Inspiration from the Olympics [Archive]

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avalonmorn

08-03-2012, 12:17

Gabby Douglas, in her interview after winning the gold medal in gymnastics for the USA...."The hard days are the best, because if you push through the hard days, you can do anything."

RED-DOG

08-03-2012, 14:14

And you will be in the best shape of your life.

Odd Man Out

08-03-2012, 14:18

Pedaling Fool

08-03-2012, 17:32

Seems like some are inspired by the thought of a new refrigerator :D http://news.yahoo.com/north-koreas-key-olympic-medals-refrigerators-winners-labor-205742777--abc-news-topstories.html

North Korea's Key to Olympic Medals: Refrigerators For Winners, Labor Camp Threat for Losers

North Korea's Olympic athletes are thrilling their countrymen with surprising success in winning medals and they are attributing their success to their Dear Leader Kim Jong Un (http://www.whiteblaze.net/International/north-koreas-kim-jong-married/story?id=16851676).

But others, including former North Korean athletes who have defected, suggest the success of the country's small contingent of athletes at the games may be the result of a policy of training them from a very young age at specialized schools, backed up by rewards like cars and refrigerators for winners and the threat of labor camps for losers.

North Korea ranks 14th in the overall medal count, but fifth in terms of the number of gold medals with four.

The country won two golds in men's weightlifting, one in women's weightlifting and one in women's judo. It also captured a bronze medal in women's weightlifting.

The communist nation has 56 athletes competing in 11 sports. Its hopes for additional medals lie in boxing, wrestling, diving, table tennis, judo, and archery. The best Olympic result in the past was four gold medals and five bronzes in Barcelona 1992.

Joyful residents in North Korea gather to watch the games on huge outdoor screens and public places with television connection.

"After witnessing the gold medal at the Olympics, my heart is unutterably happy and my pride (in our nation) is growing," an unidentified woman said on state television news.

That pride is exactly what the country's new 28 year-old leader Kim Jong Un is looking for.

He has taken control of the impoverished nation of 25 million after his father Kim Jong Il passed away last December. Decades of famine have left many North Koreans bitter and analysts say this Olympic Games' fever is a perfect opportunity to generate loyalty and devotion among his subjects.

Gold medalist Kim Un-Guk, who set an Olympic record in 62-kilogram weightlifting, dutifully attributed his triumph to their leader Kim Jong Un.

"I won first place because the shining Supreme Commander Kim Jong Un gave me power and courage," he told reporters in London.

An Kum-Ae, who won her gold in the women's judo 52-kilogram division, said, "I cannot be any happier than right now for I can give my gold medal to our great leader, Kim Jong Un."

Woo-Young Lee, a professor at University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, says, "Athletes in North Korean society are revered as elites and they are managed, trained, and supported on a national level."

Hand-picked by the Communist Party's Sports Committee, the athletes are trained at very young ages and registered at specialized schools which provide "daily meals and spending money at times," said Gu-Kyeong Bang, a defector living in South Korea.
Secret to North Korea's Olympic Success

Bang was a student athlete in Taewondo in the North. Training involved four hours of "ideological education" per week aimed at cultivating loyalty to the leader.

"They play with a different mind set," said another North Korean defector to the South, Kim Yo-Han. "An absolute loyalty towards the country and the leader is the core foundation of the North Korean athletes' sportsmanship."

Kim's father was a soccer coach and mother was a rhythmic gymnastics coach in the North.

Upon returning home, gold medal athletes like Kim Un-Guk and An Gum-Ae would be rewarded with handsome prize money, an apartment, a car, and additional perks like refrigerators and television sets.

But most of all, they will be rewarded with a huge jump in social status with the title of "hero" or "people's athlete."

But poor performances, especially losing to their archenemy nations like the United States or South Korea, have consequences. Rumors of athletes being sent directly to labor camps upon arriving home are not confirmed, but it is a common procedure to open "review meetings" after the sports events in which participants "assess" their own and each other's games, said Kim Yo-Han.

If during that process the person is determined "disloyal" to their Dear Leader, the athlete is likely to be expelled from the sports organization and at times sent to labor camps.
Yunjoo Lim and Sungeun Lee contributed to this report

fredmugs

08-03-2012, 17:43

Too bad they don't have golf in the Olympics. Kim Jong Il would have kicked ass.

Erica Gibson

08-04-2012, 02:27

Good pointhttp://www.50centloseweight.com/jhkh.gif

Pedaling Fool

08-08-2012, 19:11

Here's some inspiration from the Olympics, inspiration for leg workout that is :):

If you look at the two sets of legs, you notice the ones on the right are HUGE and the ones on the left are not so huge, but not too shabby. The thighs on the left belong to Andre Greipel, he's a sprinter and sprinters in cycling have large legs, but he's also a professional road racer, so he must sacrifice some muscle (and super-explosive power) so that he can ride multiday races like the Tour de France... As I said he's a sprinter, so his legs are larger than most road cyclists, who don't specialize in sprinting, rather they are more into riding in the mountains or time trials...

