I was so inspired by the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City that I boldly announced to my friends while watching the event in my college dorm that I was going to be in the Olympics someday. I am not one to make pronouncements such as this without having the intent to carry through. I considered myself an athlete.
Intercollegiate athletics for women, however, was not a “thing” in 1968 even though I participated in competitive events with other universities in field hockey, swimming, and volleyball when they were offered each quarter. I thought my strength was as a longer distance runner. I really didn’t like swimming that much and training with a team was not likely.
I told one of the physical education faculty members the next day that I wanted help to design a training plan for the next 4 years. She informed me that the longest distance available to women in the Olympics was 800 meters. I knew I was not built for speed and my hopes were immediately dashed. Doing something like archery or fencing didn’t have much appeal and I knew no one with those talents. Little did I know that 1984 would be the first Olympic Marathon for women in Los Angeles won by Joan Benoit.
My dream to be an Olympic athlete obviously did not come true. I did enjoy almost 40 years as an amateur runner, and I am proud of that. Every year when the Olympics occur, nevertheless, provides me with inspiration and a tiny bit of disappointment. I am moved by the ability and achievements of the athletes. I get frustrated sometimes by the commercialization of the games and the one dimension I get watching TV.
Yet, I find myself glued to the TV for two weeks and eager for stories in social media about the perseverance of the athletes. I admire the extraordinary dedication, discipline, and resilience that comes with competing at this highest level. I especially admire the women who have come to do so well in a variety of sports. I support the winners from the USA and admire the national pride and overall global unity that these events provide for me and many others. Vicarious experiences are different from being there, but I always come away appreciating the power of sports performance, and dreaming about what might have been.
And the Winter Olympics inspired you one year to have us ride Ride the Rockies that next year. What an incredible experience that was. Something I’d have never done had I not been invited by you. And without it I might never have had the courage to ride Cross Country.