Olympian provides golden moment for boy

BY KRISTA RAMSEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

''Now, that was an Olympic moment!''

Television commentators seem a little overzealous this Olympiad, their shrill chatter making sure we don't miss a fleeting image of bravery or drama.

Maybe, amid terrorism and tawdry politics, they're desperate to show us what grand creatures human beings can be.

They can relax. We know an Olympic moment when we see one.

My favorite occurred eight months ago, in the cold of November. It arrived in a long brown cylinder delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, not NBC Sports.

It projected far enough out of my Enquirer mailbox that I bumped my knees on it. The return address said Chula Vista, Calif. I was surprised our circulation extended that far.

But it's often helped along a bit by devoted mothers who clip articles to send to their offspring.

I opened the tube and inside was a letter and a smaller cylinder.

Dear Krista,

I read your article on Brendan McPhillips and Mary Lutkewitte. I thought it was great and I wanted to help Brendan with his wish for a pair of wrap-around shades. Could you please forward this autographed poster, note and sunglasses to him for me?

Sincerely, Jim Terrell U.S. Canoe Team

The return address said ''Olympic Training Center.''

Going the distance

To be precise, Brendan rides in a running stroller, and Mary does the legwork, but in every other sense, they are a running team.

Reading an article is one thing. Caring enough to put pen to paper, track down sunglasses and persuade your teammates to quit building biceps and autograph a photo - that is quite another.

Evidently, Jim knew a champion's story when he saw one. And maybe he understood things about Brendan that most of us miss.

The two know about training hard, about anonymous hours of sweat and solitude that go into the public moment of triumph.

They know about patience. This is Jim's fourth Olympics. He has yet to take home a medal.

Brendan has a runner's medal, won last year in the bitter cold of the Campbell County Frostbite Run. Mary Lutkewitte pushed him to victory in his age class. On his own, he has never walked a step in his life.

Both Jim and Brendan dream big. Canoeing is a full-body sport. A champion at it is years in the making.

A marathon covers the distance from the Ohio River to Kings Island. Running takes devotion. Bumping along it in a nylon buggy with no shock absorbers takes guts.

Olympic-size heart

And Jim saw his chance to help his little brother along.

Life is like that sometimes. Our biggest moments aren't always those when we're at the top of the pedestal, a medal swinging from our necks. Athletes are made by laps in a pool, miles on a track. Champions are made by exertions of the human spirit.

Jim Terrell doesn't have to bring home gold to be one.

You will see him Wednesday as he competes in the 500-meter canoe race.

By then, you might be a bit jaded by the drug testing and endorsement offers, the egotistical coaches and spoiled professional athletes who intrude on the Olympic spirit.

Remember Jim. Remember Brendan. Remember that a part of life is crossing the finish line first. And part is taking somebody else along.

Now, that is an Olympic moment.

Krista Ramsey's column appears in The Enquirer on Saturdays. Write her at 312 Elm Street, Cincinnati 45202 or fax at 768-8340.

Published July 27, 1996.