These Olympics have got me thinking...
It was a time of cut-off blue jeans and Let's Boogie t-shirts. I still had braces and my friend Kelle Jackson was my constant companion. Mark Spitz was the big shot at the Olympics, winning seven gold medals in swimming, but it was Olga Korbat who stirred our imagination. Olga was really something. She wore these cute little pigtails and just seemed so pixie. Yet she was strong and just...amazing! I remember the summer because Kelle taught me how to do a back walk-over. I could do the back bend part, but not the walk-over. I just sort of sat there in my back bend kicking up in the air like an upside down mule.
Each night, when I watched Olga, I became re-inspired. Kelle could do a back walk over and then some. She even had a poster of Olga on her wall and took gymnastics at Turner's gymnasium downtown. It seemed all of my girlfriends were into this gymnastics thing. I preferred basketball and softball, but somehow still wanted to cross the back walk-over hurdle. I can't believe how patient Kelle was. I was not flexible and really rather clueless, but she prevailed. Finally, she and I got the idea to use a hill, gravity might help. It worked. We were so excited. Kelle and I jumped up and down, and then fell to the ground laughing. It really did take several nights! Now, I have never done a back walk-over since, but the memory of that summer is golden!
