This is the original copy of a blog post that currently appears on Chattanooga’s WRCB Oympic Zone blog.

The end is coming. An ending that will not be resisted or contested although in time, the preceding period will be somewhat missed. On Friday night in Vancouver, thousands of Olympians from around the world will declare an end to their four year training session and shout to the world, “Game On!!” The Winter Olympics will begin.

Saying “good-bye” to four years of preparation for, in some cases, a few minutes (or even seconds!) of performing is an overwhelming transition zone. Think about that. Most of us go to a job each day where we’re expected to perform all the time with very little training. The Olympians we’ll watch over the next two weeks train 99.9% of the time for a very short opportunity to perform. If you work in sales for a living, imagine training for four years in preparation for one sales call! How would that frame this opportunity for you?

For some of the participating Olympians, the Opening Ceremony will simply challenge them to stay focused on the task. You see, athletes don’t just leave the Olympic Village a few minutes before show time and march. Protocol, security and waiting can account for several hours of time and energy that frankly could be spent assisting your performance in other ways like relaxing and recovering. Some top athletes will try to employ strategies to participate in the Opening Ceremony without compromising what they’re coming to Vancouver to do. IPods, food and sitting (as opposed to standing) can help. Their self-talk might sound something like this:

“Don’t stray too far from the goal.”
“Don’t have too much fun.”
“Stay focused.”
“Winning is Job 1.”

But for many athletes, the Opening Ceremony IS the victory. Putting on your country’s colors, marching into a stadium packed full of Olympic fans in front of a global viewing audience and telling the world, “Tonight, I am on equal footing with the very best in the world” will become an indelible memory these athletes will share with friends and family for the rest of their lives. Their participation will symbolize fun, camaraderie, sportsmanship and process to name a few. For some, this will be their podium moment in life.

When it comes to the Opening Ceremony, there is no right or wrong to athlete participation. It’s the variety of perspectives that makes the Opening Ceremony so interesting and as viewing participants, we want all of them! During my first Opening Ceremony in Barcelona in 1992, my participation and pride connected to my sport of whitewater canoe/kayak returning to the Olympic program for the first time in 20 years. There was a special bond that evening between the canoe/kayak athletes from all the different countries that equaled the bond I felt with the other U.S. athletes. This helped me to scale the enormity of the event and frame in it in a way that was uniquely mine.

To that end, Friday night will be LOADED with different perspectives! Seeing what gold medal favorite and U.S. Olympic skier, Lindsey Vonn, brings to the Opening Ceremonies as she battles an injury that threatens her Games participation is going to be fascinating. But as I watch the Opening Ceremony from Vancouver, I can be 100% certain of one thing – I will be reminded that the spirit and goodwill of the event is both a gift to our society and a mirror that reflects the best side of humanity.

Enjoy the Games!