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| 2008/08/19 07:12:02瀏覽927｜回應1｜推薦18 | |
| 最親愛的爸爸，
Dearest daddy, 很抱歉等到奧運會的第十天才可以跟你談．你也知道一看運動就瘋掉的兒子要不是在飛機上也不會關上電視，而在十幾小時的飛行旅程中才能讓我靜下心來回顧． How are you? Sorry that I have to wait until the finish of the 10th day of Olympics to talk to you. Only a long flight can pull me away from the TV, and only high in the air can take my mind out from what is going on in Beijing. 這是第一次我們無法好好談奧運（也是第一次我可以看比您還多賽事）．之前好幾次看到大聯盟的完全比賽或是其他精采的賽事，總想跟您說說，電話拿起之後，才知道您不能再接電話了．八月八號奧運開始之後那種失落是我從來沒有過的．該是要自己習慣這種日子的時候了． It is the first time we do not “talk” about Olympics. There have been so many times I was thinking about calling you about the most amazing things I saw in the baseball games but realized that you would not answer the phone. However, the feelings of picking up the telephone and call you have never been so strong until the arrival of October 8, 2008. You are the person who knows me the best. You are the only one being there supporting me all these years. Guess I have to get used to this kind of life, not having you around to share. 剛忙完等一下下飛機後開會該做的準備，剩下一點點時間，可以先跟你報告幾個結果跟心得： Here are the things I would love to tell you first: 1. 我們鍾愛的棒球該是一種現實生活，奧運則是四年一度人類經由運動最快，最遠，最壯的精神來激發我們潛能的盛會．Baseball should be the everyday reality but Olympic Game is the once every four year inspiration It has been the first time I truly got to understand one Olympic. We both love baseball but I think we started our connection through track and field, actually, through running. Baseball is expensive, just as you told me that playing baseball is the symbol of richness. So, people have to be able to make more money than most sports in order to build the fields, maintain them, no to mention the equipments, etc. Baseball is also a real life because there is hardly any measuring to define the greatest player. Olympics are different. It brings so many sports into a coliseum, no longer one, but a complex of field, in such a short time span. Ethan and Amelia now know so much more than baseball, basketball, soccer, ice-skating, with Gymnastics, volleyball, diving, swimming, boxing been shown on the TV in this laid back summer. 2. The opening ceremony, is not for me, while I was in serious pursue for the meaning of the torch, the once ultimate honor before I went to college. I went to San Francisco to check out the torch relay. Them I realized that the torch relay was a symbolic message from Ashtaf Hitler. Plus all the things brought out there about Tibet, Darfur, followed by the Xi-Tuan earthquake made me wonder why I should even care about Olympics. I tried to enjoy the opening ceremony. It was intimidating, right out of the bat, when they brought out 2008 drummers. It comes to my realization that I never felt honor walking into the stadium, with the name of our country, our school, our team names were announced. I never felt anything special except the time I took the athlete’s vow in front of thousands of athletes, hundreds of cameras. I know something is important, but I bet those people were bored, and not paying attention to what came out from my mouth. Yes, that was my moment, with thousands burning under the sun. So, I guess any other ceremony, except the closing ceremony, is not for me. Let’s talk about closing when we get there. 3. Then Michael Phelp came to rescue. I guess that’s enough for theory, or lecture. Let’s talk about the sports I ultimately ended my career of competition. Remember that 15 years old American boy, who his coached claimed to be prodigy, in 2000? He was also the 19 years college drop out who won ONLY six gold medals, while American media was hyping on him surpassed Mark Spitz, the water monster, in 2004? My heart started to jiggle the moment he jumped into the water. I realized that he did have a shot with the gold medal after I goggled Torpedo, a.k.a. Ian Thorpe, retired, and Ian Crocker was not in top shape. However, I also read about the crazy French team who put up a roster jammed with the worlds’ top 100 meter free swimmers who were supposed to smash the Americans like team Australia did last Olympics. And, I also remember reading from the local newspaper that a UC Berkeley Swimmer will swim for Serbia, without competing with Phelp in US Olympics trial, in the 100m butterfly. That swimmer was continuously swim to his personal best, and had a long term training plan just for that August 16 final. Those were the challenges Phelp was facing. He did not disappoint when smashed the world record in his first event, 1.41 second faster than his world record in 400m medley, (just so you know, a good one minute faster than my personal best…). My heart stopped when I was down stair watching the 4 by 100m relay. American was behind, yes, behind that French team with their 100m