The Perfect 10

It's Olympic season once more, and my first memories of watching the games rush back to mind.  That was 1976, the Montreal games, when Nadia Comaneci managed to pull off the perfect score of 10 at the uneven bars, the first in Olympic gymnastics history.  We stayed up late at night to watch the TV reruns, and the mostly unheard of sport of gymnastics became the hottest topic in school.  At that time, I didn't quite understand world events, and it only became apparent in later years--coming after the horrible terrorist attack in the 1972 Munich game, the triumph of the perfect 10 roused the human spirit from oblivion, a sort of catharsis for humanity.  Nadia not only became a hero of the sport, but also helped to keep the Olympic ideals alive.  When Nadia was in Manila a few years ago, I recall reading with delight her interview in the local dailies--it was about how she gave encouragement and hope to aspiring local athletes.  Putting the story of her sporting victories alongside the story of her persecution in Romania and subsequent defection to the United States, I'd say that her tale is a one that serves as a beacon of inspiration to us all.