All who compete in the Olympics are talented athletes. From every nation, every ethnic background, every religious affiliation these heroes of sport come to compete every four years and give us a glimpse of what hard work and dedication can accomplish. One man's performance stood out this year above most....Michael Phelps. Breaking a decades old record, this swimmer, this freak of physical nature, Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 overall medals and 18 (EIGHTEEN!) Gold Medals for his career. It is a feat which will not soon, if ever, be broken.
Four years ago in Beijing, Michael Phelps won 8 Gold Medals, the most of any Olympian in a single game. I was so impressed by this feat I wrote a "Pearl" about it for my grandchildren, making the point about passion. When all other things are equal, passion makes the difference....it did in 2008 and again in 2012. I have included it below and I hope you enjoy it.
Dearest Eliana and Gehrig, 8/16/08
Good morning, my sweethearts. Oh, I know, I just wrote you a few days ago
but the events of the past few days have me inspired to write again. In just your second year of life, the 2008
Beijing Olympics have captured the imagination of the world once again as it
does every four years. The drama and
excitement of the games is always high but this year there is the opportunity
for one participant to do something no one in the history of the games has ever
accomplished. Namely, to win eight Gold
Medals in one Olympics.
Built for power and speed in the water, Michael Phelps has
few, if any, equals in the sport. But
last night, when he won his seventh Gold Medal in a final 15 meter,
come-from-behind charge that saw him touch the wall just 1/100th of
a second ahead of Serbia’s Milorad Cavic, there was more than just physical
prowess involved. This brings me to my
next Pearl .
In any competition between two or more equally matched
opponents, passion is the difference.
You can see it on the faces of the winners. In these games, you could
see it on the face of Nastia Liukin, the 18 year-old from Parker, Texas , who took the
individual all-around gymnastics Gold Medal with a flawless floor
exercise. You see it on the faces of
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh as they methodically and passionately
dispatch team after team in beach volleyball.
Passion is an unmistakable intensity, a driving force and consuming love
for what they are doing. Add passion to
the mix of talent, preparation and opportunity and you have an unbeatable
mixture.
Passion makes the difference not only between winning and losing
in sport but in life as well. The people
who are the most successful in business, in their careers, whatever they may
be, in entertainment, in politics, in the practice of their faith and even in
love are passionate in their quests. So
whatever you do in your lives, little ones, do it with passion. You may not always win, but I promise you
will be happier for it. I am confident
we will see passion, once again, on the face of Michael Phelps as he strives
for his 8th medal tonight in the 4X100 meter relay. I am also confident his passion will be the
silver bullet that gets him the GOLD!
I love you, bunches and bunches.
Grandpa Jud
Grandpa Jud
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