In Search of the Human Spirit

It’s not often I read of either of my favorite baseball teams doing anything well.  So, it’s with great pride that I report that the Los Angeles Dodgers have broken the record for the most games won at home to start the season.  The previous mark was 12 games.  The Dodgers won 13 in a row tonight with a win over the Nationals.

Now if my other team, the Oakland A’s, would win one game, I’d be very delighted!

Congrats to the Dodgers!

So many times you hear of parents getting involved in their children’s sport teams for the worse.  Then you hear about kids who behave badly out on the field or after a game.  These people from Danville, California, know the meaning of true sportsmanship.

Two high school basketball teams made it to the NorCal Division I Championship game.  One team, Monte Vista, comes from a well to do school district.  The other, McClymond’s, comes from a cash strapped barely have a sports program that survives district.  In the tournament, McClymond’s beat Monte Vista 46-43.  Monte Vista went home to Danville dejected and defeated.  McClymond’s went on to the California Interscholastic Federation Division I State Title game.

McClymond’s didn’t have enough money to get the kids to Sacramento for the over night stay.  The coach had been spending his own money on the team all season and couldn’t pay for the trip.  The team would have to drive up to Sacramento the same day of the game and drive back home right after. The money wasn’t there.

Some parents at Monte Vista heard about McClymond’s problems.  The parents and students arranged a donation drive and collected $1,100 to help the team that beat them get to the State Championship.

It turns out the district had enough money for the trip and that there was some sort of miscommunication. They have sent back the donation with a big thank you.

It goes to show that people have a heart.  Hopefully, the kids on both teams came away with a positive message from this incident.  It isn’t always about winning.  It’s about helping each other out.

Many people enjoy the freedom of riding a bicycle around town. Many would love to but physical limitations prevent them from trying.

The Adaptive Cycling Center of Berkeley, California has been tackling this problem. They design bicycles to fit the specific needs of the rider. Perhaps you can’t use your right arm. The center has designed a bike especially for you.

One of the most interesting things the ACC offers is free bicycle rentals. A person with special needs can go to the center, take a bike out for the day, and pay nothing. They got a multitude of bicycles for all sorts of needs in youth and adult sizes.

Take a peek at their website to see the wonderful world they have opened up for disabled folks who want the freedom of a bike ride: BORP Website

What is it about marathons that make me so darned emotion?  I am not even a fan of running (watching or doing it myself).  Yet everytime I watch the men and women’s marathon during the Olympics I get all teary eyed.

I was doing fine with the men’s marathon until the last few minutes when the runner who was vying for first started to slip back.  Soon he was lost out of sight.  I wanted to help him keep up.

When Samuel Wansiri entered the stadium I felt so happy for him.  He was the first Kenyan to win the marathon.  Then Jaouad Gharib of Morocco ran across the line.  Another first, I believe.

But I really got emotional when Merga Deriba of Ethiopia entered the stadium, clearly out of steam.  His teammate, Tsegay Kebede was gaining ground.  Deriba was getting slower and slower, then Kebede passed him.  Tears streamed down my face.  What heartbreak to come so far and then end up out of medal contention in the last 10 seconds.  I don’t even know who Deriba is.

So, what is it about the marathon that brings me to tears?  Does it happen to you too?  I think it must be that we all know what it’s like to work towards something, to struggle, to triumph, and to have it fall from our grasp just as it seems it’s ours.

To me the marathoners exemplify the Olympic spirit.  There are only so many who will win.  Yet, many show up at the starting line and many cross the finish line in 10th or 20th place.  They do it to show themselves they can.  They compete against themselves for their own personal best times.  That is enough.  Knowing they came to the Olympics, they competed, and they did the best they could is enough for the runners who know they will never medal.

Seeing the Kenyan, Moroccan, and Ethiopian on the medal podium was a proud moment.  Of course, I am happy when Americans win, but Americans will always win something.  These three may be the only athletes from their countries to take home medals.  They will be cheered and admired.  Because their successes are so rare, they become more special.

