Capture The Olympic Spirit
These are some facts about some great Olympic athletes who show a lot of spirit!
The Olympic Games are a worldwide stage where heroes are made and dreams are realized. Every Olympic Games has its surprise victories, and certainly one of the biggest surprise victories occurred at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Billy Mills pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history in the 10,000-meter run with a stunning come-from-behind finish to win the gold medal.
Bart Conner is the most accomplished gymnast in America. He is the only American person to win gold medals at every level of junior, national, and international competition. During the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, he won an individual gold medal for his performance on the parallel bars and another medal for his participation on the U.S. team.
Ann Meyers Drysdale led her team to the silver medal in the very first Olympic women's basketball medal competition. She was the first female full-scholarship athlete at UCLA, the first four-year, college All-American basketball player (man or woman!). Ann was the first team athlete inducted into the Women's Sports Hall of Fame, and she was the first woman to sign a NBA contract! Yet she was the consummate team player.
As a runner at UCLA, Gail Devers owned records in both the 100-meter dash and the 100-meter hurdles. When the 1988 Olympics approached, Gail won a spot on the U.S. Olympic team going to Seoul, Korea.
At the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, Greg Barton became the first American man since 1936 to win an Olympic medal in kayaking. Four years later at the Seoul Olympic Games, he became the first person in his sport to earn two medals on the same day. What makes his story even more impressive is that he was born with a physical handicap that made participation in sports much more challenging than for most people.
Henry Marsh was only the second American male runner to make four Olympic teams. Throughout his career he spent thirteen consecutive years as one of the top 10 3,000-meter steeplechase runners in the world. Henry held 13 national titles, four American records, and was ranked "Number One" in the world for three years. Yet with all of the recognition, records, and achievements, Henry did not attain his dream of winning an Olympic medal.
Karch Kiraly is one of the biggest names in the sport of volleyball. He has won three Olympic gold medals and almost $3 million in career prize money in both indoor volleyball and the outdoor beach volleyball. Karch has been chosen the "Best Player in the World" twice. He attributes his success and that of the U.S.A. Volleyball team to a simple formula: "To be the best in the world, we needed to believe in ourselves and our program, lay our goals in a comprehensive plan. We all had to commit to the plan and we had to attack the work set out in our plan. Those four things: believe, plan, commit, and attack, became our way to the top."
"I was enjoying a bottle of root beer from an ice-filled chest. When I pulled the glass bottle from the chest, the label came off, but four words remained visible, words that taught me a life-changing lesson. The words simply said, "No Deposit, No Return." -John Naber
Mary Lou Retton's life changed forever when, as an eight-year old kid she watched gymnast Nadia Comaneci dazzle the world. Mary Lou visualized herself as a future Olympic gymnast able to perform with similar excellence.
Matt Ghaffari is America's most prolific international medal winner in U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling history. During the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, Matt won the hearts of many Americans because of his display of Olympic spirit and courage.
Milt Campbell won the gold medal in decathlon and achieved the title of "The Greatest Athlete in the World." Milt realized his Olympic dream, and more. He was an All-American swimmer, a national champion hurdler, a professional football player, and was inducted into 10 different Halls of Fame! Milt Campbell began his dream at 12 years of age:
Nadia Comaneci is the most celebrated gymnast in history. As star of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, she became the first gymnast to score a "Perfect 10," earning seven such marks on her way to three gold medals, a silver, and a bronze. Nadia's amazing performance brought her a great deal of praise but also taught her a huge lesson.
Nancy Hogshead won three gold medals and a silver medal as a swimmer at the Los Angeles Olympic Games. An inductee to eight Halls of Fame, Nancy has achieved her success in large part because of her commitment. Experience has taught Nancy to believe that success is something she learned and earned, not something that just happened.
Raised one of eight children by a single parent in a rough East Los Angeles neighborhood, Paul Gonzales quickly learned the skills needed to survive on the streets where gangs were commonplace. Refusing to be drawn into that lifestyle, Paul began his boxing career when he was eight.