Jay Littlepage: Life In Balance?

Growing up with the Olympics

While growing up I played every sport I could, and followed them all avidly on TV and radio. The Olympics were a big deal - nothing that was going on in the world that couldn't wait for two weeks of competition and comraderie. Some of the innocence was gone forever after Munich, and with every positive drug test it's one more step away from the idealistic memories of my youth (particularly in my favorite sport, track and field - in which I unfortunately no longer believe anything I see or read).

But still - every 4 years the family was glued to the TV, and all talk at school, or at work, was about the previous day's events.

While I was a track guy I really got into the winter games as well. I've don't think i've missed a downhill final starting with Jean-Claude Killy in 1968. While i'd root for the USA some of my early heroes were speedburners like Killy and Franz Klammer. I also remember exactly where I was in 1980 when Al Michaels' made his "Do you believe in miracles" call. I was working as a bar attendant at Harold's Club in Reno, and as the game went on I spent more and more time in disbelief watching the little tv in the casino break room as history unfolded (just for the record, none of the bars I was working ran out of ice, booze, or condiments). I still get chills anytime I hear the call.

Last night was the Men's downhill. Even though I was disappointed that neither Bode Miller nor Darren Ralves came through (what was up with changing skis, then changing again right before the race?) watching Antoine Deneriaz (who?) toast the field by .72 seconds on the last run of the day was a real highlight.

But today in the office? No one is talking about the Olympics (except Hal Stern). And where was the next generation of Littlepage? She watched part of the games, but by the end of the downhill she was in another room, watching "Grey's Anatomy". Oh, well...