Day 2 in Beijing
August 9th, 2008
What an Opening Ceremonies!! The choreography, music
and imagery celebrating China and how the Olympics
brings the world together was incredible. The
costumes, dancing, drums and all the gravity defying
stunts and special effects was very cool! The
lighting of the torch was very creative and
satisfying.
Of course, I always love the Parade of Nations.
I thought the USA looked very good in their outfits.
(Which country was your favorite outfit?)
Yet I’m always curious as to who will carry the flag
for the USA. The team captains of each sport get
together and vote to see who among the athletes would
receive this incredible honor to represent our great
country. I know a little bit about the feeling of
pride felt by this athlete, as I had the privilege of
carrying the flag at the opening ceremony of the World
University Games in 1995. Though it is a wonderful
honor for the Olympian, the selection of this “chosen
one” also makes a statement about us as Americans and our
values.
This year the athletes chose a new member of the team.
Lopez Lomong is a 1500 meter runner and a brand-new
American citizen who was fortunate enough to come to
America as a foster child from a war-ravaged country
in Africa. He was one of the “lost boys of Sudan ”.
He and his family were separated by the civil war, and
then he was finally adopted by an American family.
Lopez carrying the flag is an important statement that
all people are valuable and worthy of freedom and
dignity. He reminds us that the USA is a nation of
immigrants who assimilate and aspire to a greater
good. We are a country where anyone can come and
dream and work and reach his or her potential. That’s
why I love America…because we’re free! Free to be
great and be compensated for that greatness. Even
more important, however, true freedom is the ability
to do the right thing when you want to do it,
regardless of what anyone else is doing around you.
What is your definition of your freedom?
Another important part of the Opening Ceremonies is
the Olympic Oath. The Oath says:
In the name of all the competitors I promise that we
shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting
and abiding by the rules which govern them, committing
ourselves to a sport without doping and without
drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the
glory of sport and the honor of our teams.
Long before I became an Olympian I made the decision
that I would not smoke or do drugs or cheat. Have you
made that same commitment? Have you committed
yourself, like an Olympian, to respect the rules of
your family? Do you make decisions that honor your
family, team, school and country? Are you free to
“Live Olympic!”
Well, today begins many sports which includes my
personal favorite, swimming. It is one of the major
sports that has been in every modern Olympic Games.
In the beginning only freestyle and breaststroke were
used for competition. During the 1904 Games in St.
Louis, backstroke was included. It wasn’t until the
1940’s that butterfly was added to the list. Now men
and women compete in 16 different races over the
course of the next 8 days except the one distance race
(800 for women and 1500 for men).
Other events to look for are cycling(do you like to
ride your bike?), weightlifting, Judo, diving,
shooting, and fencing. (Be sure not to practice Judo
and fencing on your little brothers and sisters:)
When I am driving around Beijing or watching on tv you
always see the Olympic Host Emblem. The official
emblem is called the Chinese Seal-Dancing. I would
call it the Spaghetti man winning the race. The
figure represents the Chinese character ‘Jing’, which
stands for the name of the host city and resembles a
Chinese symbol for strength, commitment, trust and
self-confidence. The Emblem artwork embodies the
four messages: Chinese culture, color of red China,
Beijing welcomes friends from all over the world and
to challenge the extreme and achieve your best and
promote the Olympic Motto of “Citius, Altius,
Fortius”, (Faster, Higher, Stronger)
I will close with a saying that originated in China:
Gung-ho! It’s an adjective that means enthusiastic.
I hope you are ‘gung-ho’ about SWIMMNG!
See you tomorrow!
