UCD Gymnastics Club

The Olympic Games offer the world an opportunity to not only observe the full gamut of human emotions – live – without any artifice but also to witness some truly inspiring moments. It is possible that as individuals we may personally recall something that had a particular impact on ourselves. Some poignant moment that caught our imagination. However, many of the outstanding events that have occurred during the Olympics have been marked in our collective memories. Some highlights from past Games include watching the great Mohammed Ali battling Parkinsons and lighting the torch in 1996. Or the dramatic lighting of the torch in Barcelona where an archer sent an arrow soaring mightily across the stadium into a huge cauldron.

Or how about Nadia Comaneci in 1976 blithely tossing her compact little form higher and faster in gymnastics to earn a perfect 10? What excitement to see a performance unlike any other!

Then consider Berlin in 1936 and imagine the impact of Jesse Owens, who happened to be black, setting new world records and winning 4 gold medals and doing it in an atmosphere where ****** was expounding the superiority of his so-called Aryan race and refusing to acknowledge this great athlete.

What about the U.S. high jumper **** Fosbury who won gold in 1968 and did so with an entirely new and innovative technique – leaping off his outside foot, leading and clearing the bar with his head and following through with his back to the bar? Can you imagine the excitement at what this meant for future records? Since then all jumpers use the ‘Fosbury Flop”.

In 1984 Carl Lewis wins four gold medals in track and field to match Jesse Owens. Remember Mark Spitz and the image of seven gold medals around his neck for swimming? Bruce Jenner? Mary Lou Retton? Greg Louganis? Olga Korbut? All of these fine athletes demonstrating determination and discipline to go higher, faster and stronger and sometimes in the face of tough obstacles.

And with all of the successes we also are reminded of some of the near misses – the could have beens. We’ve watched as some marathoners barely staggered across the finish line due to some injury or weakness but determined nonetheless to see it through. We’ve seen powerful young men and women lose their one moment that can only come once every four years and weep uncontrollably. And we’ve seen gracious acceptance of un-forseen occurrence that makes some people stand out above the crowd.

Whatever drama awaits us in 2008 in Beijing it is sure to add something to the outstanding moments in Olympic history and perhaps enlighten us even more about ourselves and others.

By: Viv Smitheram

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