Redemption!

Every leap year there are two things we can all count on. 1. A knock-down, drag-out fight between Republicans and Democrats and 2. The Olympics. I appreciate the opportunity to vote for our nation's leaders, but I LOVE the Olympics. I love watching Swimming, Diving, Gymnastics and of course  Athletics/Track and Field. Watching the competition among the elite athletes is nail-biting sometimes and at other times it gets me out of my seat cheering loud enough to disturb my neighbors. I drew on the inspiration of Florence Griffith Joyner and Jackie Joyner-Kerse to run track. I eventually paid for my college education by running track.  (Thank you FloJo and Jackie.) Today I watch these games and my inspiration comes from Dana Vollmer.

In the past I've only watched Swimming and by watched I mean I am looked for the swimming caps with the American Flag on it to touch the wall first.  I'll be honest, aside from Dara Torres, Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Ryan Lochte and "the black guy" on the relay, I didn't recognize any other swimmers. It wasn't until watched Dana Vollmer break the world record that I knew who she was. It was an amazing race to watch. She crushed the field. But what made her stand out to me wasn't her victory, it was the story behind her "don't quit" attitude. 

 Vollmer has been a talented swimmer for a very long time. She competed in the 2000 Olympic trials at age 12. She made the Olympic team in 2004 and brought home a gold medal as a part of the quartet that swam the 4x200 freestyle. By all accounts, she was a shoo-in for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing...until she wasn't a shoo-in. Vollmer did not make the team. After all that success, she fell down, and fell hard. But what makes Vollmer my inspiration is the fact that she got back up. She refused to accept a temporary condition (not making the team) with a permanent mindset (giving up on swimming).  She got back in the pool and in 2012 she not only made the team, she won a gold medal and broke the world-record in doing so. The race that day was for second, because Vollmer was not going to be beaten. I can't think of a better rebound story. It was as if she took a cue from a famous Winston Churchill quote, "Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever give up. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up." Imagine where you would be if you had that kind of conviction in your life.

So the message for this post is don't give up. There is redemption after a failure. Persevere and see your goals through. Make some adjustments, but don't give up. Greatness is in all of us.