BY JOELLEN COLLINS
Obsessively tuning in to Olympics coverage, whether in winter or summer, is not unfamiliar to someone like me. I followed track and field from my high school in Burbank and then Occidental College, which occasionally won a track meet against USC, a powerhouse. My boyfriend was a sprinter, and I was a bridesmaid in the wedding of Ron Morris, my schoolmate who went on to take the silver medal in pole vaulting in the Rome Olympics. He had managed to make the transition from a bamboo pole to the newest aluminum one.
I maintained that interest in viewing the Olympics, and recall how proud I was when Rafer Johnson, a friend from UCLA, carried the flag in the L.A. festivities.
Moving to Idaho, I learned about the athleticism of winter sports. I was never a good skier, but at least my falls stimulated respect for the superhuman abilities of friends, students and neighbors who were graceful and powerful skaters and skiers, conquering this slippery environment with the sense of balance, skill and devotion I never possessed in terms of physical challenges.
Stuck at home with the Omicron variant of COVID, I am watching lots of the current Games, and I admit to a broad smile when the USA team came in, with the same pride I always had as someone who grew up in the America I did with blinders to my country’s flaws. It is fun to root for someone: for example, I miss the thrill of watching UCLA succeed as it used to when I was young. I think being proud of our athletes is a positive activity. From my English teaching days, I know how hard they work.
This year, however, I am more aware of things in my beloved country, which may be tearing down the place of security I felt from my 20th-century upbringing. I recognize that the athletes from other countries marching in the opening ceremonies have also devoted their youth to a disciplined approach to their sport. Some have certainly achieved their successes in less hospitable environments than should be available for these young citizens of the world.
I am not saying that our amazing athletes from the USA don’t deserve every single cheer and accolade available for their efforts, character, and devotion to their sports, but I also feel a need to honor other athletes who have worked so diligently to be in the Olympics. I will still feel the lump in my throat for American winners, but I do notice that so many of the athletes there seem to honor rival competitors in their specialties. I cheer spectacular effort from whatever nation it has emanated. Athletes are humans who can succeed whether they are governed by tyrants or benevolent rulers.
We’ve just all been through a two-year marathon of intense emotions, including grief, fear, disappointment, and unexpected political rage. Maybe if we could dedicate similarly Olympian efforts to treating each other in positive ways we could be happy even with a bronze medal!