Vancouver 2010

I am so excited to be part of the Games once again! Thank you to Lauren Briel, my friend who has been working up these since summer and who helped me find a volunteer opportunity at Whistler, indoors. I leave Tuesday and will be there for a nice long stretch. I am excited to be part of the "back office" as the pressure for performance is quite different than those we might tune in to watch in the evenings. I learned in Greece in 2004, and I am reminded again now, the commitment one must have to be a participant at the Games. Of course, the metaphor isn't lost on me. In Athens, I was watching an event with another NBC employee. He said this about the athletes we just witnessed receive medals. "You don't *win* silver or bronze. You *lose* gold." This struck me and stayed with me for a long time. Chase the "gold." Don't lose out. Make the most and be the best. This is how I had interpreted it. What I have learned since then is that this might be an American ideal, one grounded in competition, supporting the old adage that people stop counting after number one, or losers don't keep score (kind of makes me think of that premature "Mission Accomplished" banner). But as I embark on my next step, I know it's the journey that's important. And if I knew then what I know now, I might have reminded him of the oath pledged by all Olympic Athletes: "In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams." The how is as important as the how much.