WHAT THE OLYMPICS MEAN TO ME

I was 8 years old living in my house on the north-side of Jacksonville Florida, still in elementary school at Pine Estates Elementary. My job was to go outside and twist the antenna so we could get good reception. In those days, we were not privileged to Cable TV; we were old School, with 4 channels CBS- ABC, NBC and PBS. That was it my friends. I remember the 1972 Olympics, I remember watching my mom staying glued to the TV and saying I hope they don’t harm those kids, we must pray for them. I can still remember all the cards we made so send off to the Athletes, as the world stood still and the focus become on Israel.

The Munich Massacre; is an informal name for an attack that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Shortly after the crisis began, the Palestinians demanded the release of 234 prisoners held in Israeli jails They also demanded the release of the founders (Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof) of the German Red Army Faction, who were held in German prisons. Black September called the operation "Ikrit and Biram", after two Christian Palestinian villages whose inhabitants were expelled by the Haganah in 1948.

The kidnappers killed eleven Israeli athletes and coaches and a West German police officer. Five of the eight members of Black September were killed by police officers during a failed rescue attempt. The three surviving assassins were captured, but later released by West Germany following the hijacking by Black September of a Lufthansa Flight 181 airliner. Israel responded to the killings with Operation Spring of Youth and Operation Wrath of God, during which Palestinians suspected of involvement in the massacre were systematically tracked down and killed by Israeli intelligence and Special Forces. The Israeli operations killed one innocent in Norway and four passersby in Lebanon, with 18 others injured during the killing of Ali Hassan Salameh.

I will never forget that dark day. However, from that minute on, I was hooked. Back then both winter and summer, when the Olympics were on, I was front and center right in front of my TV.  Now here we are 40 years later, and I am still just as hooked as I was as a Kid. I can not wait until the opening ceremonies tonight. We all will be entertained, Danny Boyle is the director of this great event Daniel "Danny" Boyle is an English film director and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, Shallow Grave, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. More than 120,000 people have already seen Boyle’s $27 million production, called Isles of Wonder, during two dress rehearsals this week, but the fact that they have refused en masse to leak any details of it has only added to the sense of excitement. Just last night the BBC was allowed to broadcast a 30-second clip of the ceremony, featuring modern dance and actors wearing illuminated wings, the first officially-sanctioned preview of the show. 

But those who had been at the rehearsals said the clips gave little or no impression of the inventiveness and ambition Boyle has shown in tackling the world’s biggest live broadcast event. The entertainment for those in the stadium will begin with a Red Arrows fly-past at 8.12pm, and will feature live music, but for the global TV audience the main event starts at 9pm when Boyle’s vision of rural Britain, complete with live sheep, goats, geese, cows and horses will finally be revealed. Among the big names reported to be taking part in the ceremony are Daniel Craig, who is understood to have filmed a James Bond segment for the show and may be there in person, Kenneth Branagh, who will read lines from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and Sir Paul McCartney, one of several live musical acts, who will close the show. 

Tonight we will be blown away, and they say do not leave your seat for a minute.  I am sure it will be somewhat emotional for me, I do get emotional with my favorite sporting events, my all time favorite was when I worked in Media, and I got to stand in the Tunnel with my beloved Florida Gators and watch them take the field. Jesse Plamer and Doug Johnson Shared the QB responsibilities that year the Gators got blew out of the SEC Championship and I got dismissed from the Pregame Press Conference for Asking the Ole Ball Coach would he ever fix his QB problem.  

However, I’ll never forget the feeling of standing in the tunnel right next to Steve Spurrier, and my beloved Florida Gators. My point is the emotion of the feeling of excitement that runs through your body and tonight if you will sit still and watch your TV starting at 7:30 est on NBC. You may very well understand just exactly what I am talking about. You will watch the best Athletes in the world, who are pure in their sport, they are the best in the business and they are representing their country, there fore their hearts are all they way fully involved in every second of every minute of them giving their very best 100% purest effort to go for the Gold.

So once the games begin, you will be watching the best of the best, let’s look at a few of the best from America…

Michael Phelps, who has won 14 gold’s in two previous Olympics, may be lazy and have a bad work ethic, but I guess that's what it takes to re-write Olympic history. Fellow American swimmer Tyler Clary said a few weeks back that Phelps "doesn't have to work as hard" in training, and, side note to Clary, that's because the 27-year-old is blessed with the greatest swimming talent to ever take a lap. Phelps needs just two more medals to unseat Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina as the all-time gold medal leader, something Phelps could probably do while eating a Subway sandwich.

