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Blather in the booth? We're Talking Olympics!By Rick Horowitz
Click. " -- for joining us again here in Torino. And thus far, Al, you'd have to say these Olympics have been everything we expected." "Absolutely." "Including some pretty stunning upsets." "Oh, absolutely! You can't have a Winter Olympics without stunning upsets. That's part of its charm." "Of course, for some of the athletes themselves, those upsets might not be so charming, especially when just a few ticks of the clock can make all the difference -- " " -- between triumph and tragedy. Very true, Mike." "Would you say that, for the ones who don't make it to the podium, all their hard work has gone for naught?" "Not at all, Mike. Not at all. Of course they're disappointed, but if you ask them, they'll tell you it's a victory just being here representing their country." "And finishing 32nd doesn't change that?" "Not for a true Olympian, Mike." "And how are their shoulders?" "Well, as you know, Mike, they've been carrying the hopes of an entire nation on their shoulders for months. Plus the weight of expectations -- you can't overlook the weight of expectations." "I'd imagine those expectations could be pretty weighty indeed." "Indeed." "But for the winners -- well, you can't even put the emotions into words. Here, let's look again at the thrilling finish of that last event. Only 200 meters to go and here comes Hans -- he seems to be reaching for something, Al." "He's reaching deep inside himself, Mike. The great ones do that." "And how did he get himself across the finish line?" "He willed himself across the finish line, Mike. With the heart of a lion." "It certainly looks that way. I wonder how much he left out there." "He left it all out there." "That's what I thought. He's quite a competitor -- and our friend Mary is standing by with even more on this rising young star. Tell us, Mary, I'll bet Hans has a compelling personal story." "He certainly does, Mike and Al." "What kind of things did he have to overcome to get to this level?" "Adversity, Mike -- Hans had to overcome adversity to get to this level. But it's definitely made him stronger." "I was just going to ask about that. Did adversity give him even more determination?" "Him and his sister both, Mike. In fact, Grete has said that very thing -- adversity gave both of them even more determination." "She said that?" "In German. But that's what I'm told." "Remarkable! And of course, they both came by their love of this sport naturally." "I think that's really the only way." "Unless you can come by the love of the sport unnaturally, which is quite -- " "Unnatural." "Exactly. Now, tell us about this next race, Mary. Whose race is it to win?" "Mike, this next race is anybody's to win -- although, of course, it's more likely to be one of the athletes." "Of course. And is anything all boiling down to this? "Years of dedication, Mike -- years of dedication are all boiling down to this." "And whoever winds up winning this race, Mary, I assume she'll be making something." "She'll be making a real statement, Mike." "And will any of us ever forget her magnificent achievement?" "None of us will ever forget her magnificent achievement." "And isn't that what the Olympics are all about?" "That's exactly what the Olympics are all -- " Click. Posted 2/16/06. Rick
reaches deep inside himself twice every week! (Have you told your friends?)
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Rick Horowitz
