The Spirit of Competition

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”
--Pierre de Coubertin (founder of modern Olympic Games)

Every two years athletes from around the world gather together in order to celebrate their sport of choice, and to embody what has become known as the Olympic Spirit - a spirit which unites the world through sportsmanship as athletes compete to achieve their dreams of victory representing their home countries. This month all the nations will watch as their representative athletes meet in Vancouver, Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The games run from February 12th – February 28th, and coverage of the games will be provided on multiple NBC TV affiliates, as well as on the internet. The many sports of the Winter Olympics include figure and speed skating, bobsleighing, ice hockey, skiing and snowboarding, and the little known sport of curling. Click on the Olympics widget in our sidebar to get programming details, look up individual athletes, and more!

To get yourself in the spirit for the Olympics, the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County library system has quite a few books of interest. If you want an overall view of Winter Olympic sports, you might look for Freeze Frame: A Photographic History of the Winter Olympics. If you prefer the graceful performances of figure skating, you might be interested in Figure Skating Now: Olympic and World Champions, or for a more intimate behind the scenes look at the sport, Inside Edge: A Revealing Journey into the Secret World of Figure Skating. Younger readers might enjoy Boitano's Edge: Inside the Real World of Figure Skating to get a glimpse of what it might be like to be an Olympic figure skater. If you want to delve deep into what the library system has to offer, simply type in “Winter Olympics” in the “Find it” search field on the library’s home page! You can also do a keyword search by sport.

The goal of the Olympic Games is to bring all the nations together and celebrate competition, athleticism, solidarity, and fair play. Be sure to tune in to the games this year and celebrate, along with the rest of the world, all the athletes as they strive for Olympic Gold and to spread the spirit of the Olympic Games to us all.