Missy Franklin, In the wake of a tragedy, swimmer Missy Franklin has even more of a reason to succeed in London. The 17-year-old Franklin trains just ten miles from Aurora, Colorado, sight of the recent, deadly movie theater shooting. "The only thing I can do is go to the Olympics and hopefully make Colorado proud and find a little bit of light there now." As if the Olympics didn't bring enough pressure, the teen has been dubbed "the female Michael Phelps." Franklin will have a chance to live up to her billing in seven events.

Jan Ebeling and Mitt Romney's horse, Rafalca, US Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who organized the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, is once again involved with the Games, sort of. His horse, Rafalca will be at the Olympics competing with Jan Ebling, the riding tutor of Romney's wife Ann, in the sport of dressage. The German born Ebling, 53 who became a US citizen in 1998, will take on the dressage powerhouse that is his former country.

Sherif Farrag, has more to deal with than just his fencing opponents. As a American Muslim competing during Ramadan, he faces the question of fasting during daylight hours. Ramadan runs for the entire length of the 2012 London Games, and so the Egyptian-born competitor, who moved to the US at age nine, will have to figure out if he will fast, as will other Muslims competing at the Olympics. He is currently observing the fast during training, but is still unsure whether he can handle the strain of competition without food.

Holly Mangold, isn't the only football player in her family. Brother Nick plays on the offensive line for the New York Jets, while sister Holly became the first woman to play in an Ohio High School State Championship football game. Facing limited football prospects after high school, Holly became a talented weightlifter who will compete in the snatch and clean and jerk events at the Games.

Jordan Burroughs, Freestyle wrestler Jordan Burroughs is thinking big. Before even reaching an Olympic podium, he has announced his intention to defend a gold medal he has yet to win. The 23-year-old New Jersey product knows that no American freestyle gold medalist has stuck around to defend his medal since 1996, and that's something he is out to change. Should the favorite at the 74 kilogram weight get the job done in London, he'll be out to match John Smith, who won in Seoul and Barcelona, the last American wrestler to successfully defend an Olympic title.

Evelyn Stevens, four years ago Evelyn Stevens told her bosses at a New York investment bank to take this job and shove it. Today she is days away from cycling at the Olympic Games. That's quite a transformation, meteoric even. Within a year of leaving Wall Street, Stevens became a national champion in a sport she had no prior experience in. Recently, she won Belgium's Fleche Wallone, the first American to do so. A win in London would cap a story made for Hollywood.

Tyson Gay, The world's second fastest man, Tyson Gay, is lucky to be in London, considering that hip surgery kept him off the track for nearly an entire year. Back in March, the 29-year-old couldn't even jog, but now he's close to full steam, looking to unseat Jamaica's Usain Bolt in the 100-metres. It's a tough task, especially when you consider what sort of effort could be required to get on the podium in Track and Field's premier event. Admitted Gay:

"It will take a 9.7 to even get a medal, it's mind blowing,"

Jordyn Wieber, United States gymnasts are attempting to do something in London that they haven't accomplished since the 1996 Atlanta Games, win the women's team gold medal. It doesn't hurt to have the 2011 world all-around champion on your side, and Jordyn Wieber is set to lead that charge. The 17-year-old has already turned pro, and is on the verge of Olympic stardom. Wieber t-shirts are a top seller in her tiny home town of DeWitt, Michigan.

David Boudia, the changing of the guard in diving came in 2008 when China emerged as the preeminent power in the sport. They grabbed seven of the eight available golds, while the US left Beijing wearing a doughnut. That's something David Boudia is out to change in London. While the Purdue University product has the domestic credentials, with three NCAA Diver of the Year Awards, he'll need to make that jump to the next level in the 10-meter platform and in the synchro event with partner Nick McCrory in order to emerge with a medal.

Queen Underwood, the 28-year-old boxer was on the outside looking in, losing a one-point decision that cost her an opportunity to appear in the very first women's tournament in Olympic history. Then, last month, she finally got the call that she'd been desperately waiting for. Underwood was awarded an at-large place in the lightweight division, a sensible decision as she is a five-time national champion. The maiden women's tournament will have three events, fly, middle and lightweight.

Abby Wambach, has scored 138 goals for the United States Women's Soccer team, second all time to Mia Hamm's 158, but not one of them were scored at the 2008 Olympics. Wambach missed out on the Beijing Games, fracturing her left tibia in a warm-up game against Brazil, so this time around, Wambach, who won gold with the team at Athens is taking nothing for granted. Her US side are out to avenge the USA's defeat by Japan in the 2011 Women's World Cup final.

