Aug 9, 2016 3 min read

Have you caught the Olympic spirit yet?

The 2016 Summer Olympics kicked off in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this past weekend and I have been watching bits and pieces of rowing, swimming, gymnastics and even water polo on television whenever I can.

I find the Olympics mesmerizing and irresistible – the drama of the competition, the amazing finishes and all of the incredible hard work the athletes put in for four long years for the chance at one shining moment. I always enjoy watching the opening ceremonies, learning about the host country’s culture and wondering what method they will dream up for lighting the Olympic cauldron. I think my favorite was the Barcelona games in 1992 when an archer lit the cauldron by shooting a flaming arrow.

I guess my Olympic obsession began back in the 1970s with gymnast Olga Korbut and continued with Nadia Comaneci scoring perfect 10s. They inspired me to think I could do that, too, so I signed up for gymnastics and loved it. However, I soon realized I would not be going for the gold because I was too afraid to throw myself backward blindly. That same fear also erased the idea of competing in diving. I was on swim team as a kid and got sick to my stomach before every meet because I was so nervous about competing. Now, watching Michael Phelps race leads me back into the water every four years to swim laps and imagine I am vying for my 23rd Olympic medal. I have always been a strong swimmer, but I am just not a fast swimmer (I blame that on being short).

Alpine skiing is the one Olympic sport I was built to do, and I love to ski fast. If I had to choose one Olympic event to compete in, it would be the insanely fast and dangerous downhill race. Then again, when my smartphone ski app clocked my speed once at nearly 60 mph for a split second (racing with my buddies), I realized just how crazy it is that those racers go 70 mph on skis for three whole minutes. Not doing that anytime soon, thank you very much.

So I will be content to watch the Olympians achieve greatness and accept that I will never be one of them. I am happy that the athletes inspire me to get up and move or swim or ski or walk my 10,000 steps per day. They make me appreciate the fun of sports, the remarkable ability of the human body and what feats it can accomplish and the camaraderie of sportsmanship.

The Olympic motto is, “Faster, higher, stronger,” and that’s a pretty good motto for all of us when it comes to motivation at the gym. After watching those opening ceremonies in Rio, I’m also thinking I might want to learn how to samba.

Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.