Olympic Dreams: That’s Just What They Are


I really enjoy watching the Beijing Olympics.  In fact, I enjoy every Olympics, dating way back to 1968 in Mexico City.  I was only a kid back in those days but on our black and white television I managed to tune in to ABC’s Wide World of Sports.

The big news of the 1968 Mexico City Olympics were black power salutes by some American sprinters and a mind numbing long jump record set by American Bob Beamon.  For those of you too young to remember, Beamon broke the world long jump record by an astonishing 21.75 inches landing 29 feet 2.5 inches into the pit.  At that time Bob Beamon’s record was for the ages.  Mike Powell finally broke it in 1991. (He jumped 29 feet 4 and 3/8ths inches)  However, 40 years later Beamon’s mark remains the Olympic record and is still the second longest long jump ever. To draw a comparison, it would be like me hitting for 10 first quarter points in a NBA game.

However, that hasn’t happened nor will it.  I hung up my sneakers as an athlete only a few years ago.  Basketball as many of you know was my game, but of course I was never a legend on the court.  I loved playing the game but as time wore on I crossed over to that time in life when you shouldn’t play boys games.  However, that doesn’t mean I can’t remember past athletic glory. At one time in my life I thought if given the chance I could have done great things.

So when I watch the world’s athlete’s competing against each other I hearken back to the time of my own youth.  Things have definitely changed for our athletes from the days when I was young.  However, in some ways it’s more of the same.  With cold weather seemingly taking up most of our calendar year, Canadians have a hard time with the summer games.  Our low medal count is not necessarily a reflection of our collective athletic prowess, but more so of where we find ourselves on this globe.  Watch out when we get to display ourselves in the winter of 2010 at Whistler.

Still there are no guarantees of that.  We might pride ourselves at the hockey rink or cross-country skiing or maybe even the bobsled (because we now get to practice in Calgary) but that doesn’t mean we’ll line the streets with gold.  Sport is still a very cost intensive investment for athletes and potential athletes dreaming of Olympic gold.

There are no easy answers.  For instance how does the boy from Dresden Ontario or Chaplin Saskatchewan get on the red carpet of Olympic competition?  Back in the day, I didn’t have a clue.  I had a few coaches in school, but after that athletics was more something you did with your buddies.  Simply put, they had no avenues to greater success either.  The problem is now in the same rural places across this country its like “back in the day”.  Nothing has really changed.  If you can “run like the wind”, you’ve got to have Forest Gump’s luck to get anywhere.

Needless to say with all the athletic roadblocks I had throw up against me I dared to dream.  My Olympics was Moscow in 1980.  That year Pierre Trudeau decided to keep Joe Clark’s lead and not go to Moscow for the Olympics.  So even if I had been good enough and had the training, I never would have had the opportunity.  When I watch the Olympics, I often lament about that.  I never got the chance to dream, but I also never got the chance to watch my youthful Canadian peers compete at that level.  Forever after, I’d always be watching younger people strutting their stuff on the Olympic stage.

In 2008 the Olympics have really morphed into something much bigger than I could ever imagine.  They are very compelling.  With the advent of newer technologies, fans can keep abreast of events in real time.  Not only that but today’s athletes can take advantage of newer technologies to train and advance further within their individual sports.  There are viewing angles from just about anywhere.  It’s almost if I pinch myself, like I’m there sometimes.

Nevertheless, when I come to my senses, I’m not there.  However, there is a scantily clad women’s beach volleyball competition along side the USA “Redeem Team” Basketball squad led by zillionaires LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade.  Did somebody say something about the “joy of competition” or “Olympic ideals.”  No, the Olympics aren’t perfect.  Yet, they are what they are.  I’ll be watching at every turn.