OK, this has to be quick. Between my day job and watching the Winter Olympic Games, I don’t have a lot of time. I wanted to say, though, how proud the American athletes make me, especially the ones I know. Chances are you know them too.
Not personally, probably, but you know them the way I know them–they have shared their personal stories of hope and inspiration in Guideposts. Scott Hamilton, the skating commentator and former champion, for instance. We featured Lolo Jones in our coverage of the 2012 Summer Games (now she’s using those powerful legs to push a bobsled). Kris Freeman shared his story about having type 1 diabetes and qualifying for the U.S. cross-country ski team. Silver medalist free skier Gus Kenworthy did a video for us and is now rescuing the stray dogs of Sochi. And I don’t know about you, but I cheered like crazy for Katie Uhlaender, who just missed medaling in skeleton. She was in our February issue with a wonderful story about her father and how he both inspired her and motivated her to be a fierce and unrelenting competitor.
NBC’s Brian Williams anchored his nightly newscast from Sochi. He told his story in Guideposts back in 2005. Meredith Vieira, our August 2007 cover, stepped in for Bob Costas, who was felled by a nasty eye infection, and became the first woman to ever anchor primetime Olympic coverage. Hey, it’s about time, don’t you think?
But the Olympic personality I feel closest to is Mike “Doc” Emrick, the legendary hockey play-by-play announcer and arguably the reigning dean of all sportscasters. Besides being a hockey fan, he is a serious fan of Guideposts, Norman Vincent Peale and positive thinking; he also wrote a “What Prayer Can Do” for us once. I love Mike and we try to see each other whenever he’s in town calling a game. Last time was on a freezing night in January. I met him outside Madison Square Garden, where he had just called the game of the week between the New York Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks.
Actually who Mike really wanted to finally meet in person was Millie. Mike loves all animals but especially dogs. He’s one of Millie’s biggest fans. So he walked with us and won Millie’s everlasting devotion by buying her a hot dog from a street vendor. The other day when the U.S. was beating Russia in that unbelievable overtime shootout, I pointed to the TV and said to Millie, “Listen, that’s the guy who bought you a hot dog.” Millie got very excited. She knows the words hot dog.
Anyway, that night on our walk Mike told me he was a little anxious about Sochi, with all of the security concerns. I said we’d pray for him at our Monday morning prayer fellowship, then sent him an email a week or so ago reminding him that Guideposts’ prayers were going with him to Russia. He emailed back saying things in Sochi were great but to keep the prayers coming. So I have.
We’ll be hearing more from Mike this weekend as the gold medal matches in hockey are played. Meanwhile let’s give a big thanks to all the Americans who have competed and worked in Sochi.