Those monsters on the left belong to a track cyclist; track cyclists are powerful sprinters, but they don't have to ride a bike all day, they only do short powerful bursts.

I'm in awe of them legs, but I think I'll keep my measly toothpics for riding around town :D

Interesting reading:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/chris-hoy-british-cycling-champion-size-8-thighs-145522804--oly.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/07/sports/olympics/olympic-cyclists-thigh-popping-success-starts-in-quads.html?pagewanted=all

http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/eVWYadebbGIrrl8FKTcP4w--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTMxMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/sptusolyexperts/thighs.jpg

avalonmorn

08-08-2012, 23:28

Another inspiration, Oscar Pistorius, the runner with no legs.

SassyWindsor

08-08-2012, 23:55

I'm so thankful the games have gone as smoothly as they have. I sure hope it continues till all the participants are back on their home soil. It will be many years before the UK is chosen to host a 4th Olympic games, hope these turn out to be the best they can be.

ChinMusic

08-09-2012, 00:11

Who won Synchronized Mud Wrestling?

rocketsocks

08-09-2012, 00:29

rocketsocks

08-09-2012, 00:32

Who won Synchronized Mud Wrestling?I think it was the Brazilians.

Winds

08-09-2012, 03:20

I was inspired by the team that was overjoyed for getting the bronze, as opposed to the gold medal team that was indifferent because they were "supposed" to win and the silver medal team who was upset because they lost.

First off, cheers on above.

This inspired me recently: (Not written particularly well, I’m tired.)

Samuel Mikulak
19 year old U of M student
Member of the Michigan Wolverines men's gymnastics team
Not expected to medal at any event.

Vaulting in the finals, chance for a medal, executes 2 impressive vaults.
One of which he stuck perfect. They may have been the best 2 vaults in his judged career (so said the commentators). At the end of which he kissed the vault.

He scored well enough to put him in line for the bronze medal with 2 persons left to vault. And you could FEEL his excitement, it was palpable. Samuel was NOT considered a contender for a medal in the vault.

The next up was the gymnast from Chile (not predicted to medal either). His 2 vaults were the best of his career as well, and the crowd was really into it. Everyone knew he’d put himself in medal position. He marched off the vault floor and was greeted by a few coaches from other countries to pat him on the back for his efforts.

As he strolled down the line of people proudly, prior to receiving his overall score, Samuel met up with him face-to-face with a large smile and you could hear him in the background very sincerely say as he hugged the Chilean, “Congratulations man, you earned it!” He then received his higher score and was positioned for the bronze and had knocked Samuel out of the medals.

Last up was a gymnast from South Korea who won the gold at the last world championship and considered much superior to all in the vault. His vaults were significantly more difficult and he did very well on both vaults. All knew he would take the gold, and he did.

This bumped Samuel down to 5th place. And again, when leaving the vault floor, prior to receiving his score, Samuel met up with the South Korean competitor and said, “Give me a hug! [hug pause, break, then with eye contact and another huge smile said] That was sick!”

Later the announcers made a quick comment that Samuel should receive a medal for sportsmanship.

Because of his unselfish display of class and obvious appreciation of the efforts of others, that was the coolest USA medal loss I’ve ever seen.

Cheers Samuel Mikulak!

avalonmorn

08-09-2012, 21:40

Thanks Winds, that is truly inspiring.

Pedaling Fool

08-12-2012, 10:39

Here's some inspiration...I guess. China wants to rule the world in all areas, including the olympics. It kind of reminds me of the cold war era. They are kind of scary, but I really do think they will burn out in this world domination quest, partially due to their own success. Thanks to them, in part, adopting capitalism. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--china-s-olympic-goal--dominate-the-medal-count.html

China's Olympic goal: Dominate the medal countLONDON –

By now everyone should understand that China (http://www.whiteblaze.net/olympics/london-2012/china/)'s sports machine is not going to slow. China (http://www.whiteblaze.net/olympics/london-2012/china/)'s goal was never to build big just for the Beijing Games in 2008. The goal was to build big for Beijing, then dominate the world.

"The intention of the Chinese is to win every medal, every single medal," said Jeff Ruffolo, an American who has worked for the Chinese government to help plan several sports competitions including the 2008 Olympics.

"Watch what happens in Rio," added Ruffolo, referring to the 2016 Games in Brazil (http://www.whiteblaze.net/olympics/london-2012/brazil/). "Watch what happens in 2020. The Chinese want to prove to the world that their system is the best system."

