Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
U.S. Silver Medalist: Competition Is Small Part of Olympic Experience
Inside-Sources
By InsideSources.com
Published 7 years ago on
February 13, 2018

Share

Editor’s Note: On Feb. 11, 2018, Chris Mazdzer won the Olympic silver medal in men’s singles luge, becoming the first American to medal in the event.
The five Olympic rings whose blue, yellow, black, green and red colors represent every flag in the world, is the most recognizable symbol worldwide. What those rings mean, however, differs from person to person, as their perception is shaped by their own experiences, relationship to sports and the media.


Opinion
Chris Mazdzer
When I look at those five rings joined together I see the Olympic and Paralympic values of friendship, respect, excellence, determination, inspiration, courage and equality.
We, as a species, collectively crossed vast cultural and geographic divides to create the greatest celebration of humanity and with that event attached a distinctive Olympism philosophy. A philosophy that is a way of life based on the joy found in physical effort, the educational value of being a positive and responsible social example and respect for basic fundamental ethical principles. The goal is to use sports as a means to unite humankind harmoniously, promote peace and preserve human dignity.
When I look at those five rings joined together I see the Olympic and Paralympic values of friendship, respect, excellence, determination, inspiration, courage and equality.
When I was 8 years old, I had no concept of the Olympics or what the Olympics would eventually mean to my life. At that young age when I discovered luge I only saw it as the ultimate sledding hill and one of the few things I looked forward to during the frigid winters in Lake Placid, N.Y.
But as time went on and my passion for luge took me to Europe at the impressionable young age of 13, I began to see how fulfilling this sport was even outside of competition. The friends I made with my competitors helped shape me into a better athlete, son and brother, and community member. When I qualified for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver at the age of 21, I realized a lifelong dream after a decade of determination and effort and for the first time had the opportunity to experience the Olympics, and the Olympic Philosophy, firsthand.

First Olympics in 2010 Taught Me a Lot

My experience in the Vancouver Winter Olympics taught me that the actual competition is only one small part of the Olympic experience. I joined all of the other U.S. athletes to walk in the Opening Ceremonies and collectively to represent an entire nation.
In that moment I got to meet firsthand some of America’s greatest winter athletes and how truly humble and inspiring they are. During the ceremony, to see a crowd filled with people from across the world that would support and cheer us on is a feeling impossible to describe and showcased how sports can cross divides and bring disparate peoples together in celebration.
Another way I saw how sports could unite countries and cultures was, unfortunately, a result of the passing of fellow luge competitor Georgian Nodar Kumaritashvili during a training accident. Athletes from unique parts of the world joined together in remembrance to pay respect and help process the tragedy in front of the world’s media.


This is my third Olympic Winter Games, and the trend that I have seen since Vancouver in the buildup to both the summer and winter Olympic Games is coverage in the media straying from the athletes or the values of Olympism, which I believe makes the Olympic Games society’s greatest event.

Aim High and Achieve

We need to highlight the athletes who don’t take shortcuts to achieve their goals and who compete through determination, perseverance and consistency to attain what people may see as impossible. We need to be showing our youth the heroes of the Olympics, not the negative and easily sensationalized aspects of humanity.
As amateur athletes who, for the most part, do not receive the coverage that professional athletes enjoy, the Olympics is our opportunity to show integrity, determination and the sacrifices that we have made to pursue our passion and sport. This is the opportunity to highlight true role models for society and focus on how we can find a common theme through sports and connect with other people from around the world. How a community of people from such different backgrounds can find friendship and understanding.
The Olympic movement, in my opinion, is the one event that brings the entire world together in a harmonious expression of human nature. We are all different in terms of language, ethnicity and culture, and the beauty of the Olympics is that our societal differences do not matter. We need to refocus the narrative surrounding the Olympics on the positive ideals of Olympism, the meaning of the five rings, athletic heroism and positive societal role models. Sports can, do and will change the world.

About the Author

Chris Mazdzer, a U.S. luger, is a seven-time national champion, with 10 career individual World Cup medals, and a three-time Olympian. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.

