Passion Lives Here

I always get sad when watching the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics......they are taking down the Olympic flag right now. For the past 2 weeks I have filled my Tivo with all my favorite shows, which have taken a back seat to Torino. I love any excuse to cheer for the USA. As I'm watching this my family and I decided something......WILL ARE GOING TO VANCOUVER FOR THE 2010 WINTER GAMES. I want a ticket to the Opening Ceremonies and would like to see few events as well. Ideally it would be figure skating and USA hockey, but hells bells, I'll cheeron USA Curling, bobsleding, downhill skiing, anything that the USA is participating in.

There were so many great moments in these games I don't even know where to begin. Oh, I do, Chad Hedrick is not only a gold medalist for the USA, but the most beautiful man at the Games. Apollo Anton Ohno won the 500m, the gold medal winning snowboarded "The Flying Tomato", our silver medal in ice dancing, the list goes on. Sasha Cohen skating quite possibly the most beautiful programs I have ever seen (minus the 2 falls in the long program.) She gave me chills and made me want to grab my 3 size too small ice skates and find the closest rink.

I think more than anything I use the Olympics to mark milestones in my life. When I was only weeks old my mom lifted me out of my crib and brought me into their room so I could witness the "Miracle on Ice" as the USA hockey team beat Russia in the 1980 Lake Placid Games. I remember telling my parents after the 1988 games in Calgary that I wanted to be a figure skater like Katerina Witt.....sure enough I was practicing axels and toe loops in my living room for the Albertville and Lillehamer games in '92 and '94. It was so exciting having 2 winter games in 3 years! I like to gage how my life has improved/changed and look at the people who matter most to me and how much they actually change.

You know you've been in college too long when you see 3 Olympics go by! I remember watching the 1998 Nagano games in my dorm room and thinking to myself "I hope I don't drink myself to death and get kicked out of school before the Salt Lake games in 2002!" Luckily, I made it through and I can remember watching the Figure Skating long program with my boyfriend at the time at Buffalo Wild Wings in Athens, Ohio. We drank 32 oz glasses of Miller Lite and screamed and cheered for Michelle Kwan, Sarah Hughes and Sasha Cohen. I remember thinking as the the 2002 games came to an end "my god, where the hell will I be for the 2006 Torino games?"

And to be honest, if you would've told me I'd be watching the 2006 Olympics in my very own home and teaching and athletic training like I've always wanted to, I'd be pretty happy with that. What I wouldn't have guessed is that I'd be doing all of this alone. And here I am again, another Olympics gone by and I can't help but think to myself "where the hell will I be in 4 years for the 2010 games in Vancouver?"(hopefully physically there!!) I will be 30 years old. Will I still be living in this townhome? Will I still be teaching at the same school? Will I fall in love? Who is he? Where/when will I meet him? Will I be married? Will I have children? Obviously only time will tell and its amazing how time goes by in a flash. I'm sure before I know it will be time once again to raise the Olympic flag and I'll look back on this post and have a good laugh.

If my past Olympic memories have taught me anything, it's that my life has been moving forward in a positive direction. 1988, I wanted to figure skate, 4 years later I had a solo in the ice show and was on a national championship precision team. 2 years later, I was getting straight A's at one of Illinois' best high schools, 4 years later I was majoring in exactly what I wanted to at the college of my choice, 4 years later I was about to graduate with 2 bachelor degrees and a lifetime worth of fun college memories, and now 4 years later I'm all grown up, working my tail off and living life to the fullest. Am I doing it alone, yes, but I am an independant woman and until someone leaves me no choice but to marry them, I will continue to go it alone.

Most of my friends laugh at me when I tell them how much I love the Olympics and how I watch it for hours every day....but I don't care. It's about having a dream and going for it at all costs. While I'm not racing down a bobsled track at 80mph or doing 360's on a half pipe to win gold, I am reminded of my own hopes and dreams and that I should never give up on them....and neither should any of you who are actually still reading this. (note: I sound like Bob Costas in his Olympic farewell coverage!)

So be proud of our great American athletes, for we won 25 medals, only second to Germany...and now I can get back to my regularly scheduled programming!!!