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As an athlete watching the Olympics, it makes you really think about each Olympians’ individual stories. Each one of them has lived a life dedicated to their sport. They’ve each made personal sacrifices. They’ve woken up early and stayed up late practicing and preparing. They follow strict training schedules. And they try and live up to the expectations of their family, friends, fans and now entire nations. The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Opening Ceremony made viewers aware of some of these special stories.

The biggest story of the day was also the most painful. It was that of 21-year old luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili from the nation of Georgia whose life was claimed by a crash earlier in the day. Hours before the opening ceremony Kumaritashvili went to practice on the track that he had described days before to his father as scary. According to his dad, Kumaritashvili said he was scared of one of the turns. Sadly it was on that turn that he lost control and slammed into a steel support at 90 miles per hour. The usually festive ceremony was full of somber silences and speeches, flags were lowered to half-staff and the athletes of Georgia marched into BC Place Stadium wearing black armbands and scarves. CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee, John Furlong, addressed the Olympic athletes at the ceremony and told them, “may you carry [Kumaritashvili’s] Olympic dream on your shoulders and compete with his spirit in your heart”.

Though one Olympian’s story ended, many more continue on. About 2,500 athletes from a record 82 countries are participating in the Winter Games. Some of these athletes will compete for the first time, such as those from the Cayman Islands, Columbia, Montenegro, Pakistan, Peru and Serbia. While others’, for example Mexican skier Hubertus Von Hohenlohe, first Olympics were years ago.

Von Hohenlohe participated in his first Olympic games in 1984 and is the oldest Olympic athlete this year, at 51. I must also mention that in addition to being an alpine skier, he is also a photographer, businessman, pop singer and a prince. Clearly he has other things to keep busy, but Von Hohenlohe claims the reason he keeps coming back is because winter athletes from countries without a tradition in winter sports seem to be disappearing.

Another man trying to keep that tradition alive is the man they call the Snow Leopard (because of his leopard print ski suit). Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong is Ghana’s first ever athlete to compete in the Winter Olympic Games. He personifies what it means to be an Olympic athlete. The Snow Leopard skied for the first time only seven years ago, and has known ever since that he would do anything to compete in the Olympics. He worked hard, often teaching himself, for the past six years so he could make it to this point. But it hasn’t been an easy road for Nkrumah-Acheampong, who has had to jump through hoops to participate in a sport that is clearly uncommon in a country where the temperature rarely falls below 70. If it weren’t for his job as a receptionist at an indoor ski arena he may have never attempted the sport.

Bree Schaaf will drive a bobsled in the 2010 Olympics, but that’s not all she’s been successful at. In college, at Portland State, she was a standout volleyball player. She played trombone in the jazz ensemble and wind symphony. She also plays the guitar, harmonica, accordion and bass, as well as playing the piano since she was five. Schaaf also paints, and works as a goldsmith at a local jewelry store. She serves as the team’s seamstress when a suit needs fixing and she even commentated from the Universal Sports broadcast booth for the men’s bobsled races during the past season. She hopes to make broadcasting into a career and before leaving for Vancouver signed with an agent to help her pursue that.

The Olympics are the epitome of why I love sports. I love sports because it really is all about the people. Every athlete has their own unique story, and that’s why the Olympics are so great. They unite all these different athletes from countries all over the world. 2,500 athletes from 82 countries… that’s a whole lot of stories. So while you’re watching the Vancouver Olympics pay attention to more than just the medals, get to know some of the athletes because they each have their own captivating story to tell.

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• Olympics
• Ski
• Sports
• Winter Games
• Bobsled/Luge

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