Someone asked me the other day when I first wanted to be in the Olympics. Typical question, usually accompanied by typical answers like, when I was young and saw the Games on TV. Well my answer is similar to that.
When I was in third grade we had a class assignment to write down something we wished for in our future. Some kids wrote about material possessions; other kids wrote about becoming doctors, or lawyers, or heaven forbid -- actors. Some were young philanthropists who wished for a better, more healthy and friendly , earth... dare say utopia.
Me, I wished to be an Olympian. I vaguely remembered this and only occassionally told people this because it was silly at the time and I had forgotten the specifics; until a friend of my mother's found a little book in which my wish (along with all the kids of John Thomas Dye School) was printed. It read something like this:
Peter Hudnut 3k,
I wish I was an Olympian
I would do the softball throw and play water polo
I would carry the flag and represent the USA
I wish I was an Olympian
There was a little more to it than that but I can't remember the rest right now. After the 88 Games a coach named Richard Corso (who coached Harvard School back then where my father worked) handed me a baby blue bad. The gym bag was a little ratty but it was possibly the determining factor in what laid ahead of me. On one side of the bag were the Olympic Rings, on the other side was written 1984 in big bold print. Inside was a small water polo ball and a water polo hat, along with some stickers and a USA pin. Corso said to me, if you want to be one of the world's best, and maybe have a shot at being an Olympian, then water polo is for you. Forget football and basketball, water polo is one of the toughest sports around and you get to represent the United States.
I was sold. I wanted to be an Olympian and that was that. I didn't know if I would ever actually make it but I sure as hell was going to try.
The funniest part about this 3rd grade project....... well two things; one I really thought that the softball throw was an event, and two, I didn't start playing water polo for another 5 years.
Once I started playing, well OCD took hold and that was that.
Just thought some people might get a kick out of this story, because like my title reads: DREAMS CAN COME TRUE.......
About Me
- Hudnut
- I graduated from Stanford University in 2003; actually left college a quarter early to train for the 2004 Athens Team (named alternate); since then I have played two professional seasons for a team in Rome, and this last season in Barcelona where we won the Spanish League.
Only water polo picture i can find of me
2 comments:
You guys are awesome. Contrats on the W against the Croats, sure wish I could have seen it live. And go get Germany! I'll try to tune it in (hello? Tivo?)
I'm a parent at JTD and heard that an alumni was an Olympian. Since I just had (literally an hour ago) the opportunity to see and hold an Olympic medal from one of your teammates (Jeff --who is the brother of a colleague of mine)I thought how great it would be if my son who is in 1st grade could hold the medal and hear the Olympic story of dreams coming true. That made me search Olympian and JTD and your name came up. It would be great if you could share your medal and story of what you wrote in 3rd grade with my son in Mrs. Mansfield's class. If this email should ever find you, my contact information is rdiaz@rwglaw.com. Thanks and congratulations!
Post a Comment