6 Days til London

I can hardly wait for the London Olympics to start. I think of all that has happened over the past four years of my life and can't imagine all of the work and preparation the athletes have been put through during that time frame. Their are always great stories that come from the games. Michael Phelps captured our hearts in Beijing. Who can forget Ali lighting the torch in Atlanta? Surely their will be new stories to come over the next few weeks. The Olympics have already begun in a way as we know who will and won't be competing. I was devastated that Rafael Nadal will be out due to injury. He was set the carry the Spanish flag in the Opening Ceremonies and will be watching instead of participating now.

Over the past week I have come across two stories that have caught my attention. The first athlete I want to highlight is Gabby Douglas. Her remarkable story was displayed on this weeks edition of Rock Center. It tells of her stuggles and dedication to gymnastics. To view Gabby's story, click here. She is truly an inspiration and her genuine desire to win the gold medal is what the Olympics are about.

The other story is about Guor Marial. Marial is a native of Sudan who fled as a refugee and came to America. His story is one of great sacrifice. To read an article on Marial, click here. While it is unexpected that he medals in London, his story is an inspiration to all.

Sports movie of the month

I am a little bit behind from when I planned to release this post. February is the month of the Winter Olympics and I chose the movie 'Miracle' to focus on this month. The movie is all about the 1980 US Hockey Team and their miracle run to the Gold Medal in Lake Placid, New York. The story line follows the life of their coach Herb Brooks. The movie begins with him being interviewed for the head coaching job, team tryouts, practices, exhibition games, and then the Olympics. What really makes the story so powerful is the political climate that surrounded the games. The United States and the Soviet Union were in the midst of the Cold War. Many people thought that nuclear war could start at any moment. Prior to the Olympics, Team USA host the USSR in an exhibition at Madison Square Garden. The Soviets dominated the Americans, a huge embarassment on our home ice just prior to the games. The great thing about this story is that any team can win any game on any given day. It is a great month to watch 'Miracle' if you haven't yet this year.