Olympic great comforts racer after disappointment in Vancouver. By Katie Uhlaender Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Sport No matter what the results are for an athlete in the Olympic Games, to participate in the Olympic movement is indescribable. To hear “USA” screamed by not only your family but also by other nations’ people who you have touched and inspired is an experience that truly teaches you what the Olympic spirit is. After going through four surgeries (from breaking my kneecap twice) and losing my father less than a year before the Olympic Games, it was a huge accomplishment for me to qualify for Vancouver. It was even more insane to have the fastest starts despite being barely six months from my last surgery. (Too bad I didn’t drive down the track as fast as I ran to curve one.) The Olympics is something we work years for, and it is over in minutes — everything has to be perfect. Nike is the only sponsor I have, and it’s a small deal, but they are full of love for their athletes. They noticed that I was unsure of what was next, and that I was a bit disappointed in the way things had gone down leading into my race since I had really wanted to bring home a medal for my country and my father. Nike sought to remind me what I was a part of, so they told me I was going to watch long track with Carl Lewis! A lot of my disappointment came from how I wanted to walk away from the race prepared, with everything in place, and somehow I allowed that not to happen. I worked so hard for four years, and I walked away wondering what if? Carl listened and said the key to success is finding a support group you can depend on and one person within that group that will look you in the eye and say, “You will be Olympic champion.” At this point I could feel my eyes watering up, and I realized that one person had been my father. I was crying in front of Carl Lewis! I was so embarrassed, but I couldn’t help it. He looked at me as though he was about to start crying as well, and told me how he had also lost his father at 23. I was shocked! He assured me it was going to get better, and asked me what I thought my father would say to me now. He told me my father had been around long enough to make sure I was ready to go out and be the woman he raised me to be, to represent my country and my family name, and to know he has left me with the tools and the knowledge I need to win. I need to let go, and once I’m able to do that my father will be even closer to me. I need faith that I am prepared to face life without him. The rest will come. It’s about finding that person that I can count on no matter what in this new chapter of life without my father. No one will replace him, but it’s time to grow and evolve into, hopefully, that Olympic champion he knew I could be. Carl helped me realize I can’t do this alone, and it will be very important to find that key support. He reminded me what the Olympics are truly about: educating and inspiring those around us to live life with passion and integrity. Those were the basic principles my father taught me, among many other life lessons, and I am honored to be a part of that. There are so many athletes here that have inspired me and picked me up, and not all of them were American. It’s not about nation, it’s not about glory; it is about inspiration.
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Olympic Skeleton Racer Katie Uhlaender Gets A Lesson From Carl Lewis
