Seems to me that the Olympic broadcasting media needs a little sensitivity training. Here they are once again saying that anyone that doesn’t win a gold medal is settling for the silver and bronze medals.
What?!

Since when is winning any colored medal at the Olympics considered settling? Last time I looked there were three very coveted medals up for grabs in every competition. Why must we continually tarnish them before they are even hung around the necks of the world’s elite athletes? And by the way, the Beijing medals are constructed partly of jade, the most precious gem of that nation and are very slick, and worth more than their weight in gold.

Highly decorated U.S., national, world and Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan said it best after her last appearance in the winter Olympics when she brought home a silver medal. During an interview with Jay Leno, he quipped to her something to the affect that, “You must be somewhat disappointed to not be wearing the gold right now ... ?” Kwan looked at him puzzled and without skipping a beat said, “I didn’t lose the gold medal, I WON the silver medal.”

I’m sure several of our very own Americans, who are bringing home their first-ever medals have similar feelings about their hard-fought-for medals. I’d bet money that our female Alaskan trap shooter in her first-ever Olympics is extremely proud to be packing a bronze medal for her return to the U.S. Several male and female swimmers also won their first ever silver and bronze medals. I bet they aren’t going to hide those away in a drawer, either.

If we want to use the term “settle”, that should be used for the athletes that have to reconcile the fact that their fourth, fifth and sixth place finishes have ended their quest - for now — for Olympic hardware, regardless of the color. Four long, grueling years of preparation ended by mere 1-100ths of seconds, steps out of bounds and nervous mistakes. Even then, I think settle is the wrong word to use in any context. Disappointment for sure. Settling? No way.

Just ask the men’s gymnastics team. Now there’s a story that many have missed. The nation’s top two gymnasts, Paul and Morgan Hamm, had to withdraw with injuries at the last minute, meaning the U.S. is competing with a squad that has never competed on such a stage. Many counted them out before they even stepped foot off the plane, yet, if anyone cared to watch Monday night, they had the Olympics of their dreams and stunned everyone by winning the team bronze medal. Before their last two rotations, the team was ahead of Japan and was on the verge of bringing home the silver.

Instead of dealing with nerves and jitters, the young athletes put on a show that had everyone cheering for them. That’s what happens when you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Being the underdog is often a lot easier than being the defending champs or favored to win.

Old dogs learning new tricks
The story of these Olympics seems to be “old timers” like the men’s water polo team with nearly a half-dozen of its players over the age of 30. They upset Italy in the pool Tuesday afternoon. Dara Torres, 41, and the mother of a two-year-old, has a team silver to her name thus far. Kerry Walsh, half of the talented women’s beach volleyball tandem turns 30 Aug. 15 and is likely to bring home a medal with Misty May-Treanor. Still to come are several platform divers over the age of 30, equestrians in their 40s and, yes, a few youngsters barely out of puberty. Settling? I think not.

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