Samara reminisces on Olympics past

Q: What was it like to compete in the 1976 Olympics, and what stood out most about the experience?

A: I think for me the most memorable thing was the culmination of a lifelong goal to be an Olympian, something I aspired to be ever since I was a really young kid. I think everybody has dreams about what they’d like to do, and my dream luckily came through. I say luckily because to make the Olympic team in track ? particularly in my event, which was the decathlon ? you just have to be ready to compete on the two days of the Olympic trials, which only come once every four years. You just have to be right on those two days. Luckily, I was ready.

Q: How is the “Olympic experience” different from a coach’s perspective?

A: It’s entirely different from a coach’s perspective. As an athlete, you’re training for yourself, and that’s a lifelong theme. Two years after I stopped competing I came to Princeton, and then I got involved on the national level. I was the Olympic coordinator, or the national coordinator of the decathlon, and I was also the throws coach. You get a different perspective; you want to help other athletes improve and try to field the best team you can for your country. Being part of the Olympics ? either as an athlete or a coach ? is really an awe-inspiring and rewarding experience to represent your country, on either level.

Q: What is your favorite Olympic moment?

A: It’s marching into the stadium in Montreal for the first time ? walking onto that track ? and it was electric. There were 85,000, maybe 90,000, people in the stands. When they made the announcement that the U.S. team was walking in, it was just a thunderous applause, and you just felt like you were walking on air. It was just unbelievable.

Q: It is my impression that the Olympics used to be the preeminent sports competition for most athletes and spectators. Now, with increasing professional opportunities for athletes and increasing year-round sports coverage for spectators, it’s a little bit different. In what ways are the Olympics still uniquely important?

A: I think the Olympic Games every four years are still the preeminent sporting event. I think there are so many sports now that are on TV, and sports in general are now watered-down in a way. The Chinese Games are going to be huge as far as worldwide appeal … you can’t take the political nature out of it. I think that’s one thing that makes it unique. I think the issue is that there are so many sports now that all sports have to share the sports stages and the airwaves, but I think the impact of the Olympic Games has been, and always will be, extremely high.