Liquid Gold

When we were young, my friend Cindy and I played a lot of tennis ... and we dreamed a lot, too, of becoming famous tennis players and playing at Wimbledon. When we were young, my niece Sharon and I swam and dived until our skin was shriveled ... and we dreamed of swimming or diving in the Olympics. When we were young, my friends from Alpine Baptist Church and I worked together as a team to win several softball tournaments ... and we dreamed of going on to win a national competition. When I was young, sports were a huge part of my life, and though none of the dreams I mentioned came true, I wouldn't take anything for the times I spent playing tennis, swimming and diving, or being part of a softball team. Playing sports taught me many things, but perhaps the most important lesson I learned is one that has proven to be true over and over again in my adult life. Becoming a winner requires hard work, practice, determination, strength and faith ... let me say that again ... becoming a winner requires hard work, practice, determination, strength and faith.

As I'm sure many of you have, I've spent most of my evenings for the last week watching the Olympics. Even if it's a sport that I'm not the least bit interested in, such as table tennis or rowing, I am glued to the television ... there's just something mesmerizing about the Olympics. And as I watch, my minds slips back to years gone by ... the aroma of a freshly opened can of tennis balls, the coolness of the water in the pool, the smack of the bat against a softball. Perhaps because I once had dreams of being one myself, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the dedication of the athletes ... many of them have spent most of their lives preparing to compete on the world level, sacrificing so much to follow their dreams.

While I've watched many different events, I definitely have two favorites ... women's volleyball and swimming. The two United States women who are competing for the gold medal in volleyball are amazing ... married with children, older than many of the women they are playing against ... two women who never gave up on their dream. And swimming ... there have been several stars for the U.S. in that arena, but hands down, the big story is Michael Phelps. Whether you like the guy or not, he has achieved something that no other human in history ever has ... he's won more medals in the Olympics than have ever been won ... and he's my oldest son's age ... 28 years old. As I watched him swim in the relay race that garnered him his record-breaking medal, I jumped up on the ottoman in front of my couch and cheered as he churned through the water in the anchor position ... a position he had never swam before, by the way. Though watching Michael break a record that had stood for 48 years ... a record that won't be broken again in my lifetime ... while watching that young man do something no one had ever done before was captivating and moving, it was what he said when he was interviewed later that brought tears to my eyes as I listened and has been stuck in my mind since that night.

The world's most decorated athlete gave credit to his teammates who swam the first three legs of the relay race ... he acknowledged that the three men who went into the pool before him gave him a giant lead over the other teams, that they set him up to be able to earn the honor of becoming the person to win the most medals in Olympic history. I think Mr. Phelps understood that his breaking of a 48-year-old record was the result of a group effort, perhaps being even more significant considering that his performance in his first two solo swims was disappointing to say the least. The greatest swimmer of all time came in fourth in his first event ... fourth, friends, fourth. But it was the team event ... it was the efforts of all four men working together that helped him secure his place in history. And here's the thing ... people won't remember the names of the other three men on that team ... people won't talk about their great swimming prowess in that particular race ... people will remember and talk about Michael Phelps.

I'll leave you with this ... as I said earlier, Michael had never swam in the anchor leg of an Olympic relay. For all the races he's competed in, he was never the last man in the pool. I can't help but wonder if his placement as the final swimmer carried much more meaning than a simple strategy in an attempt for the United States team to win the race. I think it was about three other men wanting their friend to be able to touch the wall himself in the race that they knew would change his life forever. I think it was about respect and sacrifice and honor ... I think it was about helping their friend fulfill his dream.