Unless, you live under a rock, you are well aware that the 2016 Rio Olympics has come and gone. It was one of the best Olympics thus far, with many record-breaking feats. Team USA really dominated and reminded the world why our country is so great. Although the Olympics pertains to sports, there were many lessons that can be learned, even if you do not do sports. There were also many American ideals that were shown in the athletes and how they train. Katie Ladecky, Micheal Phelps, Simon Biles — those are just some of the names from Team USA's great roster. Below are some of the lessons I learned and maybe you did to or will.
1. The first thing is hard work.
Michael Phelps said in all of his interviews how the last Olympics he did not train as hard and slacked off. That is why he did not do his very best. This time he worked hard, everyday, even with a kid. He wanted it so bad and sacrificed a lot to get, including his body. It's really motivating to know even the most decorated olympian of all time, still has to put lots and lots of effort into his craft.
2. The second thing is American dream and achieving anything you want.
Simon Biles and Gabby Douglas talk a lot about their tough childhood and the struggles they went through. They were able to push through and get to a good training facility and worked all the way until they were Olympic Champions. Whoever said the American Dream is dead is mistaken.
3. The last and one of the most important, is the high moral standards America has and the Olympic athletes have.
Everyone was well aware of the Russian scandal with their drug use and many Olympic athletes spoke out about that and shared their feelings on how wrong it was. That goes to show that the American athletes do everything clean and the right way. We did have one American incident with Ryan Lochte — The USA did not take it lightly nor did his sponsors. Lochte lost a lot of his big sponsors and some of the most important ones. As mentioned before, that scandal was not taken lightly.
The Olympics could not have gone better for the United States. We had the most medals and more gold medals than any other country. We worked hard for those medals, just like we work hard for our country and being the best in the world. There is no doubt there is a standard the USA holds itself to, it's first-class and that is shown around the world. We are not perfect, which was also shown in the Olympics. But we do what ever we can to be our best. And if we aren't, we figure out how to get back on top. For me, the 2016 Olympics taught me to work hard, be honest and love America! What about you?
