Patricia Lake
Olympics vs. Sammies: Which are more impressive?
Both Olympic athletes and Sammies finalists have enhanced capacity to persevere, take on risk and overcome setback. Talent helps, too.
The Olympics certainly present an impressive show.
The jumpers, divers, swimmers, shooters and all the rest of the athletes are even inspiring. I’m delighted for them, envy their skills, and when one of them gains a medal I think, “Wow, good for her!” Yet no matter how many insipid “backstories” NBC runs on TV, I keep coming back to two thoughts.
First, I’ve had faintly negative view of the Olympics themselves ever since 1972. Munich uncovered a lot of things, among which was the hypocrisy and bigotry of the people who run the Olympics.
Today’s committee members certainly seem to enjoy the lavish indulgences that come with the contracts they manage to convince host cities to sign.
Those cities in the end are left with banners in the airport and a bunch of white elephant stadiums. But if you view the Olympics as primarily an advertising medium, it’s hard to beat.
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Second — and this is why I watch at all — from a purely athletic standpoint, the performances are just great. Some pretty darn impressive records have occurred so far in bankrupt Rio. Who hasn’t watched and thought, how it that possible? Viewing the gymnasts — even the American men in fifth place — as I down another handful of potato chips, I think, golly, I could never have done that even when I was their age. (My wife pats my stomach and says, “You’ve got a six-pack too, dear, but yours is buried.”)
Athletes at this level share with successful entrepreneurs and concert pianists a trait that the rest of us might be aware of but don’t have or exercise. Namely, the super-enhanced capacity to persevere, take on risk and overcome setback. Talent helps, too.
Which brings me to the series I hope you’ve heard on Federal News Radio. Every year I interview all of the finalists in the Service to America Medals program, administered by the Partnership for Public Service. It ranks among my favorite set of interviews to do. You can find the ones we’ve run so far here among the others.
These people also persevere, take on risk and overcome setbacks. They do so largely out of public view.
You probably marveled at last year’s pictures sent 2.66 billion miles back from Pluto, but now you can learn a little about Dennis Reuter, the guy who lead NASA’s design-and-build team for the instrument that made the pictures possible.
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Perhaps you know someone who benefited from modern medical knowledge of human fertility and reproduction. Now you can know a little about NIH scientist Allen Wilcox, who’s done enormous research in this area.
Maybe you like river and lake recreation. The water is likely to have fewer heavy metals thanks to work by EPA attorney Jessica Hall Zomer.
Like the Olympics, the federal government is imposing and has its many flaws. Luckily the institutional blahs don’t detract from the quality of achievement the participants are able to reach.
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Tom Temin
Tom Temin is host of the Federal Drive and has been providing insight on federal technology and management issues for more than 30 years.
Follow @tteminWFED
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