The World According to Tim: What Do the Olympics, Our Local Cancer Community, and the Christopher Farm & Gardens All Have In Common? Read and Find Out!

According to Gallup, “Summer Olympics Poised to Have Record-Low U.S. Viewership”!

Personally, my enthusiasm for watching the games remains high, but I would admit it has been somewhat dampened over the years. As much as I enjoy seeing world athletes demonstrate the Olympic motto in their individual sports to be “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together” (or the Latin “Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter”), I find the growing “win at all costs” mentality that often permeates the Olympics (as well as professional sports, college sports, local sports and even youth sports) disheartening and unsettling. Yes, in the case of the Olympics – medal counts, victories, rivalries, and top performances are worthy of our attention... but there is so much more to the Olympic Games (and, please, let’s remember, these are only games)!

As expressed on the International Olympic Committee’s website:

Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.

The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.

During our June TLC (Together we Live with Cancer) Survivorship Session I shared the following slide and related comments during our discussion:

I firmly believe to be a good cancer survivor requires many of the same skills, practices, behaviors, habits, attitudes, and understandings as to be a good athlete and, more importantly, to be a good person! The ultimate accomplishment of the athlete should not be to win... the ultimate goal of the cancer survivor should not be to survive...ultimately, we should be concerned with becoming better human beings and aspire to living a good life!.

Although the Olympics rolls around just once every four years and attracts the best athletes of the world, we can all, regardless of athletic prowess, enjoy and benefit from the life philosophy of “Olympism” that is available to us each and every day... even in our own Local Cancer Community.

Area cancer patients/survivors can embrace the true Olympic Spirit through their participation in ST&BF’s Active Survivors of Sheboygan (A.S.S.) Team and/or the ST&BF CUMULATIVE Marathon Walk/Run, 100-kilometer Row, and/or 100-mile Ride!

Congrats to our current ST&BF Survivor-Athlete “OLYMPIANS”: Linda Ansay, Cindy Becker, Lenny Bogenschutz, Kathy Burch, Bob Hartig, Leah Heusterberg, Maryellen Kloiber, Bev Leonhard, Candy Meyer, Diane Micoliczyk, Sharon Pentek, Tim Renzemann, John Seaman, Cindy Walvoord, Rae-Ellen Weber, and Sue Zalewski!

What time better than NOW (during the Olympics) to make your commitment to rejoin or become our next ST&BF Survivor Olympian? Scroll down for more details.

Also, consider joining us at this year’s WANDER-thon at the Christopher Farm & Gardens.  Even though the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will have come to a close,
we will experience our own Torch Relay, Opening Ceremonies, Olympic Games (including the ST&BF Yard Game Olympics), and Closing Ceremony! Sure, we will recognize the top performances… but, more importantly, we will celebrate the true WINNERS - those who are becoming better cancer survivors and better human beings while contributing to the betterment of our Local Cancer Community!