I’m not usually one to write with such emotion as I do now. When I do, it’s universally about core personal finance beliefs – that’s not exactly the case now. I’d like to take a little space and a little of your attention to address a topic a little outside the box.
I was watching the Olympics tonight and I couldn’t help but cringe when I saw Alicia Sacramone get robbed of a bronze metal. For those who missed it, she had a great routine and landed everything extremely well. The winner of the bronze was a vaulter who made several mistakes according to the judges… her hands did not land in the vault in parallel (far from it), and she landed on her knees – a clear fall. Here’s the kicker – it was a very difficult routine – and the judges gave her a lot of points based on that. So is a difficult routine an automatic pass to a medal? Excuse me if I’m a little biased in supporting my fellow Massachusetts native.
I know I should give a personal finance angle to everything on this site. Do you have any idea how many thousands that the Olympic hopefuls pay for training? Here’s a hint, it’s many – many thousands. Some families use up their life savings to give their children a chance for glory. I can’t fault that. It feels like a gamble – an educated gamble and one that can pay off… think about Michael Phelps’ endorsements…
I have to wonder what might become of Alicia Sacramone… she had some problems in the team gymnastics round, but performed well and was considered to be “robbed” by a few Olympic experts in her individual event. I can only hope that Mr. Destiny