"But the Journey"

There are certain aspects of the Olympics that are more important than the medals. One of them is the athletes' and teams' back stories. Many of them have overcome incredible hurdles and personal conflicts to give us some pretty inspiring stories.

Here's a few random examples in the headlines right now: American Angeli VanLaanen overcame Lyme Disease to make it to the women's half-pipe skiing competition. Russian Alexander Zubkov came out of retirement to drive the two-man bobsled to gold. American Steven Holcomb competed on an injured calf, and with his teammate Steven Langton broke the United States' 62-year medal drought in the two-man bobsled by taking bronze.

One of my favorite stories is the return of the Jamaican team to the bobsled slopes. Despite their position in the ending standings, the Jamaican team has proven that not only did they want to be there at the games but that the people wanted them there too. With qualification under there belt, they were ready to break their teams' 12-year absence from the Winter Olympics; however, they ran aground on a financial reef. Turning to a fundraiser, they were gifted with an outpouring of money from all around the world. They needed 80k but ended up with over 180k, proving how much people wanted to see them there, wanted them to have a chance at the podium just like everybody else.

Everyone has a story to tell, and more often than not, the back stories are more entertaining and inspiring than the competitions or medals. As the old maxim goes: "It isn't the destination but the journey that makes people who they are."