his own. Swimming 17 races takes a lot of endurance, concentration and strength that not many possess. And he had to win 8 of them.

Three out of those eight he was part of a team. In a way, he had to give more of himself to not let his teammates down. On his last race, the 4x100 medley relay, he did not disappoint; he swam the fastest butterfly leg in the relay's history. He did not achieve his dream alone; he had done in it the company of his team, his friends.

Jason Lezak, who had won the 4x100 free relay by one of the more historic moments in Olympic history (well, ones that we have seen) stated before that they did not do it for Phelps. And I believe it. That was never the team's expectation; another win for Phelps. They all wanted gold, and they had to do it together. And they could not have done it without each other.

From NBCOlympics.com: "It wouldn't have been possible without the help of my teammates." Phelps said. "For the three Olympics I've been a part of, this is by far the closest men's team that we've ever had. I didn't know everybody coming into this Olympics, but I feel going out I know every single person very well. The team that we had is the difference."

I like Phelps for many reasons. One of the greatest things I admire is that while he is a phenomenon as an individual, Phelps also displayed spectacular sportsmanship as a team player.
I suppose that is why I loved that Phelps' eighth gold was a team relay. We are truly better together, but it also depends on what we bring to it. And everyone on that team brought everything they had in everything they did.

Again...if only we did that in our every day lives.

Which, I have to get back to come Monday morning.

Amazing Race, Stylish Grace and Other Things That Rhyme

So...I keep watching the 100m fly. Controversy beside, it is just an amazing race.

Phelps lunges for the wall to out-touch Milorad Cavic. Cavic glides in while Phelps risks the half-stroke to propel himself forward. It wasn't experience as much as it was luck, but the overriding factor is was that Phelps was determined to get there. He wanted it more; to get there first; to capture that gold even if he didn't believe that he had.

Settling indeed. :-)

I think despite all the hype, with the media commenting on how "easy" Phelps makes it seem going for gold, and people "expecting" him to win, there is still hard work invovled. There is hunger that still needs to come from every competitor. And in the end, Phelps just wants it more. Maybe for him, its more than breaking records. He just wants to win. And in order to do that, he has to believe he will.

In my short 27 years of living, I have observed that skill and talent help. But determination and belief are harder to attain, let alone keep. Even harder still to get people to rally behind you. I suppose that is what amazes me with this Olympics and Phelps. Media aside, Phelps has the world believing what he believes: that he will win.

And we all love a winner.

In regards to gymnastics, (which, I don't always admit watching) watch Nastia Liukin's All-Around routines. It is a wonderful combination of beauty and strength. Her balance beam and floor routines are just exquisite. I don't usually listen to commentators (other than for fodder for discussion) but I agree with their analysis. Strength displayed in twists, turns and tumbles can capture gold. There has to be beauty within each move that can capture a nation. It is a feat if someone can do both.

And we all love beautiful things.

Of course...here's my swimming sidenote. The 4x100m medley relay is coming up. If Team USA wins gold or not, we are watching history in the making. And it will be amazing.

Process Stories

Does anyone else find it weird that the commentators keep saying "Mr. Almost-Somebody settles for the silver"?

I personally find it annoying. Silver and Bronze are great feats. Sure, they're not Gold, but they're not nothing. And I don't think people settle for second place. For many people, getting second place is just a fancy way of saying they lost, but it is nothing compared to not placing at all.

From NBCOlympics.com: "Laszlo Cseh of Hungary picked up his third silver of the games - all of them trailing Phelps. "It's not a shame," Cseh said, "to be beaten by a better one."

Ok. I'm done mincing words. Settling or not, I think it is amzing that any of these athletes are even competing in the Summer Games. To place is an admirable feat. You're going against the best in the world, and you hope that all your sacrifice and determination will manifest itself in an excellent way.

If only we were to do that in our every day lives.

Don't worry, my big sloppy kiss for the Summer Olympics is almost over. Swimming events wrap up on Sunday, and I will be back to work on Monday. But I admire these athletes who pursued their dreams and never settled for less than their best. Anyone who knows me know that I love the journey more than the end results; I like process stories. I love stories of how people found a dream, pursued it and what they had to do to achieve their dreams.

I wish for that kind of passion in my own life. Somewhere along the way--probably somewhere near when I lost my emotions--I lost sight of my dreams and the passion of that pursuit. I got bored with my own process story.

Maybe I'll find it someday, but I just can't keep hoping for the next big thing.

Phelps goes head to head with Ian Crocker in the 100m fly. Its going to be quite the race! And I don't think anyone can say that either of them will be settling for anything.

All the World's a Stage

Ok. I'm taking a brief break from a blog about the Olympics and swimming...ish.

Other than the Olympics, a conversation theme that has come up this week stemmed from a discussion about stages of life. Everyone, it seems, to be discontent with their current stage of life. They express either anticipating the next stage ahead (as if these stages are progressive...but that's another blog) or reminiscing about the good times they had experienced in the stage they had left behind.

The paradox of the life experience...looking ahead while appreciating the past, all the the while, not letting the present past them by.

My current experience is one of slight jealousy and sadness. I see so many of my friends progressing to the next stage "ahead," and for those who have children, a few stages ahead of me. I often feel left behind; that everyone gets to move on because they have passed some magical "test" of some sort while I have yet to take the first exam.

I often wonder if something is wrong with me.

Now, I don't actually believe that there is something wrong with me or that there is a test to pass. I don't believe that the next stage is a reward for conquering the present stage. But I do feel left behind and that I am, somehow, missing out on something great.

Maybe on the world stage, I'm not meant to play a romantic lead, or even the sidekick with the sub-plot relationship.