 

DON'T MISS

Man Arrested After Shooting at Fresno’s Switch Nightclub

DON'T MISS

Who Is Fresno’s ‘Fake’ ICE Agent? He Speaks Up

DON'T MISS

French Far-Right Leader Marine Le Pen Barred From Seeking Office for 5 Years

DON'T MISS

I Will Force Votes on Blocking Arms Sales to Israel: Sen. Bernie Sanders

DON'T MISS

Man Faces Life in Prison After Conviction for 2019 Visalia Murder

DON'T MISS

What Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Could Mean for Americans: Fareed Zakaria

DON'T MISS

A Look at Fresno City College’s New $87 Million Science Building

DON'T MISS

California Gov. Newsom Says the Democratic Brand Is ‘Toxic’

DON'T MISS

‘Trump Slump’ Looms as Foreign Visitors Rethink Travel to US

DON'T MISS

White House Weighs Helping Farmers as Trump Escalates Trade War

UP NEXT

Who Is Fresno’s ‘Fake’ ICE Agent? He Speaks Up

UP NEXT

French Far-Right Leader Marine Le Pen Barred From Seeking Office for 5 Years

UP NEXT

I Will Force Votes on Blocking Arms Sales to Israel: Sen. Bernie Sanders

UP NEXT

Man Faces Life in Prison After Conviction for 2019 Visalia Murder

UP NEXT

What Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Could Mean for Americans: Fareed Zakaria

UP NEXT

A Look at Fresno City College’s New $87 Million Science Building

UP NEXT

‘Trump Slump’ Looms as Foreign Visitors Rethink Travel to US

UP NEXT

White House Weighs Helping Farmers as Trump Escalates Trade War

UP NEXT

Torpedo-Shaped Bats Draw Attention After Yankees Hit Team-Record 9 Homers

UP NEXT

Silver Fire Grows to 1,250 Acres, Threatens Homes in Inyo County

I Will Force Votes on Blocking Arms Sales to Israel: Sen. Bernie Sanders

1 hour ago

Man Faces Life in Prison After Conviction for 2019 Visalia Murder

3 hours ago

What Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Could Mean for Americans: Fareed Zakaria

3 hours ago

A Look at Fresno City College’s New $87 Million Science Building

3 hours ago

California Gov. Newsom Says the Democratic Brand Is ‘Toxic’

3 hours ago

‘Trump Slump’ Looms as Foreign Visitors Rethink Travel to US

3 hours ago

White House Weighs Helping Farmers as Trump Escalates Trade War

4 hours ago

Torpedo-Shaped Bats Draw Attention After Yankees Hit Team-Record 9 Homers

4 hours ago

Silver Fire Grows to 1,250 Acres, Threatens Homes in Inyo County

4 hours ago

3 Kids Killed in Michigan When Tree Hits Vehicle During Weekend Storm

5 hours ago

Man Arrested After Shooting at Fresno’s Switch Nightclub

A 26-year-old man, Ian McDonough, was arrested early Sunday after a shooting outside Switch Nightclub in Fresno sent the victim to the hospi...

5 minutes ago

Ian McDonough, 26, was arrested after a shooting outside a Fresno nightclub left another man injured, police said. (Fresno PD)
5 minutes ago

Man Arrested After Shooting at Fresno’s Switch Nightclub

47 minutes ago

Who Is Fresno’s ‘Fake’ ICE Agent? He Speaks Up

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen poses prior to an interview on the evening news broadcast of French TV channel TF1, after a French court convicted Marine Le Pen of embezzlement and barred her from seeking public office for five years, Monday, March 31, 2025, in Boulogne-Billancourt, outside Paris. (Thomas Samson, Pool via AP)
1 hour ago

French Far-Right Leader Marine Le Pen Barred From Seeking Office for 5 Years

1 hour ago

I Will Force Votes on Blocking Arms Sales to Israel: Sen. Bernie Sanders

A Tulare County jury convicted Isaiah Elias Garcia, 25, on Friday, March 28, 2025, of second-degree murder for fatally stabbing a man during a 2019 fight in Visalia. (Tulare County DA)
3 hours ago

Man Faces Life in Prison After Conviction for 2019 Visalia Murder

Michael Froman discusses the potential impact of Trump's proposed "Liberation Day" tariffs in an interview with Fareed Zakaria. (Video Screenshot)
3 hours ago

What Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Could Mean for Americans: Fareed Zakaria

Fresno City College students at the new Science Building
3 hours ago

A Look at Fresno City College’s New $87 Million Science Building

3 hours ago

California Gov. Newsom Says the Democratic Brand Is ‘Toxic’

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend