The Fever I Got From The Olympics

The first ever olympics I watched was the 1992 Barcelona. I was just 10 years old. But I felt the excitement and the triumph of the human spirit on each event. Will you believe me if I told you that I dreamed to become Philippine's first ever to win a gold in gymnastics? It was a long shot. There was this time after I watched the gold medal match of the "dream team", I felt I was meant to do the same. I see myself doing those bars, rings and balance beams, seeing myself an event away from that juicy gold. Muscles are drenched with sweat. A thousand flashes from cameras above me. Amazing. I could just feel the moment.

But when I shared my dream to my classmates, they said that gymnastics are for gays and sissies.

A total devastation hit me. I watched my dream flushed below the pipe lines of my brain's memory bank down to the bank of memories that should be forgotten.

But truly, the spectacle you'll see in this quarter of a decade events will move you to just dream something. Either dreaming to become one of them or dreaming to make a world a better place. It starts with just watching these men and women achieve their goals, competing without any of their blood shed on the floor of a fencing match or from a shooting. And it ends with you; awe-stricken and temperature dropping slowly. Savoring every fantastic feat you have watched. Your mind had become a highlight reel, playing replays of the most astonishing moments.

That's how you'll caught the olympic fever.

But after I watched the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, I moved on to enjoy my 9 years of being a teenager. Pimples grow here and there; teenage angst hits you, the pressure of going out with girls gives you the sleepless nights. Then I forgot all the succeeding Olympics. '96 Atlanta, '00 Sydney, & '04 Athens. I never caught the fever from then on. And thus stopped dreaming...

...until '08 Beijing Olympics came. It was contagious.

Now, I no longer dream to become an athlete. It was too late for me, I guess. For there's a great hype of '92 Olympics of "be like Mike (Jordan)" and '08 Olympics "be like MIke (Phelps)", and I can no longer compete on these coming generation of Shawn Johnsons, Guo Jingjings, Miguel Molinas, Federrers, Gasols and Heidelyn Diazes. Probably one of you who read this have a family member or a friend who would like to become Phelps or Nadal.

But I realized, we can surpass them in one way or another. At age 26, I'm capable of achieving something. Something the Olympics can never put it on records or something unbreakable by time, laps and shattering wins. Something more worthy of a gold medal. Something being just who I am.

And the Olympics will just be there. Giving you fever after fever. Excitement, struggles and slow motion relays. A powerful tool to become yourself or relive something from your past.

Today, I've become a ten year old kid again who once dreamed to become a gymnast.