So,

If you watched swimming this weekend, you noticed that Dara Torres of the USA was the goodwill ambassador of the swimming venue.  During one of her races this weekend, she should some class and kindness.  One of the racers was missing.  Dara walked over to the officials to explain the situation and to make sure the race was held up until the woman returned.

At issue was her swimsuit.  It ripped, which seems to be common with the new swimsuits everyone is wearing.  Dara wanted to make sure everyone got to race, including the woman from Sweden.  When the swimmer returned, Dara greeted her.  And, then everything got serious.

In the interview afterward, she commented that while they are all competitors in the pool, they are friends outside the pool.  At 41, you could see a little bit of that “Mom” attitude in Dara.  She was just making sure everyone got their chance.

The only name you needed to know in the 100m hurdles was Lolo Jones.  She was the person to beat.  Then Lolo Jones hit the second to last hurdle, lost her footing, and stumbled across the finish line out of metal contention.

Another American cross the finish line first only she didn’t know it.  Dawn Harper ran across the finish line, looked up at the board, then yelled “What?” over and over and over.  Disbelieve was written all over her face.  It wasn’t until another American hurdler came over to tell her she had one the race that it started to sink in.

Harper still couldn’t grasp the magnitude of her win at the press conference for the gold medal winner.  She couldn’t talk and broke down in tears.

Doesn’t anyone else have this problem?  The Women’s Marathon makes me cry.

I watched most of the marathon on TV.  For hours we followed Constantina Tomescu as she took a larger and larger lead.  Behind her a group kept pace but at a distance.

Then they came up the city streets.  The Bird’s Nest Stadium was in sight.  Tomescu was the first to make the turn that took her down the road to the stadium.

When Tomescu entered the stadium, I tear rolled down my cheek.  I don’t even know who Tomescu is.  But, to run so far and then to finally make it to that last lap is such an achievement.

After Tomescu, a other runners came in.  After that grueling run, they then had to sprint the final lap to secure their spot on the podium.

But, I didn’t really break down until the woman who had the injury entered the stadium.  To see her running in pain just so she could get across the finish line was truly remarkable.

I don’t really know where they find the strength.  Most of the runners know they won’t be anywhere near the medal ceremony.  Yet, they get out their and run in the rain just for the glory of doing it.  I think that is the real Olympic spirit.

Did you see the women’s 100m sprint final?  Shelly-Ann Fraser of Jamaica blasted away the field and won her first major event.10.78 seconds at just 21 years of age.

I think more inspiring was the exuberant celebration afterwards.  Fraser skipped and pranced around the track laughing to herself.  She was overjoyed.

During her interview with an NBC reporter, she talked about the pride of Jamaica.  Then she burst out in a case of the giggles.  I found myself laughing with her.  She displayed a little bit of humility and genuine joy, rather than the arrogant cockiness that some of the male sprinters displayed.

The badminton I am familiar with is the backyard variety. A net set up in someone’s backyard. Team Middle Aged against Team Perky Youth. The birdie gets hit into trees, over fences, and more often than not gets stuck in someone’s racket.

Olympic badminton is a whole different bird game! This ain’t your backyard badminton. The gold medal match between Indonesia and China was really exciting. It was fast paced. I was amazed at how hard and fast they hit the birdie. It looked more like ping pong. They had several rallies where the birdie was hit 30-40 times in a row. Unbelievable!

It was fun to watch. I must admit I was happy to see Indonesia win, though I have no connections to the country. They hadn’t won a medal yet at these Olympics.  It’s nice to see each country get at least one. They played well and they deserved it.

These guys are tough competitors. So, it was really nice to see a show of sportsmanship and goodwill during the Men’s Indidvidual All Around competition.

Gymnasts were competing on their own without their team mates to cheer them on. Each took their turn at the apparatus. Then something odd happened. The other gymnasts cheered for them. When they finished their turn and bounded down the steps to the chairs, the other participants and coaches from every country patted them on the back and shook their hand in encouragement.

It’s refreshing to me to see such comraderie at such a high level of competition. It was nice to see.