By Jim Palmer
As I prepare to send our five editions to the press, the 2024 Olympic Games are gearing up for what is bound to be a newsworthy 19 days of competition in Paris.
I don’t always get a chance to watch as many of the Olympic events as I used to, but I always enjoy catching the opening ceremony and try to catch as many of the big event finals as I can.
For me, the Olympics bring back great memories of the first one that I watched. I was 10 years old in 1984. I would sit about four feet from the TV and watch for hours. My schedule was wide open back then and the Olympics kept me glued to the tube. When I left the TV, it was usually to go outside to try the sport that I was watching. I knew what the sports were, but had never really watched real track and field events, gymnastic events, swimming/diving events, fencing, rowing, soccer, rugby, weightlifting, and so on. I found it fascinating that there were so many competitive sports in the world and countries would send their best to compete in one big event.
I enjoyed learning about the back stories on the athletes (still do). It is amazing how invested you can get in an athlete after you learn they came from a rough childhood, or overcame big obstacles to be one of the best.
There was a lot of anticipation for the 1984 Olympics for multiple reasons. First, the last Olympics was held in 1980 in Moscow. In protest of the Soviet Union’s invasion in Afghanistan, they boycotted the Olympics that year. That meant it had been eight years since the U.S. appeared in the Olympics (in Montreal). Second, the 1984 Olympics were held in Los Angeles, making it the first time since 1932 that the Games would take place in the United States (the Soviet Union returned the favor and boycotted the ‘84 Games). So it was a big deal.
I was a daily consumer of all things Olympics in 1984, so for those who don’t remember it, let me give you a quick recap...
• Carl Lewis was one of the United States’ shining stars coming into the Games, and he shined in a big way with gold medals in the 100 meter, 200 meter and 4x100 meter relays. He also took gold in the long jump (icing on the cake). For years, if anyone did anything fast, they were compared to Carl Lewis.
• Michael Jordan made his Olympic debut and dazzled, leading the men’s team to a gold medal. He would return in 1992 to win gold as part of the “Dream Team.” The women’s basketball team, led by Cheryl Miller, also took the gold in ‘84, their first in that event. And Cheryl’s little brother, Reggie, later won gold on the men’s Olympic team in 1996.
• Charismatic 16-year-old gymnast, Mary-Lou Retton, became the first American woman to be named an Olympic all-around champion. And she did so in dramatic fashion, scoring perfect 10s on both the floor exercise and vault to edge Romanian gymnast, Ecaterina Szabo by five one hundredth of a point. Mary-Lou also picked up silver medal for Team and Vault, as well as bronze for uneven bars and floor exercise. Her five medals were most won by any athlete at the Games that year.
• Greg Louganis swept gold in the diving events (and again in 1988). He was also considered the favorite to win all diving events in the 1980 Olympics... but didn’t compete because of the boycott. He is still considered by most as the greatest diver ever.
• A few of the other Americans who became household names after winning gold at the Olympics include Rowdy Gaines (swimming), Matt Biondi (swimming), Bart Conner (gymnastics), Edwin Moses (hurdles), Pernell Whitaker (boxing), Karch Kiraly (volleyball), Mary T. Meagher (swimming), and Joan Benoit (marathon).
• This was the first year that the Games opened the door to professional athletes. Previously, sports like soccer and basketball (and others) were limited to amateurs. So the best of the best were represented in these sports.
• New events making their debut were women’s marathon, rhythmic gymnastic, synchronized swimming and women’s cycling road race.
• I didn’t know this at the time, but the 1984 Olympics were considered the most financially successful modern Olympics, and served as the gold standard of how an Olympics should be run.
How much did I love the Olympics in 1984? About a week into the Games, I remember setting up events in our backyard for the decathlon and having some neighbor kids over to compete. The running events were easy to set up (run to the end of the driveway, run around the block, etc), but we had to be creative on some of them. We threw a frisbee for the discus throw, a large stick for the javelin, and found stuff in our garage to jump over for the hurdles.
By the time the closing ceremony was held in 1984, the US had won the most gold medals and most overall medals. I had a serious case of Olympic fever. I was proud of our country and was sad to see the Games were over. I couldn’t believe I had to wait four years to see the next one. I even bought a red, white and blue hat to wear for the rest of the summer. Those were good days.
Here’s hoping for a fun and exciting 2024 Olympic Games in Paris! Go USA!
DRIVERS WANTED
Senior Perspective is looking for a delivery driver for the St. Joseph/Waite Park/St. Cloud area, as well as another driver for the Little Falls/Brainerd/Baxter/Crosby/Aitkin area. Candidates must be reliable, friendly and able to deliver papers one day per month. Pay based on hours and miles. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Jim Palmer, publisher, at 320-334-3344 or email at jim@srperspective.com.
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