Teaching Values- An Olympic Education Toolkit - International ...
Teaching Values- An Olympic Education Toolkit - International ...
Teaching Values- An Olympic Education Toolkit - International ...
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SECTION 3 SHARING THE VALUES THROUGH SPORT AND THE OLYMPIC GAMES<br />
THE LONG ROAD TO VICTORY:<br />
AN ATHLETE’S STORY<br />
IN ANCIENT TIMES, AS TODAY, TO BE AN OLYMPIC ATHLETE WAS A SUPREME HONOUR. ANCIENT OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS<br />
WERE LOOKED AFTER BY THEIR FELLOW TOWNSFOLK FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. ATHLETES TODAY WHO WIN<br />
MEDALS ARE ALSO HONOURED AND CELEBRATED IN THEIR COUNTRIES. TODAY, NEARLY 100,000 OLYMPIANS (ATHLETES<br />
WHO HAVE COMPETED IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES) SPREAD THE SPIRIT OF OLYMPISM AROUND THE WORLD.<br />
BEFORE YOU READ –<br />
QUESTIONS TO ASK<br />
What qualities do you think people need to<br />
have to successfully achieve their goals?<br />
What happens when they fail?<br />
READING<br />
The Long Road to Victory: Dan<br />
Jansen 7<br />
Of all the <strong>Olympic</strong> stories that teach us<br />
about perseverance, very few are as<br />
memorable as that of Dan Jansen. Most<br />
speed-skating victories are decided by a<br />
margin of 1/100th of a second. This<br />
victory took over a decade.<br />
The world first met Jansen at the 1984<br />
Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, when the<br />
relatively unknown American placed an<br />
impressive 4th in the 500m race. In<br />
Calgary in 1988, he was favoured to win<br />
the 500m and 1,000m races. But fate had<br />
other plans. Jansen’s sister had been<br />
suffering from leukaemia and died just<br />
minutes before race time. In his final<br />
conversation with her, he promised to win<br />
in her honour. But instead Jansen fell. Not<br />
just once, but in both races. He left<br />
Calgary empty-handed. Four years later<br />
Jansen was again favoured to win, this<br />
time in Albertville. But after a disappointing<br />
performance, he again left without<br />
a medal.<br />
In 1994, Jansen prepared for his fourth<br />
<strong>Olympic</strong> Games, in Lillehammer, Norway.<br />
He knew it would be his last chance and<br />
hoped he could put his past behind him<br />
once and for all. But on his first race, to<br />
the horror of everyone watching, Jansen<br />
slipped yet again during the 500m and<br />
finished 8th. Only one race remained. The<br />
last of his career.<br />
Four days after that unfortunate fall, the<br />
starting gun sounded for the start of the<br />
1,000m. <strong>An</strong>d everything magically fell into<br />
Above Albertville<br />
1992: Dan Jansen<br />
(USA) was expected to<br />
win a gold medal in<br />
the men’s 500m speed<br />
skating. He eventually<br />
finished fourth.<br />
place. A decade of disappointment<br />
suddenly was erased as Jansen took first<br />
place and set a new world record. During<br />
the victory lap, he picked up his daughter<br />
and carried her around the ice.<br />
They had named her Jane, in honour of<br />
his late sister. The perfect ending to a<br />
story that has become an inspiration to<br />
athletes around the world.<br />
FOR DISCUSSION<br />
Explain why you think Dan Jansen<br />
persevered in his journey to win an<br />
<strong>Olympic</strong> medal.<br />
What aspects of the values of<br />
Olympism do his actions represent?<br />
7 Adapted from <strong>International</strong> <strong>Olympic</strong> Committee Web<br />
Site. “Celebrate Humanity 2002: Dan Jansen.” Online at<br />
http://www.olympic.org/uk/passion/humanity/jansen_uk.<br />
asp. Sourced 5 July, 2006. (Small wording changes<br />
facilitate understanding for non-native English-speaking<br />
readers.)<br />
64 TEACHING VALUES