Preparation

The next Summer Olympics takes place in London in 611 days. Or at least that's when we, the general public, see it on television. But for most of the athletes here, the Olympics started over 2 years ago, right after Beijing was finished.

It just boggles me (yes, I just used that word) how long and how much goes into preparing for this event every four years. These athletes spend 1,460 days getting ready for one single moment that will define the rest of their career and life. Yeah, it's that big to some people and they have a lot to do to get there.

In fact, they have sectionals, qualifiers, nationals, and worlds. It's all very confusing, but let me try to explain. Ahem:

In order to get to go to the Olympics, an athlete must attend the Olympic Trials and win, beating out all other American competitors. In Track & Field, they must also have an A standard, the highest rank in the world making them a worthy opponent and creating a competitive field. If you don't have enough athletes with A standards, your country cannot be represented. But in order for your country to even be allowed to go to the Olympics, it first must qualify. So a year in advance, they have Pan American games that will qualify your country. But with over 190 countries in the world, not every country can compete in the Pan American Games. So TWO years in advance they have the preliminary tests to see who will be sent to the Pan American Games.

(Breath) Now if your country qualifies, that still doesn't mean an athlete in every sport and event gets to go. That's why the different levels of standards are so important. Your rank determines whether you will considered for an Olympic spot. But your standard is not given to you based on your current competitions. No, you receive your standard before the season even starts. Right now, Track & Field athletes know what their standard for the 2011 season is. Everything is based on how you performed last season. If you receive a B or C Standard, you have to work and win every competition this year to show that for the 2012 season (an Olympic year) that you have what it takes. And if you're an A Standard, congratulations, now prove why you deserve to keep that standard. Being an athlete is a full-time job, except you don't get paid vacation days and live out of a suitcase.

Now if you read those last two paragraphs, bravo. If you just skipped down to this shorter one, I don't blame you. They were probably a little confusing anyways. And all I'm trying to say is this: The Olympics don't take place every two years. They happen every day. And every day you have to be ready to do whatever it takes so that when your moment comes, you're ready.