This morning I attended my usual Thursday morning Kiwanis meeting and was delighted to be seated with Damu Cherry, the Olympic hurdler from central Florida. Damu trains in Clermont’s National Training center and recently returned from the Bejing 2008 Olympics. She had visited our club prior to her trip and had returned to update us on her experiences and future plans.
Kiwanians applaud and hold up American flags as Damu Cherry is introduced.
“The experience was humbling, I got so many texts and e-mails, that my phone literally blew up. It actually broke, went dead in my hand!” she explains while thanking the Kiwanians that sent words of support. Ann Dupee was noted as an inspiration to Damu and recognized her with red, white and blue fingernail polish, which she sported during the games. ”I saw Ann’s nails and loved them so I decided to paint mine red, white and blue with Chinese lettering.”
When the floor was opened for questions someone asked about her experiences and the outcome of her Olympic run. “I remember at the end, thinking it was very close. I’ll never forget the feeling I had not knowing the outcome, watching the board to see the results.”
“I ended up fourth. I lost by .01 seconds. I can’t even explain how to measure .01 of a second so you can understand how close it was,” she admits.
”At that level the smallest details from the way I hold my arm or where my foot lands after a hurdle can make the difference in seconds,” she explains when asked what attributed to the loss.
“I remember waking up sick and going to my coach to let him know. He told me that I was 1% of Americans, and I represented all of them at the Olympics. Do you think the flu can stand in the way of that? I thought about it and knew it didn’t. I had a lot of people depending on me so I did my best,” she admits when asked if her illness could have meant the difference between bringing home the medal or not.
“Is there anything you would change if you could?” the question is raised.
“The person that won was one of the most underpriveliged people at the games. She didn’t have endorcement deals, she wans’t ranked in the top 10. She just wanted it and deserved to win. At that level every runner has their own personal best time. I am focusing on breaking mine. My trainer and I watch footage so I can see every area I can make changes as needed. I want to bring home a gold in Berlin! There is a reason for everything and I am proud to be speaking at many groups like this and in Tampa. I think there was a plan for me and this is what was meant to happen…” Damu Cherry stands before the group, appearing taller than usual. Perhaps due to the pride that she did her best and represented her country and community well.
When asked about China and it’s people, Damu beamed, “They had one million volunteers perform in the opening ceremony. I wasn’t able to see it in person but watched from the Olympic village. It was amazing. I don’t think anything like that can ever happen again. One million people, none of them getting paid. It was amazing, they were so proud the Olympics were there.”
*Proud to be an American, Kisses Kimber
Want to learn more about hometown hero Damu Cherry?
CLICK –> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damu_Cherry
CLICK–> http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=1489/bio/
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