With summer 2011 coming to a close and fall beginning last Friday, there has been one thing on my mind — summer 2012. Seniors will have graduated and will be preparing to further their education or officially join the 9-to-5 crowd. Although one’s graduation comes but once every four years (traditionally), there is something even more exciting just waiting to burst onto the scene: The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Although the Winter Games provide their own sources of excitement and pride for the U.S., the Summer Games always have held a special place in my heart. Having competed in an Olympic sport for the past 15 years, I always am excited to watch the U.S. compete in the pool, on the sand, in the arena and on the mat.
With 303 days to the Olympic Games and 336 days to the Paralympic Games, athletes are starting to buckle down and saddle up for an intense 10 months of training and competition with a variety of requirements for qualification.
After years of rigorous training and competition leading up to the pinnacle of their sport, Olympic hopefuls spend years training for a set of specific competitions. With the eyes of the world on London in 2012, it might seem that the Summer or Winter Games come around once every four years, but for these athletes, as the United State Olympic Committee says, “It’s not every four years. It’s every day.”
This summer, I worked as an intern at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center, or CS-OTC. I had an absolute blast and felt honored to be a part of an organization where work ethic, character and honesty reign supreme. In addition to the unequivocal professional experiences in assisting with events, my role as the athlete services and program management intern involved working with former Olympians and Olympic hopefuls each and every day. As a swimmer, I always have felt more strongly about the importance of Olympic sports than the professional aspects of the NFL, NBA, NHL and so on. Amateurism produces a spirit unlike any other.
What makes an amateur athlete so much more appealing than a professional athlete? The issues surrounding the lockouts in professional sports throughout the past 10 years should provide recent examples. Although Dwyane Wade and Tom Brady might speak of their love for the game, they certainly find themselves compensated far beyond their living and travel expenses. Don’t get me wrong, I am not passing judgment on how much professional or other athletes should be paid, but there is something special about talking to someone who lives day-to-day on their love of the game.
The athletes at the CS-OTC regularly participate in community outreach events in the Pikes Peak community, just as our student-athletes do at MSU. I was fortunate enough to be able to accompany some of the athletes at the CS-OTC on visits to a local pediatric hospital. Although I can imagine a professional basketball or football player’s presence can light up the eyes of a child, there is something special about being able to introduce an athlete as someone who is chasing a childhood dream: an Olympic gold medal.
This athlete hopes to represent our country in the Olympic or Paralympic Games. Professional athletes now can represent their country in the Games under specific criteria, but that experience is something different from winning an NBA championship or a Stanley Cup. There is a reason the Miracle on Ice holds an unrivaled place in the hearts of sports fans everywhere. Amateur sports and the Olympic movement are one of the final beacons of pure sport left today.
I’m not writing this article just to rag on pro sports. Monday Night Football and a good Detroit Red Wings game provide our country with plenty of entertainment and shows of athleticism and heart. The Olympic Games provide our country and the world with an opportunity to send their best to compete against the best in an environment where competition and love of the sport are the most important objectives.
The Olympic Creed reads, “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” In that creed, the constant bargaining and legal battles over player salaries and benefits seem inconsequential.
Watching American and international athletes train each and every day for the honor of representing their country in the Olympic Games this summer was one of the best experiences of my life, and it solidified in my mind that the Olympic movement provides the purest venue for sports today. Former Spartan wrestler Nick Simmons qualified the U.S. for the London 2012 Games at the 55-kilogram weight class with his 5th place finish at the recent FILA World Wrestling Championship and former rower Emily Regan captured gold at the World Rowing Championships, as well.
MSU and the U.S. have a lot to be excited for in 2012 and beyond. Olympic sports are where you can truly find a love of the game.
For more information, visit teamusa.org.
Victoria Merritt is a State News guest columnist and political theory and constitutional democracy senior. Reach her at merrittv@msu.edu.
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