Kim Rhode, she's on the verge of becoming the first American to medal in five consecutive Games, but you may not have heard of her. Kim Rhode won her first medal in shooting back in 1996 in Atlanta, and didn't stop there. Now the 33-year-old is shooting for history, although you'd never know it judging by her tweets: "BBQ'ed last night at my house with a few close friends one of which said he was surprised that I didn't look to nervous!!! Lol"

Lolo Jones, four years ago in Beijing, Lolo Jones was the frontrunner to take a 100-meter hurdles gold medal. Then she tripped over the penultimate hurdle, stumbling to seventh place. While she may be focused redemption in London, it doesn't come at the expense of the 29-year-olds sense of humor.

Bernard Lagat, middle-distance runner Bernard Lagat won two Olympic medals for his native Kenya in 2000 and 2004, and will be seeking his first for the United States in London. Lagat became a US Citizen in March of 2004, but competed for Kenya in Athens, which cost him a short ban from international competition as Kenya doesn't allow dual citizenship. After an unsuccessful Olympics in Beijing, the 37-year-old Lagat will run in the 5000 meters in London.

Mariel Zagunis, fencing and the United States don't go together like, say, baseball and apple pie, but Mariel Zagunis is trying to change that. In 2004 she failed to qualify for Athens before Nigeria declined to send a team, opening up a place. Zagunis, whose parents both competed as rowers in Montreal 1976, went on to take advantage of the opportunity, capturing gold in the individual sabre, becoming the first US fencer to win in the sport for 100 years. Zagunis repeated the feat at Beijing, adding a bronze medal for her team efforts. She will carry the US flag during the opening ceremony.

Terrence Jennings, there probably aren't many world class athletes that can say that their career was inspired by a cartoon. As a boy, Terrence Jennings was all about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and seeing the show playing at a taekwondo shop inside his local shopping mall was enough to reel him into the sport. Years later, the 25-year-old who has recovered from two knee surgeries, knocked off Mark Lopez, a premier name from America's premier taekwondo family to earn a spot on the Olympic team.

Joseph Diaz Jr., is the youngest member of the US Olympic boxing team, Diaz Jr. hails from one of the poorer regions of Southern California, and he believes boxing is his family's ticket out of poverty. With his father unemployed, and his mother working part-time, the sense of urgency Diaz Jr. is way beyond that of personal achievement in sport. The bantamweight thinks he can turn pro and become a world champion, but before that, he'll be boxing for gold in London.

Alex Morgan, much more than just a pretty face, Alex Morgan is out to add her name to the list of US Soccer front-women. Mia Hamm, Hope Solo and Abby Wambach have been the linchpins of the program for years and the torch is expected to pass to Morgan in London as the US women go for gold. The 23-year-old striker has scored 19 goals in 16 games for the USA despite not becoming a regular in the team until earlier this year.

Allyson Felix, for two consecutive Olympics, Allyson Felix fell short in her signature event, the 200 meters, losing on both occasions to her rival Veronica Campbell-Brown. In between, the 26-year-old Californian has won three world championships, beating the Jamaican. Still, Felix tells Vanity Fair that she would trade all three of those world titles for that elusive Olympic gold medal. Should Felix be able to maintain her current form, grabbing gold is a distinct possibility. At the US trials, the USC grad run the 200 in 21.69 seconds the sixth fastest all-time.

Mary Whipple, has rhythm and an Olympic gold medal. As coxswain of the 2008 women's eight in Beijing, Whipple led her team to victory, four years after helping them take silver in Athens. Whipple has been in the ninth seat throughout an impressive run that includes a world championship. The London Games are the swan song for the 32-year-old, who will guide her boat on the Olympic course some 25 miles west of the capital near Windsor Castle.

Reed Kessler, is poised to make Olympic history when she rides her horse Cylana, becoming the youngest show jumper in the history of the Games. Kessler is the young gun in a sport where it's possible to compete into your 50's. Having said that, there's a chance that Kessler could still be riding when the 2044 Games come around! Today however, she's got her eyes on London, telling New York Newsday: "But now the plan is to go there and win. If I didn't think I had a chance to bring home a medal, I wouldn't be going."

Margaux Isaksen, what's an Olympic preview without taking a look at modern pentathlon, the sport thought up by the founder of the modern Games, Pierre de Coubertin. Since 2008, with the future of the sport at the Games under threat, the shooting event has been combined with the running event, giving it a biathlon feel, "jazzing it up" for some. The other skills required are swimming, riding and fencing, of course. Margaux Isaksen is a gal with a gun, back for another crack at a medal after failing to reach the podium in Beijing. The only female competitor on the US team is hoping to continue the form that saw her take gold at the 2011 Pan American Games.

