Dinner with an Olympian...

It is no secret that I have looked up to several members of the National Field Hockey Team since I began playing in 8th grade--so last week, when I got to sit down next to an Olympian for dinner, I was in a bit of shell shock. 

I don't think I even introduced myself--and it had been the third time that day I had interacted with her.

It is one thing to say that you met movie stars like Brad Pitt or Kevin Costner, but it is another thing to say you met an Olympian. These are the people who play for pride--but no money. They are the people who represent our country out on the playing field--everything that we stand for--respect, dedication, determination, and passion. They are the unsung heros. 

So what Olympian did I sit down to dinner with?

Rachel Dawson.

This was just hours after she made a speech that brought tears to the eyes of many young girls.

Last week, I had the opportunity to work the Princeton Field Hockey Camp--a camp that I have both played at and worked at before. However, this year the itinerary was different. This year there was to be a guest speaker. When I asked the head coach who the guest speaker was, and she told me Olympian Rachel Dawson, I was in awe. I was going to meet an Olympian. 

Now--I have actually met an Olympian before: Diane Moyer, and I have even played on the same field as National Team members But this was somehow different, for me, probably because I had never gotten to see Moyer compete, and because when I played with Katie O'Donnell in a Futures Tournament, I was oblivious to the fact that she was possibly, if not, the best player in field hockey at the time. But in this case, I had cheered the for the National Team through their entire journey to Beijing, I had cheered for Dawson while she and her teammates took on other countries in the Olympics, and now I am still cheering for Dawson and the National Team as they shift their focus to the 2012 Olympics. This is part of my lifetime--and it is nothing short of amazing.

I walked into the auditorium to meet with the head Princeton coach over camp business, but I stuck around to watch Dawson talk to young hopeful field hockey girls.

With her hands reaching for her toes and her body bent at the waist, Dawson opened up by saying that this is how she goes into every game--pretending to stretch those hammies and taking it all in. 

Dawson described her journey to becoming an Olympian, and how it all began with a dream. Dawson, who once aspired to play basketball in college, realized in high school that field hockey was the right path for her. She then went onto one of the top teams in the nation: University of North Carolina, where she was a consistent starter. Dawson told the girls that her biggest dream was to go to the Olympics--and how inspiring it is, because Dawson has had the opportunity to play in the Olympics.

Reaching the dream, of course, was not easy. It took making sacrifices. Dawson, a standout at UNC, was having the season of her life. She and her teammates were undefeated and headed for the ACC Playoffs, and likely the NCAA Championship in the future. But during the season, Dawson was offered an opportunity to train with the national team. 

After thinking it over, Dawson chose to train with the National Team, and she never looked back on that decision. She ended up making the National Team roster which in turn led to her fulfilling her dream of playing in the Olympics. Dawson, now has a new dream--standing on the podium at the 2012 Olympics in London. She has the first step down: She has envisioned herself standing on that podium. And every aspiring athlete knows--if you can see it...it can happen.

Dawson described that there were also people along the way who helped her in getting to where she is today. Standing near by was Kristen Holmes-Winn, the head coach at Princeton. Dawson explained that she knew Winn for some time on the hockey field, and that this summer the two had gotten to team up for the first time, which was something Dawson had always hoped would happen.

As the presentation came to an end, Dawson offered a piece of advice to the girls about going for their dreams and not being scared. Her words were: "Don't look at your feet...Just Dance."

The girls in the audience sat quietly through the presentation taking it all in. Some of them probably envisioned themselves achieving their own dream--whether it be standing on the podium at the Olympics or just making their varsity squad. No matter what it was, the looks on their faces said that Dawson had hit a chord--and that these kids were ready to go out and succeed at fulfilling their own dreams.

That night, in the camp store, one girl came in and said to me:

"Did you get to see Rachel's speech today?"

I replied, "Yes--and it was absolutely awesome."

The girl responded by saying, "It brought tears to my eyes."