Do you have a Gold Medalist moment?…

We all do. What’s yours?

Today is the opening ceremony for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. So,…

If your were competing in the Olympics, in which event would you win gold?

What! (Who me? You’re asking me?)… I would seriously win the gold for sleeping (The Long Sleep would be the category!).

Surprisingly enough (or maybe not that surprising), there are a lot of families participating in (or extensive family support throughout) these 2008 Olympics in Beijing. I believe (especially if it’s feasible) that there are plenty of memorable times that can be made even more special when there is family involved.

What special times can you remember (maybe long time ago or just today) that involved you and a family member? And you know what?… It can be big or small, sports related or not. What matters is that it was special to you!

Man… I’m sitting here thinking how to even begin this story. Just when you think you’ve seen or heard an amazing story, another one just crashes through. And, no matter what your stance is on this story, you’ll have to give this guy his propers (Bigups!) for such a passionate display.

This 24-year-old guy, Eric Shanteau, competed in the Olympic swimming trials, coming in at second place. With his finishing time, he was able to grab a spot on the 2008 Olympic swimming team. A once in a life time event being held in Beijing, Shanteau was presented with a choice (or maybe he didn’t think of it as a choice at all). He was diagnosed with testicular cancer a week prior to the trials and with this news, this champion decided to continue his quest for gold and go on to Beijing (Wow, right?).

Shanteau will have to face surgery, but it will happen after he comes back home. Maintaining that he’s not being naïve about the matter, Shanteau is having doctors monitor him closely during his time away. Apparently, his feelings are that the Olympics may be his once in a lifetime experience and he doesn’t want to miss out on that…

A courageous one indeed, what is your stance on Shanteau’s decision and have you ever found yourself in a once in a lifetime situation (It doesn’t have to be sports related.)?

Our everyday heroes (police officers, firemen, soldiers) know the impending danger that they face each and every day. For this reason, they usually (and for good cause) have good insurance packages for their loved ones who are left behind. This package can often time be viewed as an incentive for committing to this dangerous career path.

Now, this same reasoning can be applied to sports… Let’s specifically apply it to football. I’m sure we can all agree that along with being entertaining and nail biting at times, football can be dangerous. But (And this is a big but!), professional football players have something called “ridiculous” guaranteed money (I added “ridiculous”) that seems to make it all worth their while. The downfall of this lucrative deal is that they can be released from their team at any time (But 30 million dollars guaranteed money can make that release a little less painful-uh, yeah.)…

So, do you think the guaranteed cha-ching is worth the potential danger or injury (both short- and long-term) that may incur?

Okay, this story is totally out of the “professional athlete” norm for WTAC, but darling enough to dedicate a post to.

Nutshell… this small boy, Kyle, is a golf prodigy and (to him) he has the best caddy in the whole world-his dad. Crazy twist… Kyle is currently (and hopefully forever) a survivor of cancer and his dad is due to leave for his first of two tours to Iraq.

I saw this story while taking in my daily dose of ESPN (I’m telling you, you have to check this station out!) and I was just taken by this little person who had already endured so much and found (in his own little way) solace in this simple (yet complex) game. Kyle, at age 5, completely understands the danger that awaits his dad and yet his tiny smile shows such gratitude of the “now” time that he has with his dad.

What a fighter and victor… he’s beaten cancer, he’s resolved on his father’s return from Iraq, and (of course) he’s beaten guys three times his age on the green.

By the way… (cutest thing!) Kyle intends to keep playing while his fave caddy is away and in the meantime his mom will be the acting caddy (Yeah, Kyle isn’t too thrilled with his caddy mom, but will take his chances!). Moms can do it all… right Moms??

Just wondering… Have you ever made a decision to leave a situation (you just knew you were on the right track) and for one reason or another you later found yourself wanting back in?

Brett Favre

Recently retired NFL Green Bay Packers quarterback, Brett Favre, is in this same quagmire… After being the face of the Packers for 17 years (and just not quite knowing if he wanted to play anymore), he called it quits, but is now possibly rethinking that idea.

Find yourself in this story…

We finally made it to Aruba (Yeah, yeah… Viva Aruba. I’m still dreaming of ole El San Juan!). The beaches are beautiful and the ocean is a gorgeous bluish green that is completely breath taking. I must say, though, that getting here was an adventure in and of itself. You know, you see so many people in the airport-while you’re waiting-going their own way and every now and then you see a familiar face or two (No, no not of your significant other returning from grabbing coffee for you.). That familiar face is that famous one that you recognize from television…

Have you ever been in an airport and spotted a famous face (Yes, before you ask, sports famous.)? Were you able to say anything to the person or maybe get an autograph?

On our honeymoon to Belize we spotted Bobby Knight (actually on the same flight)… the former Indiana Hosiers men’s basketball coach known for his eccentric antics on the court. I was excited when I saw him and once I found out he was actually going to Belize, too (we waited at the same gate during our lay over), I asked Hubby to go get an autograph… (uh, yeah, after we thought about it, we thought better of it!!). Needless to say, not wanting to bother him on his vacation (Wink! Wink! You’d have to see him on the court! LOL!), we headed to Belize without the autograph.

Who have you spotted while you were waiting?…

Yes… so we’re traveling to our vacation destination, Aruba… with a 6-hour layover in Puerto Rico (don’t ask!!) and while I was sitting here-in this 5-star resort-waiting for our taxi back to the airport (really, don’t ask!!) I thought of several international, professional athletes… More specifically, I thought about my favorite international athlete (and whether or not I really had one).

After much thought (and the strong wish that I’d only carried one bathing suit [just one!] in my carry on with me for this mystical lay over-[not telling a thing]), I came to the conclusion that I really don’t have just one favorite-although I thought of someone I respected…

That would be Swiss world #1 tennis great Roger Federer. I have to give him his propers (uh, yeah, it’s slang for respect) for being the most consistently dominant force in men’s tennis. Now, just in case you weren’t up on the sports’ news, Federer was just knocked off his throne by Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, in an epic battle for the Wimbledon history books…

You know, I know these things happen, but just like in any other sport, greats come and go, but the presence of who they were at the time will remain forever. So although the king of grass (not so much sovereignty on clay for obvious reasons-he lost) is in a lull, but I’m not ready to count him out.

Long live the king!… I’m going to enjoying the best unexpected lay over ever (still not telling)!

Favorite international player anyone?

I really think Lester’s story was an inspiring one… it is another example of our inner strength to thrive and be more than what we ever imagined. The irony of his position is encouraging, too.

As a pitcher, he is the most important player on the team (I’m sure the short stop argues this statement.). A pitcher can determine the outcome of a game… Lester’s role on the field can easily be paralleled to the same traits he carried into his potentially life-ending disease (What are they you might ask?… I’m glad you asked.).

A pitcher has to be:

Accurate,

Have solid throwing fundamentals,

Dedicated,

Intelligent, and

Strong.

The traits above for this very valuable position aren’t all that a pitcher needs, but it definitely helps you to put into perspective that player on the mound and his role with the team.

So hey, do you have a “pitcher’s mound experience” where the related traits had to come into play in your own life? Hmmm… I’ll think of one to share, too!