The Spirit of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing

Many people love sports. This is true at all levels of athletic competition from Little League baseball to high school football to college basketball to various forms of professional sports. It is also true that many people also abhor certain aspects of sports. The world of sports has mega-stars who voluntarily or not become role models for young people. From time to time the world of sports is riddled with scandals, strikes, the use of performance-enhancing drugs, excessive salaries, and the flamboyant spotlight of the mass media. Despite these facts of life, we continue to care about sports. We can be glued to the TV screen, cheering or jeering our favorite team. We are fascinated with statistics and records. We often view athletic competition as a metaphor for real life. But is it?

The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat
The popular tag line says it all: “The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat.” There are many other axioms that boast about the compelling attraction of sports. These axioms often parallel the nature of athletic competition with real life. For instance, Never stop trying – You have to be good to be lucky – Push yourself to the limits – Discipline and sacrifice make me a better person –If you are on the road that has no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere – Tunnel vision is required to be Number 1.

Indeed, truisms such as these provide us with a glimpse of heroism and “going the distance.” They also encourage us to think outside the box; the human body and spirit can achieve extraordinary accomplishments in athletic competition. Hall of Fame baseball player Yogi Berra has a knack for thinking outside the box. One of his most philosophical quips reminds us the there are many odd ways of looking at the world of sports, “It ain’t over til it’s over.”

What Is the Olympic Spirit?
We hear the unforgettable words that fuel the Olympic Spirit. Words like “Higher – Faster - Stronger” or “Friendship - Honor - Glory - Peace - Fair Play.” After all, the Olympic Spirit symbolizes peace between countries and the unselfish expression of fair play in sports. The Olympics have a world stage that clamors for a better world and a brighter future. This is not a naïve hope for utopia. We see the dream come alive when gifted athletes perform with astonishing skill in their specific events. We also see the dream come alive when athletes demonstrate to the world what it means to be a person of integrity, heroism, and compassion. We see many specific examples of how athletes in the 2008 Summer Olympics display these qualities to the world. They truly are role models of the Olympic Spirit.

Role Models of the Winter Olympics: Passion Lives Here
The dream to win a Gold Medal is a compelling dream. It is not a pipe dream. It is reinforced with months and years of training, with financial sacrifices, and with a long list of injuries and setbacks. Yet, the dream persists even though it can be dashed in minutes—even seconds. It is in both cases that we see the Olympic Spirit alive and well. Even before the Olympics, we can see the spirit alive and well in those on the road to Beijing.

Dara Torres, a forty-one-year-old mother and winner of nine Olympic medals, will return to Olympic competition in Beijing after a seven year hiatus from competition. For Torres, participating in her fifth Olympics is more than a personal dream. As a mother, she wants to prove to her daughter, all women, and all of us that dreams have no age limits.

Now 18-years-old, Taylor Phinney was born to cycling icons, Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter. Phinney will be competing in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing partly because of the cycling talent he inherited from his parents. But Phinney’s motivation comes from witnessing his father’s daily struggle with Parkinson ’s disease. Davis Phinney says that Taylor has seen what he had and lost and that Taylor doesn’t want to squander his abundant gifts.

What Difference Does This Make in My Life?
1. What are some positive things we can learn from the world of sports? What are some of the negative things that the world of sports needs to reform?
2. What are some of your favorite sports? Do you participate in them? What have you learned about yourself because of the life lessons these sports teach you?
3. Who are some of your favorite heroes in sports? Explain.
4. Is the world of sports a metaphor for real life? Explain.
5. What are some sports axioms that tell us something about fair play, excellence, and arduous training?
6. Do you consider the world of sports out of control? Explain.
7. What do you find most fascinating about the 2008 Summer Olympic Games?
8. What is the Olympic Spirit? Is it a naïve dream of utopia?
9. What are some examples of friendship, fair play, honor, glory, and peace that you find in grade school/high school/college/Olympics/professional sports?
10. What are some qualities you look for in a sports hero and role model? Which Olympic athletes exemplify the Olympic Spirit?
11. Does this statement apply to athletes alone or to everyone? “The burden and blessing of being human is that we are born with a longing to be more than we are, to fly far above the earth and reach the stars. Deep down, all of us desire to escape the narrow confines of our life and soar to something better.”
12. Closing Reflection: Read and discuss I Corinthians 9: 24-27. What does Paul mean when he exhorts us “to run the race to win”? What does it mean to be disciplined in every way?” What does it mean to win an “imperishable crown”? Is Paul only referring to runners in a race or to life in general? Compare this statement to the underlying message of I Corinthians 9:24-27. What are some similarities and dissimilarities?

Connecting to Faith First® Legacy Edition
Theme: The Gift of Peace
Kindergarten, chapter 19
Grade 1, chapter 13
Grade 2, chapter 14
Grade 3, chapter 18
Grade 4, chapter 19
Grade 5, chapter 18
Grade 6, chapter 22
Junior High, Mystery of God, chapter 12
Junior High, Church and Sacraments, chapter 7
Junior High, Morality: Life in Christ, chapter 9
Junior High, Jesus in the New Testament, chapter 10

Connecting to Faith First® Original Edition
Theme: We Talk with God
Kindergarten, chapter 19
Grade 1, chapter 13
Grade 2, chapter 14
Grade 3, chapter 18
Grade 4, chapter 19
Grade 5, chapter 19
Grade 6, chapter 22
Junior High: Liturgy and Morality, chapter 24
Junior High: Creed and Prayer, chapter 18