The Believer occasionally publishes first person narratives. They’re usually relatively short but are insightful and poignant. After reading one particular story the events described below converged in my head. When I wrote this piece I had originally called it “Piece for The Believer” because well, that’s who it was written for. I’m not upset that they rejected it, but I’m also not going to submit it anywhere else because I can’t think of any place else where it would fit. So, it might as well go somewhere! [This is a slightly modified version]
[WRITTEN: April 2009] “Miracle Memory”
Recently my work had a staff training day. It was yet another of those in-house services in which they pay people to create acronyms for success, and to encourage us all to read Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. This particular training was about Teamwork (always capitalized). The meeting proceeded apace, finding clever ways to say the same thing for five hours, until she told us that after lunch we would be treated to some clips from a movie that we would find inspiring in its look at teamwork.
When lunch was finished, she unveiled the movie: Miracle. According to IMDB, Miracle is
The inspiring story of the team that transcended its sport and united a nation with a new feeling of hope. Based on the true story of one of the greatest moments in sports history, the tale captures a time and place where differences could be settled by games and a cold war could be put on ice. In 1980, the United States Ice Hockey team’s coach, Herb Brooks, took a ragtag squad of college kids up against the legendary juggernaut from the Soviet Union at the Olympic Games. Despite the long odds, Team USA carried the pride of a nation yearning from a distraction from world events. With the world watching the team rose to the occasion, prompting broadcaster Al Michaels’ now famous question, to the millions viewing at home: Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”
And of course, what better display of teamwork could there be than an underdog team winning a gold medal?
I instantly bristled upon hearing that this was our movie. One of my strongest non-family related memories is of watching the U.S. Olympic team skating to victory over the U.S.S.R. in the 1980 Olympics. I didn’t watch the whole game (I didn’t become a fan of hockey until the late 1990s), but I tuned in during the third period right around when Mike Eruzione scored the go-ahead goal. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 