Breaking/Re-Discovering the Mold

Olympic Bronze Medalist Nick Willis (NZ) and his coach Ron Warhurst
(Note fellow Reebok employees Todd Klein and Jennifer Thomas to the Left of Warhurst)

The most amazing moments of the Olympics for me have come during moments in which you look at what happened and it gives you a feeling as though maybe things aren't as clear cut as they seem. By this I mean you look at Larry Bird and see a quiet, white guy from Indiana can be one of the greatest players in NBA history or Liu Xiang can prove that it is not just Westerners that can dominate the high hurdles. These guys broke a mold that was being set. Bird came in the the NBA during a time when African American players were showing they were clearly more dominant than their Caucasian counterparts.

In recent memory we have seen people like Paula Radcliffe capture the World Record in the Marathon, Deena Kastor take a medal in Athens in the Marathon and even Kara Goucher take a medal last year in the 10k at the world championships. I really believe I am colorblind and that is especially true for sports. If the best basketball players are usually African American then that is totally fine with me and if the best Tennis players are usually Caucasian then that is fine as well. It is when the mold is broken that I really find we see the true reason why we "run the race" or "play the game." Last night watching Nick Willis take a Bronze medal made me feel as though the mold broke again.

Nick Willis did something we thought we may never see again. Nick gave a new breath to a nation that was once one of the greatest 1500 powerhouses. He came to the US to run and drank the "Kool-Aid" that Ron Warhurst gave him. Nick watched Alan Webb leave the Wolverines to become a professional. Where was Webb in that 1500 final? Willis stuck with his intentions, stuck with his coach, stuck with his goals and in the end he has truly won. Nick Willis has given hope to all those little Kiwi kids that grow up hearing about Snell and Dixon but having no hero to call their own. Nick broke the mold of the current standing of the 1500 proving a guy doesn't need to be from Norther/Eastern Africa or on drugs to be a contender. Nick did good for his fellow Wolverine Kevin Sullivan who came so close in 2000 to that podium out kicked by a group of drugged up fools.

So I just want to say Congratulations to Nick Willis. You did the University of Michigan, Reebok and most importantly New Zealand very proud! You know Lydiard is smiling from above.