It's July - Now Let's Go for the Gold!

I could hardly believe my eyes yesterday when I looked at the calendar and it read “July 1.”

A reminder that half the year has passed.

And that my favourite sporting event is just around the corner: The 2012 Summer Olympics officially kick off July 27!

There’s just something magical about the Olympic games, beginning with the Opening Ceremonies. It’s a roll call of the nations, so to speak; a time to showcase the best athletes our nation has to offer.  The world opens up– not just for the Olympians, but for each of us here at home.

I remember being captivated by the 1984 Olympics. My best friend and I re-enacted the gold medal ceremonies, choreographed gymnastics routines from scratch, and even turned my parents' kitchen into a makeshift "Olympic Village" where we cooked meals we thought only Olympic athletes would eat. In fact, I'd go so far as to say the games that year (held in Los Angeles and chaired by California's own Peter Ueberroth) inspired me to move to California some years later. No doubt today there is a little girl somewhere who may be dreaming of London (this year's site for the games).

What I like best about the Olympics is the inspiration to push past our own boundaries. To dig deep. To go the extra mile. To find that inner something, to find “it” within ourselves to cross the finish line. It’s a world in which seconds count, and milli-seconds count even more. In today’s world, too many people put off until tomorrow what they could do today. Olympic finishing times remind me what only people who have been through a tragedy or an Olympic trial know: that every second in life truly does count. It is for this reason I wish the Olympics were held every day.

In fact, the Olympics are like one big, glossy window display of determination. It is an opportunity for athletes to showcase the willpower that has gotten them to the big dance, the big race. Whether the athletes came from poverty, learned to compete shoeless on the continent of Africa, or came back from a career-threatening injury, it is a reminder to me not to complain about the simple things (i.e., that it might be “too hot to run” when in reality, it is only 80 degrees for my jog after work.)

At the end of its two-week run – even after the athletes have returned home and the fanfare has disappeared – the Olympics serve as a reminder to amateur athletes like me that magic can, in fact, happen when you simply put one foot in front of the other, day after day after day...

In the coming weeks, I’ll highlight some of my favourite athletes who will be competing in the 2012 Summer Olympics and will share their stories of determination in hopes that it will inspire.  We've got 25 days 'til the Opening Ceremonies. I hope you’ll join me in training the next 25 days to get in tip-top shape so that we can ring in the start of the Games in golden health!