John Orozco, for gymnast John Orozco, making the leap from good to great required more than hard work. A native of the Bronx, Orozco needed to make a move to an elite gym in Chappaqua, a ritzy northern suburb of New York City, in order to develop his natural talent. Unable to afford the costs, six of his family members became employees of the facility to help pay his enrollment. The move paid off, and Orozco went pro in 2009 after a spectacular performance at the junior national championships. Since then he's enjoyed success on the highest level, and is now the 19-year-old is on the verge of inspiring global headlines at the London Games.

Steven Lopez, some Olympians are showered in endorsements after Olympic success. Steven Lopez, who won a taekwondo gold medal in Sydney and Athens, got an offer to appear on television's The Bachelor in 2004. The Nicaraguan born Lopez, whose family moved to the US in 1972, didn't find love on set, declining the offer, but did continue to rack up Taekwondo accolades, taking a silver medal in Beijing. The 33-year-old whose sister Diana will also compete at the Games will become the become the all-time leader in Taekwondo medals should he reach the podium in his 80 kilogram weight class.

Kayla Harrison, team USA can claim to be a powerhouse in many Olympic disciplines, but judo isn't one of them. Kayla Harrison represents a historic opportunity for the US to break new ground in the sport as the 22-year-old looks to become the very first American to win a gold medal. Harrison won two national titles before she turned 18, and became the first American to win gold at the world championships while competing in the 78 kilogram class. In 2008 she was denied the opportunity to compete in Beijing when the US failed to qualify for the Games in the division. Today, Harrison is expected to make up for the missed opportunity and win that elusive gold medal.

Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps may have the historic career, but Ryan Lochte has the cover shot. The US swimmer often finds himself in the wake of his teammate, but when it came to appearing on the front page of Vogue, it was Lochte who finished first, joining Serena Williams and Hope Solo on the cover of the iconic fashion mag. Lochte, who has six medals of his own, also knows how to have a good time as the resident class clown. The easygoing 27-year-old is expected to medal in London while competing in four events for Team USA.

Dawn Harper doesn't get the publicity that Lolo Jones gets, one reason why many have forgotten who won the gold medal in the 100 meter hurdles when Jones tripped on the ninth barrier in 2008. It was Harper who was able to capitalize on Jones' mistake, leading to her gold in Beijing, and it was Harper who won the trials in the lead up to those Games. Regardless, Jones gets the pop, and has over 170,000 Twitter followers while the Olympic champion can't muster 3000. But with that publicity comes the pressure, and there's every chance that Harper could foil Jones' bid for redemption in London.

LeBron James, can LeBron James go by his nickname "King" in London without offending the Royals? The Queen will likely let him off the hook, but fans of Team USA won't if he doesn't come back with a basketball gold medal. James, momentarily out of the frying pan after winning his first NBA title with the Miami Heat, goes straight back into the fryer as he goes for gold. With an American basketball public that's ready to jump all over James for the most minor of infractions, returning to the States without the right color medal would open up the King for another round of criticism.

Swin Cash, the resume is impressive. Two NCAA women's basketball championships, three WNBA titles, a FIBA World Championship gold medal and an Olympic gold. Four years after Team USA emerged victorious in Athens, a banged up Swin Cash was left out of the team, forced into the commentary booth. Since then the 32-year-old been all about getting that groove back, and that she did in 2010, leading the WNBA's Seattle Storm to a sweep in the championship series. A spot on Team USA followed, and with it, a chance to add on to her already lengthy list of accolades.

I will also mention The Honorable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. born 21 August 1986), is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 meters, the 200 meters and (along with his teammates) the 4×100 meters relay. He is the reigning Olympic champion in these three events, and is one of only seven athletes (along with Valerie Adams, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jacques Freitag, Yelena Isinbayeva, Jana Pittman, Dani Samuels) to win world championships at the youth, junior, and senior level of an athletic event.

So the Olympics mean a lot more to me than the sports that are played. They represent history in the making, not just in terms of records and medals, but in terms of people's lives. The Olympics represent memories for everyone, not just the athletes. This is a two week period that time will actually stand still, that we are not focused on what party we are a part of, what color we are, or what our sexual preferences are. However we become untied, as one country all pulling for our Athletes to win, because when they win, we all win ~ Donnie Bolena