Yesterday, after the professional Russian hockey players beat the professional Czech hockey players (and before the professional U.S. hockey players beat the professional Canadian hockey players), NBC aired a terrific segment about the 1980 U.S. amateur hockey team that, against all odds, defeated the unbeatable Russian national team and went on to win the gold medal. It was such a moving moment in sports history that I wish I'd been old enough to have any level of understanding, reasoning or memory. Alas, I was probably napping when it happened, but I did eventually see Miracle.
Seeing the nation rally behind a team of virtually unknown but amazingly talented athletes led me to the conclusion that by continuing to allow professional athletes to compete in the Olympic games, we are ensuring that there will never again be any Miracle on Ice moments. And aren't those moments that the Olympics should be about?
The Olympic games should be a chance for the little guys to show off the athleticism and skill that they practice tirelessly day-in and day-out. Those athletes shouldn't be relegated to sitting at home eating pizza and wishing for their chance. The Olympic Games are their stage. What message are we sending when we tell our up-and-coming athletes to ride the pine while we send in the professionals to take care of business and appease the greedy political machines.
A fan of professional sports (the NBA excluded), I understand the ferocity of the American competitive spirit. I love sports and wouldn't trade our freedom of professional sporting for anything, but would it be unimaginably painful to gate check our egos and put the popularity contest on hold for a couple of weeks every few years to give anonymous talent its chance to shine?
Selecting the best of our professional athletes to make up the "national teams" does nothing to ignite the national spirit that is the basis of the Games. It doesn't demonstrate our unity through diversity nor does it showcase our faith in the future of this country. All it does is prove that we're good at keeping statistics, that we can create a roster of professional athletes who have the best ones, and that we're too arrogant, lazy, disinterested, [insert your own adjective here] to look any further. We are missing the forest.
Have you ever attended a high school basketball game? College hockey? Heck, intramural volleyball? You'd be hard pressed to find more heart in someone who earns millions of dollars a year for lacing up his shoes and waving to the crowd than in a teenager who's standing at the plate hearing his hometown cheering in the stands.
Call me crazy, but when it comes to the team I want to see representing my country and me in a world-wide competition, I want to see real people who are like me (but without all of the insecurity and ADD and with more dedication). I don't want to see paid celebrities that I can see every night on ESPN or Dancing with the Stars. I'm talking the Jerry Rice's and Emmitt Smith's here, not the Shawn Johnson's and Apolo Ohno's, whose Olympian status was the reason they were on the show.
I may be on my own, but I would much rather watch a team with a heart full of pride and promise lose than a humdrum "team that can't lose" take the gold Olympiad after Olympiad after Olympiad. That sounds dull and opposite to the Olympic Creed:
"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."
If not during the Olympics, when will the passionately hopeful have their moment?
In the meantime: Go USA!
You know what? While I'm at it: Go Moldova!
February 22, 2010
February 7, 2010
The River City: Summarized
Richmond’s origins stretch back to 1609 when English settlers from Jamestown decided to get outta dodge. In 1780, the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia was moved from Williamsburg to Richmond, and it remains the capital to this day. Often referred to as The River City, Richmond is built on the shores of the James River, which is the 12th largest river in the U.S. that is in a single state.
In 1781, Benedict Arnold commanded that the Richmond be burned to the ground but by 1782, Richmond had risen from the ashes and has managed to thrive without a repeat of that disaster, thanks to the James and Richmond’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
Located in the center of the state, Richmond has, depending on traffic, relatively easy access to Virginia Beach, Washington, DC and whatever is located on the North Carolina border. Rightly considered to be a southern state, Virginia is still far enough north to offer both the pleasantries and the un-pleasantries of all four seasons. Summers, however, are hotter and often reach into the 90s while winters are mild wherein ice is prevalent and snow is rare—unless it’s 2010 and I feel like I’m living in Erie again. My snow brush is thrilled, though, as it’s usually stuck in the closet year after year. Richmond also sees the occasional hurricane.
This is a city rank with history. In 1775, in support of the American Revolution, Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Give Me Liberty or … Death” speech in the city’s St. John’s Church. As fate would have it, Henry saw both of his demands met as Americans defeated the British and became independent in 1783, and then in 1799 he died of stomach cancer. Forty years later, the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) was founded.
MCV is now the medical campus of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), which is located downtown and joins Virginia Union University and The University of Richmond as the city’s biggest schools where thousands of students study each year. Some study to be doctors, some study to be lawyers, teachers or writers. Still others go on to attain degrees in travel and tourism, which makes it fortunate that Richmond has so much to offer in the lines of tourism. From the Edgar Allan Poe Museum to the Holywood Cemetery, Landmark Theatre and the Fan District, there’s something for tourists of all interests. Dining, nightlife and culture are abundant in Richmond as long as you don’t go too far east.
When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Richmond was elected the Capital of the Confederacy. In 1907, Monument Avenue, a popular west to far-enough-east thoroughfare, was designed to honor local Confederate heroes including J.E.B Stuart, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis. (Of these, Stonewall Jackson was the only one who didn’t survive the War.) Years later and amidst heated controversy, a statue of tennis great Arthur Ashe was commissioned and seemingly put an end to the commissioning of Monument Avenue statues.
