Editor’s Note Cut From November Patriot Press: Olympic Spirit

The article below, on Olympic Spirit, was written by the editors in chief of the newsmagazine as their Editors’ Note for the recently released issue. When Superstorm Sandy hit and delayed publication of the issue, they decided to write a new Editors’ Note about the storm, and that was published in the magazine. Following is their original article:

Jennifer “Stacy” Linkins and Jessica Ward

The torch is still lit.

When an Olympic star manages to land on an E! television show, we begin to take notice. This summer, two of the games biggest stars, Ryan Lochte, the 2012 swimming gold medalist, and Bruce Jenner, the 1976 decathlon gold medalist, got their spot on Hollywood’s trendiest channel. Their rise to the attention of Hollywood is just one of the results of the massive support American fans gave the 2012 games. It may be a sad thing that we base the popularity of athletes on this, but better that than on  Ryan Seacrest’s interviews.

Jenner with daughter Kim Kardashian. Photo courtesy of E! Entertainment Television.

Perhaps Jenner, who has been a part of E!’s cast since October of 2007 on the hit show Keeping Up With the Kardashians, set the mark for all Olympic athlete/reality stars to come.  After marrying Kris Jenner in 1991, he landed the role of stepdad to one of the most talked about women in television: Kim Kardashian.

And who could forget Lochte’s appearance on Fashion Police in August, when even the brutally honest Joan Rivers was caught speechless after the swimmer stripped into his speedo.  “Now, I’m comfortable,” the Olympian stated after his TV strip-down, proving that even the simplest outfit can amplify a style.

Lochte with Joan Rivers on Fashion Police. Photo courtesy of E! Entertainment Television.

Debate this: Is the Olympic dream truly still alive?  As we see it, now more than ever.  Not only are these athletes an image in the minds of the high school athlete at home watching the events in admiration, but their appearance on these highly-rated shows have earned them two thumbs up.  They’ve ventured outside the sports realm to become everyday celebrities.

The months leading up to the games and the hype during them brought many athletes into focus in the public eye, and their features in magazines like People and Us Weekly prove that the Olympics are now reaching an even larger audience—which, we admit, may now consist of fifty year-old women into Lochte’s abs.

(Read about two of our teachers’ experiences at the Summer Olympics starting on page 24 of the November 9 issue of The Patriot Press.)

–Jess Ward and Jennifer Linkins

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