Editorial: The Olympic spirit hits home

And just like that, the Olympics are over.

Today, the last batch of hardware will be handed out to the final Olympic champions, officially bringing a memorable two-week stretch of world-class athletic competition to a close.

Names like Phelps, Bolt, Torres and Lukin might have dominated the airwaves, but the 29 athletes, coaches and assistants with University of Arizona ties represented our region to the fullest.

Tucson native and Mountain View High School alum Lacey Nymeyer earned a silver medal for her role in the women’s 4x100-meter relay team.

UA grads Jennie Finch, Lovieanne Jung and Caitlin Lowe will bring home yet another softball medal — albeit one in a different shade than they’re accustomed to. Japan ended America’s 22-game Olympic softball win streak in Wednesday’s Gold Medal game.

Arizona softball guru Mike Candrea had never coached a team to anything less than gold, but this setback could end up being a blessing in disguise. Softball was on the chopping block for the 2012 games in London, due to America’s relentless dominance. But Japan’s unprecedented upset might give Candrea and future UA softball stars another shot at Olympic gold.

Arizona’s All-American volleyball star Kim Glass helped Team USA to a silver-medal finish, with the Brazilian powerhouse serving up America’s only loss yesterday.

Arizona baseball standout Jason Donald helped the U.S. capture a bronze with an 8-4 win over Japan on Friday. The Americans went 5-2 over the two-week stretch with Donald leading the team with a .381 batting average and playing excellent defense at shortstop.

Lithuanian hoopster Robertas Javtokas will compete against Argentina today for bronze medal honors.

Of course, we can’t forget about Green Valley resident Joe Vigil, who is instrumental in the development of the top American distance runners.

With the two-week spell the Olympics cast over many of our television sets, we can only hope the spirit of these games will last.

Were there some problems? Of course. The alleged age-doctoring regarding a handful of gymnasts, the senseless tragedy surrounding our volleyball coach and the many problems China still needs to solve as a nation won’t simply disappear.

Despite the differences we might have as individuals, the Olympics hopefully illustrates how we’re ultimately in this together.

Green Valley possesses a uniquely Olympic-esque attitude. Between the various clubs and community outreach programs, there are more than enough common threads that help bind this community.

In addition, the Olympics helps to remind us how much fun it can be to leave one’s house and enjoy some spirited competition. Long after these Beijing Games come to a close, we’ll still have all of the positives the Olympic experience can provide.

Congratulations to those Southern Arizona representatives for helping to bring a dash of local flair into a global event.