Speaking of sports heroes, Richmond features no professional sporting teams. However, amateurs are welcome. The Richmond Renegades hockey team no longer exists, and there was an indoor football team here for a while, but they didn’t last long. Baseball is the local pastime of choice and the city recently lost our beloved Richmond Braves. They are being replaced this spring by the Richmond Flying Squirrels – a name that will inevitably inspire incapacitating fear in their opponents. Richmond International Raceway is a popular destination at least twice a year when NASCAR comes to town. Indy Racing also draws a smaller crowd, but either way traffic on race day is always impossible.
To get here, book your flight to RIC or make your way east to Washington, DC and head due south on Interstate 95. Don’t take the first I-295 exit because it bypasses the city and you’ll end up in Charlottesville, and it’ll take you at least an hour to get back. Lesson learned.
Bring your family, dress in layers and enjoy all that Richmond has to offer!
In 1781, Benedict Arnold commanded that the Richmond be burned to the ground but by 1782, Richmond had risen from the ashes and has managed to thrive without a repeat of that disaster, thanks to the James and Richmond’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
Located in the center of the state, Richmond has, depending on traffic, relatively easy access to Virginia Beach, Washington, DC and whatever is located on the North Carolina border. Rightly considered to be a southern state, Virginia is still far enough north to offer both the pleasantries and the un-pleasantries of all four seasons. Summers, however, are hotter and often reach into the 90s while winters are mild wherein ice is prevalent and snow is rare—unless it’s 2010 and I feel like I’m living in Erie again. My snow brush is thrilled, though, as it’s usually stuck in the closet year after year. Richmond also sees the occasional hurricane.
This is a city rank with history. In 1775, in support of the American Revolution, Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Give Me Liberty or … Death” speech in the city’s St. John’s Church. As fate would have it, Henry saw both of his demands met as Americans defeated the British and became independent in 1783, and then in 1799 he died of stomach cancer. Forty years later, the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) was founded.
MCV is now the medical campus of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), which is located downtown and joins Virginia Union University and The University of Richmond as the city’s biggest schools where thousands of students study each year. Some study to be doctors, some study to be lawyers, teachers or writers. Still others go on to attain degrees in travel and tourism, which makes it fortunate that Richmond has so much to offer in the lines of tourism. From the Edgar Allan Poe Museum to the Holywood Cemetery, Landmark Theatre and the Fan District, there’s something for tourists of all interests. Dining, nightlife and culture are abundant in Richmond as long as you don’t go too far east.
When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Richmond was elected the Capital of the Confederacy. In 1907, Monument Avenue, a popular west to far-enough-east thoroughfare, was designed to honor local Confederate heroes including J.E.B Stuart, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis. (Of these, Stonewall Jackson was the only one who didn’t survive the War.) Years later and amidst heated controversy, a statue of tennis great Arthur Ashe was commissioned and seemingly put an end to the commissioning of Monument Avenue statues.
Speaking of sports heroes, Richmond features no professional sporting teams. However, amateurs are welcome. The Richmond Renegades hockey team no longer exists, and there was an indoor football team here for a while, but they didn’t last long. Baseball is the local pastime of choice and the city recently lost our beloved Richmond Braves. They are being replaced this spring by the Richmond Flying Squirrels – a name that will inevitably inspire incapacitating fear in their opponents. Richmond International Raceway is a popular destination at least twice a year when NASCAR comes to town. Indy Racing also draws a smaller crowd, but either way traffic on race day is always impossible.
To get here, book your flight to RIC or make your way east to Washington, DC and head due south on Interstate 95. Don’t take the first I-295 exit because it bypasses the city and you’ll end up in Charlottesville, and it’ll take you at least an hour to get back. Lesson learned.
Bring your family, dress in layers and enjoy all that Richmond has to offer!
February 2, 2010
Ain't that a hole in the boat
So. Life, right?
Oof.
Yesterday I remembered that I used to keep a fairly regular blog.
Last night I reread most of its nonsense and was impressed to find that I still understand most of the inside jokes.
This morning I decided that I needed a new writing project.
This afternoon I received a notebook in the mail from my cousin Maggie. As part of her school project, I'm to fill a couple of pages with info about the city and state in which I live.
Tonight I will write the best essay about Richmond, Virginia that the world has ever seen.
Tomorrow-ish you will agree with me.
The day after that I'll send the notebook to one of you so you can play, too. Aaron.
Ha!
Does anyone know anyone who lives in Tennessee?
Oof.
Yesterday I remembered that I used to keep a fairly regular blog.
Last night I reread most of its nonsense and was impressed to find that I still understand most of the inside jokes.
This morning I decided that I needed a new writing project.
This afternoon I received a notebook in the mail from my cousin Maggie. As part of her school project, I'm to fill a couple of pages with info about the city and state in which I live.
Tonight I will write the best essay about Richmond, Virginia that the world has ever seen.
Tomorrow-ish you will agree with me.
The day after that I'll send the notebook to one of you so you can play, too. Aaron.
Ha!
Does anyone know anyone who lives in Tennessee?
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