What Made the Difference for Black US Olympians?

The Backstory Is the Introduction

Resilience, true grit, self-discipline, motivation, raw talent, pure dedication, hard work, and sheer determination are some of the life-changing qualities that it takes to become a highly accomplished athlete in any sport. However, much more is needed for gifted athletes to compete at the international level during the prestigious summer Olympic games.

History records are filled with stories about countless Black athletes who made it. They were Olympians. These notorious men and women included talented athletes like Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Dominique Dawes, and Florence “Flo-Jo” Griffith-Joyner.

Their talents were no different than the current stories we have been hearing about famous Black Olympians in recent years. The revised and extensive list of names of gifted athletes from various sports includes popular figures like Simone Manuel, Allyson Felix, Simone Biles, Naya Tapper, and Gabby Douglass just to name a few.

The story of all these talented individuals and countless Black Olympians that have prevailed is the story of family and community engagement. Whether parents or other relatives, coaches, teachers, mentors, or pastors, many people have been instrumental in helping these athletes embrace their destiny to attain their Olympic dream. Contrary to the beliefs of many who fail to understand the extensive developmental journey of these sports figures, their talent alone did not propel them to their heights of success.

While many people celebrate the symbolic and actual barriers Black Olympic athletes continue to break through to achieve their status, other individuals helped to carve their path. This story celebrates these people.

Encouragement, Support, and Sacrifice

The highly popularized African proverb that reads

“It takes a whole village to raise a child”

is extremely applicable to the development of accomplished athletes. Very specific individuals in their lives contribute to their success.

These are the members of their village and this is what they have historically done to help them.

1. Teachers, Instructors, and Other Educators

Many school personnel is credited for exposing students to athleticism in countless ways. Teachers play a huge role in this. Here are some examples. Physical education teachers provide instruction relevant to the development of specific skills related to designated sports. They engage students in practice and critique their progress through feedback. Many students join school sports teams after displaying an interest and promise in them. English and history are among other teachers who provide students with opportunities to participate in instructional activities like reading historical nonfiction texts and biographies about accomplished athletes. Learning activities are extended as students develop their writing skills as they study these individuals. School leaders, counselors, and activity directors plan assemblies and special visitations in which athletes attend to interact with students and share their stories. All of these activities and many other efforts of educators help to ignite student inquiry, interest, and involvement in the sports they learned about.

2. Mentors

Accomplished athletes typically have at least one person that they identify with who also serves as their role model. A mentor is a person who inspires and motivates them. The influence of their mentor helps to propel athletes to explore their favorite sport, develop their skills, and increase their passion. Ultimately, through their hard work and commitment to their sport, athletes can fulfill many of their athletic goals.

3. Mentee Relationships

There are younger children, teens, and young adults who look up to their favorite athletes and aspire to be like them. They cheer successful athletes on to achieve their brand of victory. These mentees are loyal fans who honor their favorite athletes. They encourage their beloved sports figures to push for higher levels of success by extending their unconditional support. Many of these young supporters ultimately achieve high levels of athletic success in their lives just like their favorite sports idols.

4. Coaches

Highly trained, skilled, and committed trainers have walked with developing athletes during every step of their journey. These dedicated and experienced instructors provided their proteges with the knowledge, guidance, critical feedback, and repetitive practice necessary to help them become elite performers.

5. Members of the Faith-Based Community

Leaders and followers of the faith shared by athletes extend spiritual support and encouragement to them. These people give athletes the courage and the faith to believe that all things, even competing at the Olympic games, are possible.

6. Neighbors and Members of the Community

Often other people other than members of the extended or biological family provide the emerging dominant leaders of their sport with varying levels of support. Whether they regularly cheered for them at athletic events, frequently attend games, meets, or competitions, or donate to a booster organization to offset expenses, a lot of other people helped the athletes in unique ways throughout the years.

7. Parents and Surrogates

These are the most critical supporters of Olympic athletes because they are the ones who make the critical sacrifices to help them succeed. Most accomplished athletes discover their passion for their sport at a very young age. This is partly because observant parents get their youngsters involved in specific activities that fuel their love of running, jumping, throwing, balancing, and so much more. This may also be because parents respond to their child’s desire to get involved in a sport. Sometimes people outside of the family urge parents to get their children connected with a specific sport because they recognize their natural talent and ability.

Parents are the people who continuously make various sacrifices for their children to remain involved in their sport for years. They pay for their involvement in special teams as well as with special sporting leagues. They pay for specialized training with private or small group coaches. Parents pay for the equipment required for participation in their sport along with travel expenses to athletic events and special entrance fees.

There is also a huge time commitment that parents make when their children are involved in athletic programs. Whether it’s daily car rides to and from practices, waiting at sports facilities for their children to train, and attending sporting events involving their children, parents spend many years doing these things.

Confidence to Believe

Members of the Olympic athlete’s village assumed a continuous and active role empowering them to excel for a very long time.

All the faithful supporters gave highly acclaimed athletes the confidence and courage to believe that their dreams for the highest level of success would come true. They motivated and inspired them for years.

These things represent the elements of family and community engagement.

My Final Thoughts

As Black Olympians continue to be celebrated for becoming the world’s finest and premier athletes in their designated sports, their backstory needs to be remembered. Had it not been for critical members of their community as well as their parents, success would have remained out of their grasp.

The parents of these athletes are especially honored for the sacrifices they made on the developmental journey of their children.

It is with pride that the citizens of our national village congratulate all Olympic athletes for their success.

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Previously Published on medium

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