Video of the Week: Olympics Now 18 Days Away – Leave Your Legacy


#leaveyourlegacy from Hooded Trees on Vimeo.

The 2012 Olympic Games are now just over 18 days away, and the above video, which comes to us from Stanford University, gets at just what it means strive, unrelentingly, for greatness. The message, delivered by Ray Lewis to the Stanford men's basketball team prior to a game last season, applies not only to sport, but to life, and the video makes that clear. Add to this some footage of the Stanford men's rowing team training on San Francisco Bay, and you've got a winner for RR 'Video of the Week,' as we build toward London.

It's a video that should be watched more than once–like the athletes and artists showcased in the piece, the creators of this short film understand that moments of pure joy; excellence; greatness; do not arise out of nothing, but are instead the beautiful results of countless hours of wholly dedicated time, and effort. These moments, then, transcend their specific contexts and tap into something bigger. As Lewis says, "Wins and losses come a dime a dozen. But effort? Nobody can judge effort, because effort is between you, and you." Here, we see beyond glory of the Olympic stadium, and into the darkest hours of the morning, when dreams are all that light the way to the first of the day's three, or four, or however many training sessions. How will you leave your legacy?

Want to suggest the next 'Video of the Week?' Shoot us an email at rowingrelated [at] gmail [dot] com, send us your suggestion via Twitter (twitter.com/rowingrelated), or get in touch via our Facebook page.

-RR

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