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?

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?…

Okay, let’s go back in the day (some further back than others… go ahead and laugh)-more specifically, high school. I’d like to know if you played sports (I think cheerleading counts [smile]!). So, what sport did you play and at that time did you think you would still be participating in that sport in adulthood? I mean, you know that guy down the street who always knew he was going to the NFL, right?

Alright, you pulled it out of me… I’ll share! I ran track… the 100 and 4×4 (a little cross country for a while-that was a bit much!), and I was a cheerleader (hence the inclusion above)… B-E-A-GG-R-E-SS-IVE! And yeah (no), I didn’t think I’d be doing any of that today.

Your turn…