We can each try to be Olympians — at least in spirit

The only Kansan I have heard participating in the 2014 Olympics is Allison McFarland, a business and economics professor at Bethel College, Newton.
McFarland, 52, is working as a volunteer at the event. The experience will help slake her love of sports and travel.
She is taking a sabbatical from teaching to be in Sochi, Russia, where she will get a thrill from rubbing shoulders with world-class athletes as well an opportunity to study Easter European culture.
McFarland herself is an avid athlete. In the 2012 Kansas Senior Olympics she won gold in shot put, 28 feet, 10 inches, and discus, 88 feet, 2 inches, and placed second in the javelin with a toss of 60 feet.
I’ve watched more TV in the past two weeks than what I probably watch in a six-month span because of the Olympics. My favorite event has been snowboarding.
Kansans are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to winter sports. Most of us don’t live near an ice skating rink, when it comes to indoor events, and the outdoor disadvantages are obvious. Not that I’m complaining about our lack of snow.
No matter the event, I’m impressed with how much courage the athletes display — and maturity. To get where they are today they have learned sacrifice, discipline and perseverance.
To a smaller degree, the same qualities are demanded of today’s students. My own children have become more resilient to the ups and downs of life because of competitions — won and lost — either in sports or behind a podium throughout their middle school and high school years.
I can’t imagine my future depending on an athletic performance. The closest I’ve ever come to competing in an athletic event are “fun runs” or races that involve thousands of participants. My kind of race is where everyone gets a medal, which does nothing to diminish the thrill of the experience of simply being part of an event.
Olympians take their sport to an extreme, leaving the rest of us in awe of their talent, but also inspiring us to get out the door.
The motto of the Senior Olympics is “You don’t stop playing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop playing.”

—Susan Lynn