world-record holder swimmer (Alain Bernard) dove into the water, half second before one of my least favorite American swimmer Jason Lezak did. I knew: there goes the dream of 8 golds, for Lezak been the career choker in free style relay. American has not been producing dominate short distance swimmers for years, and Lesak had to be self trained, self coached because lack of sponsor. And he is 32 years old. Lesak was behind half body length with 25meter left, but he was closing in. Phelp started to jumped up and down near the wall. Up and downs he jumped, up and close Lesak was closing with Bernard… It was one of the most heart clinging 4x100m I have even seen in Olympics. I believe US won by 0.08 second but it didn’t matter. It was Lesak’s 46 second leg that told the story. It was the celebration of Phelp, it was the stepping Phelp was running before Lesak touched the wall, and it wa that scream Phelp let out after seeing the result on the scoreboard. That was the moment for this Olympics. Phelp cruised through the rest of the finals, beating 1:43 in 200 free, beating the worlds top swimmers with a leaky goggle in 200 fly, went under 7 minutes with his US teammates in 4x200m, proved Ryan Rackte was no factor in 200m individual medley. Then came the kids from Cal… There was no not-sleeping well, no-leaky goggle, no world record holder threatening, in 100 meter butterfly. Phelp was clearly behind in the first 50 meter. I thought he was 6th, but official record seemed to indicate he touched the wall with only one behind him ( i.e. for Ethan and Amelia who can not do good math yet, that meant he was 7th, with 6 swimmer touched ahead of him). Cavic, who I believed was born in California, was leading until the last, what, 10 cm(5cm, 2cm???), just before Michael Phelp decided to pull his arms out from the water, reaching the wall in the air, out touched Cavic by 0.01 second. We are lucky to have electronic technology. Otherwise, it could be the beginning of conspiracy, etc. That finishing reminded me all the extra minutes I put in every day in perfecting my finishing. Even I have been out touched by 0.09 second by a gold medalist in one event, I knew I tried my best. Watching that finishing, I felt something only the swimmers can relate to. It was hard work, it was luck, it was fate! The 4x100 medley relay was like the victory lap for the American boys, Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, Phelp and Lezak finished in 3:29.24(???). Is it fate, is it luck, is it the greatest? I don’t think so. It was about dream, and a way to make the dream comes true, and team work. Without team USA, there is no place for such kind of dream to come true. There will be only 4 golds if not for the 3 relays. 4. The 9.69 100meter dash. Dad, you gonna love this. It was the event that would make you jumping up and down. Remember I saw that 100 meter final in Atlanta? Remember we were amazed how Michael Johnson’s odd running style could work, and how we analyzed his mechanism? This one was bigger than all of them. Usain Bolt, a guy you would probably criticize, beat everyone in the Olympic final with the 9.68 world record run, while the 2nd place runner, Thompson(?) from Trinidad and Tobago was two strides behind. You could not believe your eyes when Carl Lewis burst out in the final 30 meters, and you told me a great 100m splinter was shown in the last 20 meter. Then, this Lighten Bolt guy knew he would win when he took the lead at 50 meter! Making a world record run in the Olympic 100m final is hard enough. And doing it with such fashion, with almost un-sportsmanship like finishing was unbelievable, might not be acceptable in old school thinking. But, there is no denial in his winning, even with the wobbling start followed by his 2nd to last response time when he got off the block. Another amazing story was the guy who won the Bronze, a US college graduate who finished only no. 4 in NCAA 100m final. This is the country I am living in now. Dad, we should feel lucky that I had chance to tell you about the ‘Gold Glove” award I received after a long season. And, I hope I have made you proud when I set the record in the swimming meet, beating those self-claimed All-China swimmers. I know I am the luckiest guy in my world because I have the dream that you gave me. The dream to compete in all the sports I love has been what kept me working hard. And, during the Olympics, I realize how all those sports dreams actually had come to realization. Visualizing myself playing balls, running, jumping, swimming, remembering all the moments of my life. Thank you! Sorry, plane is landing. Gonna turn off my computer. Talk to you later maybe tonight after work. |
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| ( 興趣嗜好｜運動 ) |
