Olympic Spirit

By Erin Colton

I love to win. I love everything about it. The feeling I get, the accomplishment I've achieved and, of course, the bragging rights! Some people here at the station say I'm a little too competitive though. Because if someone asks a question, I'll be the first to answer. Is debate a sport? I'll go blue in the face before the other guy proves his point. And you don't even want me to go into the stories of the News 12 basketball court where grown men have been shocked by my actions. I just really love to compete.

And although that might seem annoying and immature, I think it's where my love for the Olympics comes from.

Have you been watching them? To be honest, I wasn't even excited for it all this year because they just seem so far away, and I felt being half way around the world, I'd be so out of touch. But this weekend is the closing ceremony, and I wish they weren't coming to an end.

Michael Phelps is coming home not only the winningest Olympic athlete ever, but the only athlete to win 8 gold medal in one Olympics. The phrase "I wanna be like Mike" could mean something other than being like Michael Jordan. Phelps is now the same league as guys like Tiger Woods and Roger Federer -- athletes who just completely dominate in their sport. I'm sure a lot of little kids are going to be asking for swimming lessons in the near future. And it's all because of one week in Beijing. And although it doesn't take a lot for me to get up off my chair at a bar and start screaming at the TV, watching Michael Phelps win his 8th gold medal was fantastic.

How bout the gymnastics? What these ladies do with bodies is just insane. I was glued to the TV during every event. And they're all so young! It's like watching a little girl accomplish everything she's ever wanted in her entire life before the age of 20. At 20, I was still falling asleep in class dreaming about my sorority dance that coming weekend. (I did study, and got straight A's, so don't think I'm a complete screw-up.) But watching Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson win all those medals was amazing. And what was more amazing, was hearing that Johnson's parents mortgaged their house twice just to pay the bills of the gym and coach. Then watching them break down after she finally won the gold on the beam. It's stories like that, that make sports more than just "sports."

Sometimes I want to be Misty May-Traenor. Her and Kerri Walsh dominated in Beach Volleyball for the second straight Olympics, taking home the gold medal in an assault of wins. They did not lose a set all Olympics! And for the second time, May-Traenor sprinkled her late mother's ashes on the court where she achieved the goal her mom always wanted her to.

The Olympic games give people a chance to connect with athletes. A chance to learn their stories and the road they took to get there. It's a chance to show the world how important the Olympics actually are to peoples' lives.

With all this said, I think the best thing about watching the Olympics is seeing the faces of every single American athlete, standing on the pedestal, watching their flag be raised to the rafters. They're not just happy they won a medal -- they're happy they won it for America. And that makes me proud.

So if you're not doing anything tonight, turn on the Olympics. You only have 3 days left.