Extraordinarily talented athletes also possess extraordinarily large hearts

I am so impressed, touched and in awe of the camaraderie that is evident between many of the American athletes competing in Beijing. In particular the swimmers - their attitudes and phenomenal outpouring of team support have rendered me almost speechless. I guess because many of them do not train together or have a past team affiliation on which to build a particular bond, it is refreshing to see such a collection of talented people come together as a force to be reckoned with, especially when one teammate is courageous enough to divulge the details of a very personal battle with cancer. I am still bummed that Eric didn't final in the 200 breaststroke, but I congratulate him on a personal best time, and even more so because of the fact that his semi-final swim time would have placed him 7th in the final!

While on a much more amateur level, I suppose the Olympic team is a bit like the Zone teams I participated on in my teens. Similar to the Olympic trials, the Zone team members were selected based on athletes' performance at the state Junior Olympics. The top 5-7 performers were selected to participate on a team representing the state (for me, North Carolina).

In the case of Zone teams, most of us actually did know each other pretty well. While we certainly didn't all train together, we spent many weekends competing against each other across the country and formed friendships along the way. In fact, I'm fairly certain that I was far more acquainted with many of my swimming competitors than I was with most of my classmates.

I have recently reconnected with several of my former swimming peers. As stated in my previous blog post, I'm sure the ongoing Olympics is fueling my nostalgia, but I must admit that for the first time in a very long time, I'm finding myself missing the swimming pool. However, the key bit of info is that I don't miss training, but I'm only missing the connection I shared with some fabulously talented athletes - those who pushed me to try harder, picked me up when I failed, congratulated me when I succeeded and carried me through a 15-year underwater career.

I was never an Olympian, but I was a 2-time high school conference MVP, a state finalist in the 200 I.M. and 200 free and I qualified for Y Nationals in the 400 I.M., 200 I.M., 200 free and 100 free.

And to attest for the power of support, I must say that I felt most successful after swimming the 200 freestyle my senior year at high school states, with my dearest friend Kerry cheering me on. In and out of the pool, she has always inspired me to be a better person.

As for the Olympics, I will now focus my attention on the women's marathon, directing all of my good thoughts to Blake Russell, the sister of my friend Blair Phillips. Kick A$$ Blake! We are all behind you!