For those who fall short

Have you been watching the Olympics? Though we're not big winter sports fans (we haven't been skiing or snow-shoeing here yet), we've been keeping tabs on the Games with a relatively high level of interest.

Not to sound pollyanna-ish (losing my cynicism...sounding like a pollyanna...OlyWa must be making me soft), but I think that the athletes that really deserve a medal are those who fall, then pick themselves up and keep going. I just can't get over the speed skaters and ice skaters who continue with their race or program after taking a tumble. How do they do it?

It's one thing to train like hell, then go out and race the best race of your life and win. Or even to race the best race of your life and lose. But to train your entire life for this big moment, then fall painfully short--just because it wasn't your day? Or you caught a cold a few days before the event? Or your skate got caught in another athlete's skate? What a blow. And then to have the camera on you as you finish, when you probably just want to be alone and scream into a pillow? Ugh. Seriously, there should be a medal.

A good friend of mine has a great story about doing her first triathalon. In the final leg of the race, she was literally in last place. But, she continued running, even as the sagwagon followed close behind her, announcing over the bullhorn: "Last runner! Pack it up! Last runner! Last runner!" Despite the constant, grating reminder of her last place status, she kept running (if memory serves, her then-boyfriend had at that point deserted as a spectator to have breakfast at McDonalds) and finished. No "DNF" for her.

Not only did she finish the race, but she tells the story to this day with great humor. I remember liking her even more as a friend when she recounted the experience.

Maybe it is pollyanna-ish. Or, maybe it is just the voice of someone who is always passed in the last .10mi of a race. Maybe it is a desire to be considered a victor even when you come in dead last.

Did you know that the 2010 Winter Olympics are in Vancouver? We are currently assessing the Games to determine which events we're going to try to attend. I say speed-skating, bobsled, luge; SMH says hockey. Interested? 2010 might be a good time for our friends to plan a trip to OlyWa...