Like many Americans these past couple of weeks, I kept my NBC Olympics phone notifications on, my TV constantly on NBC or whatever channel I could find, and my eyes glued to what was happening in Rio. Sometimes, I even had multiple games on at a time due to my favorite events sometimes clashing; however, nothing stopped me from making sure I saw everything I needed to see this week in order to keep my fanatic self happy. Fortunately, I was able to watch my favorite events and even take back lessons from some of my favorite athletes, and even some unexpected new favorites, who participated in the games. Personally, I love being able to find new lessons to learn and knowing that through hard work and dedication, I can be my own Olympian in life.
1. A compatible team is everything
One team that really showed compatibility and trust in the Olympics this year was April Ross and Keri Walsh Jennings. Even though it's a team of two, the amount of trust and understanding between them is amazing. Playing on sand, and covering the amount of space that they have to in their matches requires effective communication, bold trust, and so much work and practice. Much like when one has a valuable life partner or a relationship that means the world to them, Ross and Jennings treat each other as equals and whether or not they are on the court or off, their value for one another is clear to see. These qualities are so vital in relationships that we pursue in life. Trust and communication are top aspects of relationships that allow for two people to have a long-lasting relationship of any kind. Compatibility comes from these aspects, and Ross and Jennings show just how important it is to have that unity within a team. In careers, in school, and in life, we will have to learn to get along with so many different types of people and some of those people will not seem to be compatible with us; however, we must learn that compatibility is taught and can be learned. Jennings and Ross have not always been partners, but they learned to trust well, and that spoke wonders.
2. Sportsmanship always shows
Win or lose, sportsmanship is everything. Winning isn't always a pretty thing, especially when the winners have a sorry attitude. Ego is good to have, but too much ego shows, and it's fairly ugly. While there are some teams who do not have great sportsmanship, most of the Olympic teams showed great sportsmanship throughout the entire week. One male gymnast competitor from Ukraine, Oleg Vernyayev, apologized for his team as there was some scratches and non-sportsmanship-like treatment to Switzerland in the competition. An act like this takes such a humbling attitude, as well as a big enough heart to care more about others than himself. Even when he lost his gold position by a slim number, he smiled and hugged the gold medalist, Uchimura, as he got his silver medal. Sometimes sportsmanship means being the bigger person, even if it seems difficult to do. So many others showed sportsmanship this week in Rio, and that just shows that even when life doesn't allow you to cut your losses, you have to keep your head up, your mind clear, and your heart in it to remember what's most important.
3. Smiling can make a difference
The US Women gymnastics team was absolutely phenomenal this year, and I was so impressed by the entire team as they won gold by a landslide; but, I was particularly drawn to one woman on the team: Laurie Hernandez. Every event she participated in, she was glowing from the inside out. She never wore anything but a smile on her face the entire time she competed, and that shows so beautifully on a TV screen. She was having the time of her life whether or not she was first on the charts. Her floor routine was one of my favorites, as even the announcers spoke on how every judge seemed to be smiling cheek-to-cheek throughout her performance. This little detail made such a difference, and in life it does the same. A smile can completely change someone's day and it can do so much more than we realize. Smiling in life, no matter what happens, shows strength and beauty, and those are two factors that everyone wishes to attain. So, smile as big as Laurie Hernandez and make life as beautiful as it can be. Life is not pretty sometimes and those days where it seems nothing matters, smile... because, a smile can change everything.
4. Resilience will always be beautiful
Injuries are common in the Olympics, but a certain brave gymnast tore his ACL during qualifications and still competed in order for his team to qualify in the next part of the competition. Male gymnast, Andreas Tobas from Germany, competed with his torn ACL on the pommel horse in order to secure Germany's spot in future events. The pain was clear to see on his face during the entire routine, but he did it regardless, knowing that getting his team to the next level was worth it all. Now taking this into consideration of life and its constant struggles, getting up from a fall and fighting through pain shows more resilience than anything else. I know from experience that life has a way of dealing really bad cards sometimes. But, even with that bad hand, there is beauty to be seen in the difficult. For me, beauty is defined by how one bounces back from the impossible, and Tobas certainly exemplified resilience in Rio. He is such a great example for us all as we know that life can be so difficult, and it can be a rough ride to the top of that mountain, but isn't that view from the top so worth the climb?
5. Statistics aren't permanent
In the Olympics, it seems the only things that matter are the points earned once the competition is ended. However, one certain Olympic team made it clear that they wanted to do the best they could, but they wanted to make sure they had fun while doing it. The US Women Gymnastics team made sure that they were having the best times of their lives and knew that even if doing their best wasn't going to get a gold, it was alright. I know that in life, sometimes we see succeeding and doing your best as one in the same, but we're wrong. If we do everything that we are capable of, then we succeeded. Being the best at something and relying only on what statistics can tell you are not ways to live. They're ways to survive. But we only live this life once, so do we want to survive life? Or, do we want to live it? Statistics always change; they change every single year, so have fun in life and be who you're meant to be. The US Women Gymnastics did exactly that, and I believe that's one of the main reasons why they came home with the gold.
6. If you dream it, you can do it
While watching the Olympics, sometimes the network did character stories and the reason behind some athletes getting into the Olympic games. A certain athlete, Kohei Uchimura, was one of the athletes featured in the character stories, and his story spoke volumes about how dreams can become realities. When he was younger, he used to draw himself doing gymnastic stunts and exercises. He wanted so badly to be able to exceed the impossible, so he created that goal and he continued to strive for that goal until he became the best all-around gymnast in the world. Dreams will continue to be only dreams unless you put power behind those thoughts. Uchimura knew that, and because he went for his dreams, he was able to live the dream and live the "impossible." Sometimes, we have to believe that the seemingly impossible is possible in order to reach our goals. Goals are meant to be accomplished and dreams are meant to be reality if we wish them to be. I know too many friends who have such capability to be great, and they let self-doubt tear them down. But, self-doubt will always be a hurdle in the way of our path; we just have to jump over it to reach our dreams.
7. Perseverance produces the greatest success
Perseverance is one of those traits that are talked about constantly, but very rare to see. Most people have no idea how to persevere in life because they've never tried. Perseverance stems from adversity and longing to overcome those troubles and prove to yourself that you are so much more than what people or media claim you to be. The face of perseverance in the Olympics was Michael Phelps. He had been a constant gold medalist until certain events knocked him off of his game, and with everything in his life seeming to crumble at that one point, he wanted to use this Olympics to prove to himself that he could do exactly what he knew he was capable of. He said himself that the time used to train before Rio was the hardest he had ever trained in his life, and that was because he had something to prove, and he proved it. So many times in life, we get knocked down by words and expectations of us, but we have to rely on ourselves in knowing that our worth is not defined in what other people and what media tell us we are. The only way to succeed in life is by being who we are meant to be, and sometimes that defies everything we thought we knew about ourselves. Phelps went out there and he got his gold medal, and the only way to get our gold medal in life is to preserve through everything, even the storms and droughts.
