It’s stories like this one that make the Olympics so special. It’s not just the Michael Phelps and Usain Bolts that are the best parts of the games. Sometimes it’s the people who finish last that mean the most.
Somalia’s runners provide inspiration - Olympics - Yahoo! Sports.
Unless you have been in a coma or an underground bomb shelter you’ve heard and seen the amazing feat that Michael Phelps has accomplished the past 8 days.
I have seen some amazing things in my life in the athletic arena. I’ve seen Michael Jordon win six NBA titles and become the greatest player in basketball history. I’ve seen Tiger Woods revolutionize the game of golf and dominate some of the most talented golfers of all time. I’ve seen Lance Armstrong win seven straight Tour de France titles and dominate in some of the most brutal circumstances any athlete has ever faced. I have seen a lot in my 27 years of life but I have never seen anything like Michael Phelps going 8 for 8 at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
He won in every way possible. He blew away the competition, he came from behind to win in the last milisecond, he led off a relay with a strong performance and cheered on a teammate when he made a late charge to beat the favored French. Tonight he swam the third leg of the medley relay (my favorite swimming event of the Olympics) and put the race out of reach. He was more than incredible. Mark Spitz called it “epic” but that word is too small to describe what Phelps did. What he did was super-human. What he did was Herculean. He could not have dominated more if he had gills and fins. He was absolute perfection.
I grew up hearing the story of my parents watching the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team defeating the Soviet Union in one of the greatest Olympic moments ever. This week has been a time that I will tell my children about. This is something that I will remember for the rest of my life. It has been my pleasure and privilege to share in this moment.
I know that I’m being overly sappy and that many people do not feel the same way that I do. I’ve always been a sucker for the Olympics and I have a special place in my heart for Olympic champions. I know that the Olympics isn’t what it used to be now that professionals have taken over the games, but there is something special and maybe even magical about these events. Maybe I am too sentimental, but I don’t care. What we all saw this week was total domination. The craziest part is that he could have added at least two more events (the 400 freestyle and the 200 backstroke) and contended for gold in both.
We may see someone win 9 gold medals in a single Olympics someday. After watching Phelps I can’t honestly say it’s impossible, but I doubt I will see it in my lifetime. Way to go Michael!
Check out the link below. It’s an amazing song and a powerful story. It’s had me sobbing for the last half hour. It’s worth your time. Thanks to Christie Martin for sharing the link.
Last night was one of the greatest concerts I have ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of concerts. It was better than I hoped for and about as good as I could have dreamed of. As I stated in my last post, I have always been a huge fan of The Police so I was unbelievably excited to get the chance to see them live. What made the experience even better was having Elvis Costello open who I’ve come to appreciate in recent years.
We arrived at our seats after a visit to the merchandise booth (where Angela bought a Police t-shirt) just in time for Elvis Costello to start. He played for a little over an hour and was a big ball of energy. He did not mess around at all, he just came out and played song after song. We were treated to all of his big hits like “Radio,” “Every Day I Write the Book,” “Pump It Up,” and “(What’s So Funny About) Peace, Love & Understanding” as well as songs from his new album. The highlight of his set was a duet with Sting on “Allison.” Both guys cracked up in the middle of the song after each tried to sing the harmony and neither sang the melody. It was a great set and he is a great performer.
We took a quick trip to the concession stand to get something to drink before The Police started playing which ended up taking a long time because the place was packed.
The Police began a little before 9:00 pm and when they came out and started with “Message In A Bottle” my skin was tingling. It was amazing to watch these master craftsmen at work. Each member of the band is spectacular at their instrument, and together they were mind-blowing. They added extended jam sessions in many of their songs which was amazing to see. They played all of their hits (with the notable exception of Syncronicity II and Spirits In The Material World) and some other songs that are great but lesser known like “Demolition Man” and “So Lonely.” They played two encores and by the end I was sad it was over. I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance to see them again so I wanted them to keep going.
One of the most amazing parts of the concert was how unbelievably charasmatic Sting is. I twittered that he was “commanding the audience like a rock god” which is absolutely the truth. People just went crazy every time he opened his mouth. His voice was as great as ever and he was ablt to hit the high notes like it was 1978 again. His vocal power was incredible. Several times he would hold a note 45-60 seconds which I don’t think I could do as a man almost 30 years younger than he is.
It was one of the best nights I’ve ever had, even though it took us over two and a half hours to get home. I’m going to be paying the price today because I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep. It was totally worth it.