To be an Olympian is the goal of so many youth athletes. Ask a group of sports camp attendees, “Who here wants to be an Olympian?” Almost all will raise their hands. It's a natural response. Elite athletes want to be the best, and, often, more importantly, want to be seen as the best. To win is all. To lose is seen as shameful.

 Books have been written about how to build your child into an Olympian. Parents take their children out of school and “Homeschool” them so they can train more often and travel to far-away events. A child's life decisions may hinge on a single performance.

 It's been said that to be an Olympian, you must have four conditions.  1) You must have a high-level coach and training.  2) You must have the physical gifts and talents to perform at a high level.  3) You must have the ability to travel to high-level competition  4) You must have the emotional support to refocus your attention when you are down or distracted. These four conditions will bring you to the trials, but will not guarantee an Olympic berth. More often than not, extrinsic factors such as luck make the difference. So much financial, emotional, and physical energy is needed to even have a chance at a berth. 

So, why do it? Well, the rewards are many. I have seen people’s demeanor change upon the realization that, indeed, they are an Olympian. Some become ambassadors. Self-aware of their position of leadership in the sport, they project a kinder, more patient persona. They speak with greater confidence. A few work to fight the sense of entitlement that comes with the position. It is the first thing listed on their resume and often the first thing said about them. It almost guarantees a job. If a medal is won, a good job within their chosen sport is in the bag. Many countries have monetary and physical rewards for medal winners. The swag an Olympian gets is so far beyond any other event they go to that it should be the focus of an article all in itself.

 While becoming an Olympian changes how you see yourself, the changes in how others see you may, in fact, be greater. We put our icons on pedestals and demand the “best of us” from them. We expect them to be bathed in the light of Olympic virtuosity. Cleansed from their former selves. Marching forward with a shield of Olympic rings on their chests. Forever changed.

 I know it is a humbling experience. I worked at the Rio Olympics as a mat-side photographer for UWW. Working side by side with the best in my profession made me realize the value of what I knew and what I did not. The Olympics are larger than life. It could very easily become overwhelming to those who would let it. The event was transformative to my career and my life. 

Recently, an Olympic gold medalist wrestler from the USA was caught up in a prostitution sting. It made national headlines because he was an Olympic Gold Medalist. Now, no way regular guy Kyle Snyder makes national headline news for a bunko sting. Olympic Champion Kyle Snyder does. Is it fair? No, I don't think so. The fact that we put our heroes on pedestals and hold them to a higher moral standard makes for an artificial modeling of that standard by the heroes. Doing less opens them to national headline ridicule.

 In his defense, Kyle posted an apology with a scripture attached: 1 Peter 4:17-18. Basically, it says, no one is free from God’s judgment, and if it is so hard for the righteous to be saved, what will happen to the ungodly? In other words, only God can judge men because, as men, we’re not worthy of that behavior. Sure… I get that, but here's the rub:  that’s the gig. When you’re a hero, people want to see you get knocked off your pedestal and to judge you. When the best of us fail, it seems as if our own failures are less. Truth be told, it only magnifies them