So, who is your champion? Your personal favorite. Jordan Wieber comes to mind. How easy would it have been for Wieber, a favorite to win the all-around gymnastics crown, to melt down when she didn't qualify for competition. Was she crushed in seeing her Olympic dreams fall apart? No doubt. But she held it together and proved throughout the team and individual portion of the Games, that she's a pretty terrific young lady. I'm sure she won the hearts of many viewers with the attitude she put forth.
Or perhaps there's someone else. Not just for the results they produced, but for the actions they displayed. Could it have been Gabby Douglas, or maybe LoLo Jones? Could it be Michael Phelps, the man with 22 Olympic swimming medals to his name....only 18 being Gold. Eighteen.....unbelievable!!! How about Oscar Pistorius the track and field man from South Africa? Oscar's story was a special one. After having both legs amputated before his 1st birthday, he could have given up on any Olympic dream he might have had. But not the case. I know, I know, he didn't win....but that's not the point. In my eyes, he's a champion. Not only did he compete at a high level, he was humbled by just being able to compete. That's an image I will always remember.
And then there are those who think it's all about them. Gifted athletes who think more of themselves than anyone else. Like ..Usain Bolt. He might be the best 100 and 200 meter track man of all-time. His records would certainly indicate that. But I don't care for his actions. Am I critical of a person who is confident in their abilities? Not in the least. Just not to that extent. The finger wagging and silencing gestures are a might much for me. In time, he will be humbled. Just like those before him....athletes like Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson.
When I think of a champion, here is my definition. Look under the name "Dan". Because this is what it's all about.
"At the 1994 Winter Olympics, held in Hamar, Norway, the name Dan took on a very special meaning.
At his first Olympics in 1984 as an eighteen year old, speedskater Dan Jansen finished fourth in the 500 meters, beaten for a bronze medal by only one hundredths of a second, and he finished sixteenth in the 1,000.
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| A Moment to Remember |
At his second Olympics in Calgary in 1988, on the morning he was to skate the 500 meters, he received a phone call from America. His twenty-seven year old sister, Jane, had been fighting leukemia for over a year. She was dying. Dan spoke to her over the phone, but she was too sick to say anything in return. Their brother, Mike, relayed Jane's message: She wanted Dan to race for her. Before Dan skated that afternoon, however, he received the news that Jane had died. When he took to the ice, perhaps he tried too hard for his sister. In the 500 meters, he slipped and fell in the first turn. He had never fallen before in a race. Four days later in the 1,000, he fell again, this time of all places, in the straightaway.
At his third Olympics in 1992, he was expected to win the 500 meters, where he had already set world records. For four years he had been regarded as the best sprinter in the world. But he had trouble in the final turn and he finished fourth. In the 1,000 he tied for twenty-sixth.
At his fourth Olympics in 1994, Dan again was expected to win the 500 meters, which was his specialty. Again tragedy struck. He didn't fall, but in the beginning of the final turn he fleetingly lost control of his left skate and put his hand down slowing him just enough to finish in eighth place. Afterward, he apologized to his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
He had one race left, the 1,000 meter. One more race and then he would retire. At the midway point of the race, the clock showed he was skating at a world record pace, and the crowd, including his wife and father, cheered. But with 200 meters to go, the hearts of the fans skipped a beat. Dan Jansen slipped. He didn't fall, but he slipped, touched his hand to the ice, regained control and kept skating. When Dan crossed the finish line, he looked at the scoreboard and saw WR beside his name-World Record. In his last race race, Dan had finally won the Gold Medal.
Later that day as he stood on the award stand, Dan looked heavenward and acknowledged his late sister, Jane. Dan was asked to skate a victory lap. The lights were turned out, and a single spotlight illuminated his last lap around the Olympic track, with a Gold Medal around his neck, roses in one arm and his baby daughter named Jane in his other arm.
In the closing ceremony of the 1994 Olympics, Dan was chosen to carry the U.S. Flag"
That year, our youngest child was born. It didn't take me long to suggest a middle name to my wife. It was unanimous. Daniel. In honor of Dan.....the man who truly depicts what a Champion is and what the word is about. That's my kind of Champion.
Thanks for reading,
John
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