I suppose it is always a struggle for us to find satisfaction in the stage we're in. And like humilty, (which, I'm finding is a metaphor for most things) once I realize I have it, it's gone; when I'm satisfied with this stage, I'm no longer in that stage.

In the end, I just don't want to be left behind, and I am not exactly sure if I am the one who can fix it.

Ok...Olympic sidenote: Phelps, Lochte and Peirsol all swim tonight. Its going to be exciting races for all three of them. Watch out for Lochte...he's amazing! Maybe his drive to climb out of the shadows of Phelps and Peirsol will be enough to give him gold. I suppose I relate to him somehow. Never underestimate the underdog.

Slipped Goggles and Notes on Commentary

Last night, Michael Phelps won the 200m fly.

And after his second race that night (4x200m free relay), it was disclosed that his toss of his goggles at the end of his first race wasn't so much because he didn't meet his personal best, but because throughout his race, his goggles were full of water.

I would have chucked those goggles, too.

However, listening to the commentary, it was of note that the commentators were mainly talking about how "controlled" he was. Sure, they said it was a little different than they expected, especially after seeing the way he had attacked the 200m free the night before. But they were impressed in his pacing and control.

And they also said that Phelps could see his competitors.

However, Phelps later commented that he couldn't see anything. His "control" was due to his counting his paces and hoping he could make his turns:

From NBC.com: "As soon as I dove in, they filled up," [Phelps] said. "I was more or less trying to count my strokes, hoping I'd be dead on at the turns," he said. "I'm disappointed because I know I can go faster, but there was nothing I could do. I handled it the best way I could."

Sidebar: That is definitely discpline at its best. Despite the circumstances surrounding him, he just went back to basics. One has to wonder what would have happened if he didn't capture gold. I'm hoping he would demonstrate the same kind of sportsmanship as he has these Olympics.

Back to my notes...Its interesting to me that no one really know what goes on. They can comment, believing that it is either good or bad, but they don't know what you are experiencing. The commentators believed, as most of us did, that Phelps was doing fine, but his experience was far more interesting and challenging than we realized.

I guess watching the replay of the 200m fly, it reminded me of how we act more like commentators, either commenting on how good or bad someone is handling the situation, all the while oblivious to the person's actual experience.

I suppose we never really know anything about a person.

And after hearing Phelp's account, I hope that if I am faced with circumstances and situations that turn out the way that I had hoped or planned, that I would still do the best I could, even if it meant going back to basics.

So What If I'm a Little Excited

...or borderline obsessive.

Last night, I was chatting with some friends regarding the Olympics. And as I shared the expectations of the upcoming swimming events, my friends found themselves laughing at my abnormal alacrity.

And I wasn't talking about politics.

But the irony isn't lost on me here. Like the Presidential Elections, the Summer Games seem to ignite the country, rally the nation to be excited about what their fellow Americans can do. Sadly, like the Presidential Elections, the Summer Games only comes every four years. The positive feelings and good national pride will fade away and we will be back to our individual goals, materialism and economy, and shame for the mistakes our country has made. Heroes will be only found on the silver screen and the everyman who achieved a lifetime dream will be found at the bottom of the eighth page of the newspaper. Names will be forgotten in time, and the nation will forget what it was like to be unified with a single goal.

Until the next Election/Olympics.

I wish could bottle the excitement the nation feels when someone named Jason Lezack pushes himself forward for his team's sake in the name of his country. I wish I could get the nation to believe in America as much as they are behind Team USA. But I apparently don't have that kind of power.

So, I do get excited. Somehow, during the Summer Olympics, America becomes a little more like the nation I wish it to be. And I'll take it.

Even if it only comes once every four years.

And yes...Peirsol (100m backstroke) and Phelps (200m free) won gold. Go Team USA!

Olympic Fever, Baby!

Because of my aforementioned lack of cable, I have been watching the Olympics online at a coffee shop. And since I'm on vacation (which I just found out I did--long story), I don't have to wait an entire day before getting my fill of watching Olympic swimming.

Yes, I'm a Michael Phelps fan.

In both track and swimming, my favorite events are the relays. Team and individual effort can lead to very exciting races. And last "night" the US team of Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Culler Jones and Jason Lezak won gold for the men's 4x100 free relay. If you haven't watched it, get excited and watch the video. You will cry. Written drama can never really fully capture the sheer victory and loss of .08 of a second.

Ok. I'm calming down now. With all the Phelps excitement aside, its a great Olympics to watch.

At least in swimming.

Really...calming down now. Aaron Peirsol's events are up soon and I can hardly wait!

Cable Capitalism Wins Olympic Gold

I'm running out of blog titles. Sorry.

When I moved to the apartment, I decided not to get cable. I'm distracted enough. Being confident in my decision against white noise, I am proud to not have to turn on the television every time I walk into the room. However, I have come to an impasse with my struggle with cable. The Summer Olympics are starting tomorrow.

Now, I know that Olympics coverage is still something left to be desired, but I love watching the events. Last Summer Olympics, I lived in a house where we also did not have cable. And I missed the excitement of all the swimming, gymnastics and track events I wanted to watch and I had to live vicariously by watching other people's television sets.

Sigh.

I confess that I don't watch the entire Olympics, and really, the first week is only truly what interests me. So, my question is this: is it possible to sign up for cable for a week? Just one week? :-)

Bigger sigh.

I won't give in. But like with most things, its tempting. I just have to keep reminding myself that NBC commentaries are not worth it.

PS--Happy David Duchovny Day. I wouldn't be Abby if I didn't say it.