Olympic Dreams
NPR is running some inspiring stories about athletes who hope to compete in this summer's Olympics. "Olympic Profiles: Bound for Beijing" stories describing the Iraqi sprinter who dodges sniper fire as she trains, a shot-putter experimenting with hypnotherapy, the tae kwon do hopeful who is trying to become Afghanistan's first medal winner and the Alabama boxer who rose from obscurity to Golden Gloves champion in three years. My favorite is Wendy Kaufman's profile of Melanie Roach, a 117-pound weightlifter and mother of three who draws special inspiration from her autistic son, Drew. www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91840044
For a touch of humor mixed with hope, try Steve Inskeep's charming "Reviving an Olympic Dream, 25 Years Later." Inskeep interviews Hodding Carter (son of the former assistant secretary of state and grandson of the legendary newspaper editor), a 45-year-old father of four who is determined to swim his way to the Olympics after his father made him give up competitive swimming more than two decades ago. www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91639310