[ Related: USA looks to be the favorite to finish at the top of the medal table (http://yhoo.it/MkTHm2) ]
Somehow people seem surprised that the Chinese are fighting again to win the medal count in these Olympics. But ever since China allowed its teams to compete in the 1984 Summer Games after a 32-year absence, the Chinese have gone from winning 32 medals in Los Angeles to 100 in Beijing. The churning of medals is so steady now that the Chinese are going to compete to win medal counts for the next several Olympics.

The stories about China in recent weeks have been shocking. Some news outlets have told of young rising athletes enduring near-torturous conditions at Chinese sports schools. There was also the tale of diver Wu Minxia (http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--family-kept-grandparents--deaths-secret-from-chinese-diver-until-she-won-gold-medal.html) who, upon winning the gold medal in the 3-meter diving competition, finally learned of her mother's illness and her grandmother's death last year. Though Wu later denied the story, saying she knew her mother was sick and her grandmother died, it seemed to show the worst of a country so obsessed with winning Olympic medals that nothing human matters.

Even in defending the system, Wu sounded like a lonely swimming robot, telling Agence France-Presse: "Parents seldom come to our training base. However, we are like a big family. We train together from different bases."

But the reward comes in medals. And medals in China are very important. As one Chinese journalist, who asked not to be quoted for fear of reprisals back home, said: "The gold medal is very important in China. It makes us feel strong."
Or as Ruffolo said: "It's national pride."

[ Video: China's Liu Xiang experiences heartbreak, then heroic ending in hurdles (http://yhoo.it/OWzTVt) ]
A few years ago, an American table tennis player who grew up in China told me how she came to be a table tennis player. It was when she was young, around second grade, and one day someone from the government came into her classroom carrying a bucket and three table tennis balls. Each student had to toss the balls into the bucket. Those who threw two in the bucket were offered a chance to leave their school and go to one for table tennis.

The idea, she said, was that the children who could throw two balls in the bucket must have a good feel for the ball. That was all the sport's coaches needed. The rest: skill, determination and desire could all be taught later. All that mattered was the feel.

Ruffolo, who wrote a book on his experience working for the Chinese in 2008 called "Inside the Beijing Olympics," said China's sports officials search all over the country looking for children with athletic potential. Perhaps a few boys are kicking a soccer ball in a park or chasing each other on the sidewalk. A government representative might notice one who looks faster than the others. This will interest the government representative who will contact the boy's family to gauge its interest in sending the boy to a sports academy.

The academy will be near the child's house. He will train during the day, take classes and go home to his parents at night. If he excels in training, he will be allowed to participate in local competitions. If those go well, he might be moved to larger regional competitions where further success might lead to a spot in the national sports academy in Beijing, where he will be one of dozens training in the same sport.

"They look for diamonds in the rough," Ruffolo said. "They know it's a long haul and they want someone who can handle it. The No. 1 or No. 2 athlete might fall down from that standing later. They look at the person who is fifth or sixth. They look at that diamond and say, 'He needs polishing,' He might not be ready for London so we will hold him for Rio.' "

The Chinese have no problem doing this, he says. The goal is to win medals and establish a long line of athletes ready to fill an Olympic spot if the other falters.

[I][ Related: Were Chinese diver Wu Minxia's Olympic medals worth the lie? (http://yhoo.it/RqLwqh) ]
Once, Ruffolo spoke to a young tennis star who told him her whole existence is tennis.

"She lives in a bubble," Ruffolo said. "She has no life, but she knows if she doesn't do well there are 20 nameless, faceless people behind her."

And while similar systems exist in the United States (http://www.whiteblaze.net/olympics/london-2012/united-states/), particularly in private entities like tennis academies, the scope is not as vast or as much of a national goal as China's.

Since the Chinese care little about sports leagues, they keep their focus solely on the Olympics. They target international competitions like the Asian Games, World University Games and countless individual sports world championships, hosting a number of them in off-years between the Olympics.

This gives China's coaches a chance to watch their athletes competing in an Olympic-type venue. If, for instance, the divers don't perform well, the coaches will have time to make adjustments, perfecting their dives in time for the Summer Games.

Other countries can't do this. Once the U.S. hosted dozens of big amateur tournaments but such things aren't popular now with local officials. The cost of building or remodeling facilities to meet modern standards is too much. Few municipalities in America are willing to fund an international volleyball tournament, not when they are struggling to keep staffing schools or pay into employees' pension plans.

"China doesn't care," Ruffolo said. "In China, there is only one government and money is no object. They will build the facilities. It's no object to them. They will keep adding these events."

Since Ruffolo has worked for the Chinese government and still lives in China and still helps plan sports events for the government, his view on the effectiveness of the country's sports machine is obviously going to be optimistic. But there is also no doubt that China is moving quickly toward athletic dominance, especially in smaller, specialized sports that aren't well-funded in other countries, giving the Chinese an automatic economic advantage.

Four years after Beijing, the Chinese sports machine is churning. The question now is how much farther will it go.