STRICTLY OBSERVING: Going gold

By Zach Cooley

I am not a sports enthusiast.  My having cerebral palsy obviously prevents me from being the athletic type, but my lack of knowledge in the field would prohibit me where my disability would not.  In fact, I know as little about sports as probably anyone.  Nevertheless, every four years, I enjoy watching the Summer Olympics.  I can remember being 3 years old and watching the 24th Summer Olympiad in 1988 with my mom as it was televised around the world from Seoul, South Korea.  I always take pleasure in pulling for Team USA during every Olympic session. 
However, I was always particularly impressed with the Olympics, not just for the abilities of our American athletes as well as those around the world, but for the cultural impact and sense of worldwide unity they seem to exude.  I realize that my saying “worldwide unity” sounds cliché, but especially in the current times of war and terrorism, it is wonderful to see athletes from different countries giving each other a congratulatory hug after finishing a race.  Although it doesn’t happen after every event, when it does, I am reminded that even though we may be from different nations and cultures, we are all human beings who share a world that God gave to each of us.  It saddens me that it takes something as profound and momentous as the Olympics to provide us with such a reminder.
I appreciate every aspect of the Olympics from the athletic events to the opening ceremonies and even Olympic themed television commercials, which are a nice break from the ridiculous advertisements that typically grace the small screen.  During this year’s event, I got a personal kick out of the Coca Cola commercial whose announcer states, “If you’ve had a Coke during the last 80 years, you’ve had a hand in making someone’s Olympic dream come true.”  As I’ve told you before, my friends and family like to poke fun at me because of my extreme fondness for the soft drink.  The first time I saw the ad, I turned to Duck and jokingly said, “Well, I sent a couple of our guys to Beijing this year.”  I laughed even more when my mom, who was out of town when she first saw it, said “Zach must’ve financed the entire USA basketball team.”  I like watching the Visa credit card commercials, which highlight such Olympics moments as during the 1996 Atlantic games when Kerri Strug helped secure the gold for her USA gymnastics team by completing a vault on one foot after injuring her ankle.  Another of my favorites is a Nike ad promoting our Olympic basketball to the tune of our national anthem as performed by the late R&B icon, Marvin Gaye, at the 1984 NBA All-Star Game.  This performance is even more poignant, as it marks one of Gaye’s final pubic appearances, having occurred just months before his tragic murder.
The opening ceremony of this year’s games was probably the most elaborate of any such presentation I have ever seen.  From the beating of the 2008 Foi drums which signified the Olympic countdown, to the giant LED scroll that became the show’s main attraction, I was utterly astonished at the amount of precision and state of the art technology executed during this ceremony.  The program was also rich with elements of ancient Chinese custom and tradition, including the parade of 55 children dressed in traditional costumes signifying the many ethnic minorities of China during a performance of “Ode to the Motherland.”  British and Chinese pop stars, Sarah Brightman and Liu Huan also performed this year’s Olympic theme song, “You and Me.”  Finally, former Chinese Olympic gymnast, Li Ning, ignited the magnificent cauldron after literally walking on air.  A staggering 15,000 performers completed this ceremony for a capacity 91,000 live spectators, not counting the many millions of television viewers worldwide.
As the number eight represents prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture, the Olympics were set to begin on Aug. 8, 2008 at precisely 8 p.m.  Eight proved to be a lucky number during the athletic events as well, especially when it came to U.S. swimming superstar Michael Phelps.  Regardless of whether you’re a sports fan or not, I think all eyes were on the 23-year-old Baltimore native as he vied for eight gold medals, the most ever won at a single Olympics in history.  His last two races were the most nail-biting, particularly the 100 meter butterfly, which he won by 0.01 seconds.  Not only did he achieve the epitome of an American Olympic dream, by reaching his goal of eight for eight, Phelps also set seven world records to along the way and one Olympic record, now having more career gold medals than anyone ever.  I am proud of Phelps not only because of his achievements for our country, but especially for remaining humble despite his momentous success.  That was clearly no easy task, as the American broadcasters and commentators had Phelps winning the race before it had even begun.  I found that off-putting and was afraid it might jinx his potential victories.  However, his humility seemed to remain intact which makes him, in my opinion, a true American.
I want to mention another American swimmer who achieved unprecedented success by being the oldest woman in history to swim in the Olympics.  Despite her age, 41 year-old Dara Torres won three silver medals this year, having lost her individual race for gold by 0.01 seconds.  While I congratulate these and all our other American medallists this year, I hope we never lose sight of the sense of worldwide unity the Olympics always provide.  That’s what makes them so special.
A graduate of Wytheville Community College, Zach Cooley lives in Wytheville. Contact him at .