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A state of confusion
Erin Aldrich, 22, competed in the high jump at the Sydney Olympics after placing second at the U.S. Olympic Trials. The 6-foot-1 Aldrich is the current collegiate record-holder in the high jump (6 feet, 5 1/2 inches) and has been named an All-America in both track and volleyball at the University of Texas.
October 6, 2000
Some food for thought: "The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part, for the essential thing in life is not so much conquering as fighting well." -- Baron Pierre de Coubertin As I sit on the plane returning from my first Olympic Games, I am given more than ample time to reflect on the several emotions running through my head at the moment. I am returning to the United States from the most awesome experience of my life. I guess you could say that I am an emotional basket case, yet I am welcoming this feeling, because I would not have traded this experience for the world. I am in a state of confusion right now -- a good confusion if there is such a thing. I feel sad to leave the friends I've made, overjoyed to have participated in the first Olympic Games of the millennium, disappointed that I didn't make the final, optimistic for a medal in 2004, angry for not sustaining my focus longer, yet thankful for the gift of my athletic ability. I believe there is nothing better than reflection after a disappointing performance. After all, it is not the victory that delves deep into our thoughts, it is the defeat. Like I always say, I have never learned so much from my victories as my defeats. With this in mind, I am hungry for the chance to make the next four year of my life more successful than the last. As I have said in my past entries, everything about the Olympic Games was beautiful -- nothing has changed, in my opinion. Following the Closing Ceremonies, which were incredible, the village turned into a ghost town. Athletes dispersed to their individual countries and the village was no longer represented by a member of each country. It was sad and rather depressing. I took some time to see a little of what Sydney has to offer besides the hype of the Games. My brother, a friend of his, and myself climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge on the penultimate evening of my stay. We made our reservation for a nighttime climb so we could see the lights of Sydney. It was amazing to see the entire city from the pinnacle of the bridge. The water beneath us was so surreal and some of the final fireworks from the Games were set off from a boat below us. The night before I left, I took a trip to Circular Quay, my favorite spot in Sydney. I ate dinner there and faced reality that the Games had finally concluded. For four years I had been waiting for the Games to commence, and now they were over. It was quite apparent that they had terminated because the city was no longer a huge party. People had actually gone back to work and there were no longer clowns parading the streets or human statues painted in silver from head to toe. So, at the age of 22, I have concluded "Chapter 22" of the story of my life. Maybe I will be able to conclude Chapter 26 by saying I won a medal in 2004. But, if I don't, as the Aussies say, "No worries!" Chapter 22 was a great chapter -- probably the most exciting of all the chapters in my book, thus far. Although I did not place as high as I would have liked at the 2000 Olympic Games, I was successful. Many would ask why, and I would answer, "Because it is not always the outcome that determines one's success, it is how much they learned from the experience that makes them successful!"
-- Erin Aldrich
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