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Beginning of the Dream Find out how some Olympians got started
By Chad Austin and Damon Fontenot, CNNSI.com
Every athlete's Olympic aspirations began with a dream. For some, that dream begins as a youth, for others it's cultivated later in life. Some have trained virtually their entire lives for a spot on an Olympic team, while others seemingly find their way onto a path that leads them to the Olympics. But no matter how or where today's Olympians got their start, they all have one thing in common. They all have a unique story and a unique set of circumstances that put them on the path to the Olympics. For instance, Dan Hackett may not be playing water polo today had he not overslept for a basketball practice. "When I was a kid, I didn't grow up thinking that I wanted to be a water polo star," Hackett said. "I wanted to play basketball, and I wanted to play baseball.... I ended up oversleeping the last day of tryouts for basketball for the freshman team, so I was cut because I wasn't there. I was always playing water polo at the same time, and I was having relative success with that. I never slept through those workouts, I guess, and here I am today." Husband and wife equestrian tandem David and Karen O'Connor were both groomed to ride at an early age. "Like every little girl in America that wanted to ride horses, I bugged my parents until they finally caved in and gave me a horse for my 11th birthday," Karen O'Connor said. "I really always loved the thrill of competition." "I was actually a little younger," David O'Connor said. "My family was very involved with horses. I was born into a horsing family, and this was a passion of my mother's for a long time." Others got their starts at the prodding of a parent, coach or sibling. But no matter what the circumstances, there is a definite beginning to every athlete's Olympic dream.
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