Ultimate Teammate…

The truly great will assume whatever role is necessary for the team to win…

He was the star of the Olympic Games – a young man about whom so many words were written, that coming up with a new superlative to describe him is practically impossible. And his legacy will live on even after his world records are surpassed, because one thing I’ve noticed while watching Michael Phelps win – in close races, in blowouts, by himself and as a team member – is that he embodies nearly every one of the sixteen characteristics of Greatness that you’ll find in true champions. He livesnearly every one of the characteristics – the adversity he battled growing up, the practice sessions he endures routinely, the life that he’s grown to lead. He is truly great.

Contagious Enthusiasm…

They are positive thinkers… They are enthusiastic… and that enthusiasm rubs off.

Twice during the 1996 Summer Olympics, Dot Richardson and her teammates on the US softball team had faced the powerhouse team from China. Twice, in key situations, Dot had struck out.

So with the Gold Medal on the line, it was high drama when the captain of the American team stepped to the plate – and Dot put her previous failures out of mind. Then she hit a pitch out of the park.
Dot’s two-run homer gave the US the win and the team the Gold. Her play didn’t just propel the team, it propelled the sport of women’s softball to new heights in the first Olympics where softball was a medal sport.