Michael Phelps set the goal and made me a hero.
Well, me and tens of millions of others who held our collective breath while leaning toward the television screen and urging him onward in his quest to win eight swimming gold medals in the Olympics.
It was close but we pulled it out, Michael and me. In his seventh race I pushed him to the wall just .01 second ahead of the second place finisher, a man who will forever be the nameless foil who glided toward the finish while Phelps pounded out another half stroke and won by the length of a fingernail.
Every great victory requires the defeat of someone who came up just short.
And who can forget our close call in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay win when Jason Lezak beat the world’s fastest 100 meter swimmer to pull it out in an amazing final leg that gave the team a win by .08 of a second and gave them each, including Michael, another gold medal?
It’s probably wrong to call Phelps’ gargantuan achievement heroic. There were no lives in the balance. The only thing to be lost was a dream and television ratings for the network that manipulated the Olympic schedule to put Phelps in prime time every time.
Michael Phelps won eight gold medals this week, but only five in individual races. Five golds by itself is an amazing achievement. But others have done that. To reach the remarkable milestone of eight required the help of teammates. He can’t win eight by himself. He needed a team for the other three and he gladly admits it.
We all need a team to help us accomplish our goals. There is no lone hero because heroism needs a context.
When Phelps was splashing toward the finish we became a part of his team. His mother, so vividly and transparently emotional during each race, of course has been an essential part of his team. The three guys who swam their best in the relays were on his team.
Who is on your team? Who helps you achieve your goals? What unsung, heroic teammate will bask anonymously in your achievements, rejoicing when the spotlight turns toward you, knowing all along the sacrifice he/she made to help you reach the podium?
If you’re thinking of your spouse, your parents, your coaches, sponsors, supporters, cheer leaders, pastors, youth directors, teachers, neighbors, grandparents and fellow staff members, this would be a good time, in the Olympic spirit of Michael Phelps, to tell them, “Thanks.”