The Gold Standard

According to Google AI Overview,  the spirit of the Olympics is a set of values and ideals that aim to build a more peaceful world through sport, education, and mutual understanding. The Olympic spirit encourages athletes and spectators to:

• Compete with resolve
• Respect their competitors
• Practice fair play
• Promote tolerance

Worthy goals, I must say.

In the past few weeks, people from all over the world have been watching Olympic competitions from Paris 2024. Now that the games have ended, as athletes head back home, shining their medals, congratulating their peers, or licking their wounds, there are two burning questions on the tips of TV viewers’ tongues. First: What are we going to watch now? Don't know, can't help you there. And second, and most importantly: Tell us, Gwen, have you ever been to the Olympics?

If I answered No, I have not, then this would be a very short post. So, I will, instead, give you the long answer. Gwen’s Experience With the Olympics:

I have never been to an Olympic competition, but I’ve come about as close to attending an Olympic event as you can, without actually doing it.

In 1996, Atlanta, Georgia hosted the Summer Olympics. We live in an Atlanta suburb, so, the sporting events were being held, basically, in our city, about a 45 minute drive from our house. At the time, we had lived in Georgia for only a few years, and we were excited to welcome the world to our lovely corner of the planet. But, things didn't go exactly as planned.

For months leading up to the 1996 summer games, we kept ourselves informed about upcoming events. We entered lotteries to try to secure tickets to some exciting competitions. We purchased tickets for a few sports. We listened to daily updates, enjoyed the hype, and anxiously looked forward to all the happenings. We helped out-of-town friends with their travel arrangements. We bought merchandise. As far as the Olympics went, we were all in. We were looking forward to welcoming all the participants and fans, and to showcasing our city on the world stage.

When the landmark event arrived in Atlanta, however, there were some problems. Most notably, was a heinous bombing orchestrated by Eric Rudolf at an outdoor evening concert at the Olympic Fountains, where two lives were tragically lost and many people were injured.  Another problem affected the press, as transportation breakdowns created havoc among the journalists and photographers. That group made sure to let everyone in the world know about the inconveniences they faced. There were also errors in computer systems that interrupted data transfer, and a few other snafus within the infrastructure. Turns out, stubborn southern pride had bitten us in the rear, because local Olympics organizers had rejected tried and true Olympic host city software programming support and other tools, thinking their team of IBM savvy experts could build a better machine. We got this. Apparently, they didn’t have it, and needed a bit more testing to work the bugs out of their shiny new systems before they were rolled out for all of humanity to see. Live and learn, I guess.

Be that as it may, despite a horrible tragedy, a less-than-perfect configuration of underlying support systems, and grumblings from the press, by all accounts, the athletes were satisfied with the games. And there were many memorable moments. One being Mohammad Ali overcoming the limitations of his Parkinson's disease by raising his arm to light the flame in the Olympic Cauldron during Opening Ceremonies. Magic, just magic. All the fans who attended the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics agreed that the games were great, and they had a wonderful time. Of course, I wouldn't know. I didn't go.

I was 7 months pregnant in July of 1996. A week or two before the Opening Ceremonies, I went into early labor. Medication and Bed Rest, the doctor prescribed. When the Olympic Games rolled around, my husband, other friends, and even my 6 year old son took the tickets we had purchased, leaving me behind. They went to the core of the Olympic happenings, watched Volleyball competitions and Track & Field finals.  I laid on the sofa and watched the games on TV. Talk about a bummer.

Here are pics that my husband took at various events during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Volleyball; Track and Field Men racing; and, looks like the results of Women's 4x100 relay, via flags: US Gold, Bahama Silver, Jamaica Bronze.

While I missed my chance to see Olympic competitions in my own backyard, I did get a chance to see the next best thing. In early 2020, before the pandemic brought the world to a screeching halt, the US Olympic Marathon Trials were held in Atlanta. Qualified runners from all over the country would race to determine who would represent the US on the Olympic Marathon team for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Not me, but several people in my family have been avid runners, so we joined a gang of running buddies to go into downtown Atlanta to watch the trials. I wasn't expecting much, as I've attended numerous races, high school, college, and community. I know that once the runners pass by, then they are, like, gone. Not much to see there.

But, I was more than impressed with the setup and execution of these trials. The running routes over the 26.2 mile (42.195km) marathon course had been zigzagged back and forth so that runners were constantly approaching our vantage point. It was fun to see the lead changes as the groups reentered our field of view again and again. The women's & men's races were staggered, but run simultaneously enough that we were treated to seeing both races at the same time. We laughed along with the small group of athletes who were chatting as they plodded along at the back of the women's race-- very pregnant women who jogged/walked slowly. I'm sure they qualified for the trials long before their bellies grew so big, and, even though they weren't competitive, they didn't want to miss their opportunity to participate. Sure is a lot of talk about pregnant women in this post.

Besides the 700-or-so runners and all the spectators, the streets were filled with officials, camera crews, reporters, and all kinds of Olympic hoopla. It was a very festive atmosphere. We had a great time hanging around watching the whole event. We saw the top 3 men and top 3 women who would go on to form the US Olympic Marathon teams which competed in Tokyo’s 2020 Summer Olympics. Marathon Runner Molly Seidel later took home the Bronze medal for the US in those games. During the trials, we were amazed to see the speed of the fastest runners. For those who were much slower, we initially shook our heads dismissively. Then, we reminded ourselves that these people were the fastest distance runners in the country. Those slower guys in the back would absolutely smoke any of us* if we faced them head to head. Reality check there. All of those marathon contenders were the Real Deal. (us*= any of the people who were actual runners among our group. I would be the slowest of slow, because I DON'T RUN.)

I can’t let this one detail go without commenting on it. Why is a marathon race such an odd distance? Why 26.2 miles, which is 42.195km?  According to a plethora of research sources, for many many years, marathon distances varied, depending on where a race was being held. There are some conflicting stories on who decided what, but all agree that the marathon race for the 1908 London Summer Olympics was set as 42.195km, the distance from Windsor Castle to White City Stadium, including a final lap around the track. Thereafter, the marathon distance continued to be set by the host city.  But, in 1924, the International Olympic Committee decided to adopt the 1908 London race length as the approved distance for all future Olympic Marathons, and the standard was set. Those Brits have a lot of influence in the world.

Photos from the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta.

Would I like to see the Olympics in person? Maybe. One of my daughters is already plotting for a trip to Los Angeles, California for the 2028 Summer Olympics. Interestingly, she is the baby who was itching to get out of my belly during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She was trying to get there 28 years ago. I guess she REALLY REALLY wants to go see the Olympic games. By the way, back in 1996, my cautious behavior assured that she hung on full term, to be born very close to her original due date, 10 fingers and 10 toes, healthy as a horse.

Attending the Olympics is a commendable bucket-list item. It’s not at the very top of my list, but it would be an awesome experience. Especially since I was thiiiiiis close to doing it before. We’ll see. I still have a few years to make a decision on that. 

In the meantime, I will set my own Gold Standard and promote the ideals and spirit of the Olympic Games. To paraphrase: do my best in all that I attempt, respect people, play fair, and aim for tolerance, understanding, and compassion in my dealings with others. There. That should do.