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Post by warhorse on Mar 10, 2006 19:45:06 GMT -5
This question may hit some soft notes in people. I know the topic gets a lump in my throat whe discussing it. Well, here it is.
Apolo's first Olympics was in 2002! Right! And on U.S. soil none the less. So, is there any articles with Apolo discussing his feelings on being in the Olympics so soon after the traumatic 9/11. Where was he on that fateful day? Did this horrific event give him a new perspective on what it is to be an American Olympian athlete competing on the home soil, so soon after the United States was still recovering from the mourning and shock.
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Post by rose on Mar 10, 2006 22:34:07 GMT -5
I don't know the answer to that question, Warhorse, though perhaps those who have been Apolo fans longer will know. I did order his autobiography so if he says anything in there about it, I will certainly post it here.
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Post by warhorse on Mar 11, 2006 20:56:31 GMT -5
Thank you very much Rose1966.
His winning the Olympic Gold was a fresh of breath air that we have been needing for a long time, and is one of the reasons why I say Apolo's over excited face of winning the 500 was the first honest face I have seen in the news papers and on television in a long, long time!
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Post by aaosmts19 on Feb 19, 2008 13:28:30 GMT -5
Wow, resurrecting an old topic. I don't know the impact that 9/11 had on him, but in his book he says that they were training at the Oval in Colorado Springs that morning. Training was halted by mid-morning so they could go back to the dorms and watch TV. He also says that he didn't know anyone or have 'friends of friends...." in the attack, but to pray for everyone.
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Post by jennaceeta25 on Feb 19, 2008 13:31:05 GMT -5
Wow, resurrecting an old topic. I don't know the impact that 9/11 had on him, but in his book he says that they were training at the Oval in Colorado Springs that morning. Training was halted by mid-morning so they could go back to the dorms and watch TV. He also says that he didn't know anyone or have 'friends of friends...." in the attack, but to pray for everyone. aww thanks for that answer, aaosmts! He's too sweet! |
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noemi
New Member
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Post by noemi on Aug 25, 2008 1:06:42 GMT -5
This question may hit some soft notes in people. I know the topic gets a lump in my throat whe discussing it. Well, here it is. Apolo's first Olympics was in 2002! Right! And on U.S. soil none the less. So, is there any articles with Apolo discussing his feelings on being in the Olympics so soon after the traumatic 9/11. Where was he on that fateful day? Did this horrific event give him a new perspective on what it is to be an American Olympian athlete competing on the home soil, so soon after the United States was still recovering from the mourning and shock. I just found an interview where he talks about it, its: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqxKW1hzDCMor just type "Apolo Anton Ohno on KCTS 2008 Part 1  |
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Post by susie on Aug 25, 2008 19:27:47 GMT -5
I remember feeling so proud of our athletes as they walked into the opening ceremony. I always am, but at that time...even more so. I remember the beauty of the opening ceremony, and I also remember seeing the battered, suviving American flag from the WTC.
9/11 -- what a surreal day that was on the east coast. Driving home, I was diverted from driving through downtown Baltimore, diverted away from the National Security Agency, diverted away from the Naval Academy. There were no planes on the normally congested approach path to BWI...the air was deathly silent.
The next day I had to stand up in front of my beautiful third graders and lead the Pledge of Allegiance, all the time fighting hard to keep the tears in my eyes from spilling over. Those sweet kids were traumatized by the attack. I still think of them as my "9/11" group. For the rest of the year, if they ever saw me the least bit unhappy or upset about something, they were quick to need reassurance. "Is everything okay, Miss W.?", they would ask with an anxious look in their eyes. I would watch them take building cubes, and construct two tall towers, and with one 'whap' of their hand knock them both down as a way of working out their feelings. At the end of the year, as a culminating project, I taught them a little bit about architecture and had them design replacement buildings for the WTC. The kids put in so many clever safety features! Their buildings had helicopter landing pads, security systems, and skywalks going from one tower to another to give people an additional way to safely evacuate. The one feature that really tugged at my heart -- some kids put in giant slides going from the top to the bottom of their buildings, with soft pillows at the bottom so that people could slide safely down if they needed to...too sweet for words.
The Olympics, coming just a few short months later, arrived at a time for our country that was somewhere between hurting and hopeful.
I know that our athletes realize that that when they wear our colors, and compete on behalf of the United States, that they do so honorably, and with our complete love and support. They represent what is best about our country. Apolo crawling across the finish line at the Salt Lake City Olympics to win the silver medal...that was such a beautiful, transcendent, healing, and quintessentially American moment.
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Post by mellie on Aug 25, 2008 22:47:55 GMT -5
Apolo crawling across the finish line at the Salt Lake City Olympics to win the silver medal...that was such a beautiful, transcendent, healing, and quintessentially American moment. Beautifully put Susie. |
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