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"Sometimes, the world needs a Simone Biles to blow us away with raw talent, and sometimes, we need someone like Stephen Nedoroscik…"
Once in a while, an unlikely American hero emerges from an Olympic games, and that hero at the 2024 Paris Olympics might just be Team USA's glasses-wearing pommel horse specialist, Stephen Nedoroscik.
The 25-year-old gymnast from Worcester, Massachusetts, helped break Team USA's 16-year Olympic medal drought, clinching the bronze and launching him to viral fame with his epic team final performance.
It's not just that he delivered when it counted most; it's the unexpectedness of his story. Nedoroscik showed up to the Olympics looking less like an elite gymnast and more like a guy getting a PhD in astrophysics. He had one job, and he cheered for his teammates while waiting for his big moment. And then, in true hero fashion, he took of his thick, wide-rimmed glasses and performed superhuman feats on the pommel horse.
This is about as wholesome as it gets.
With as much controversy as there is surrounding tip culture these days, this wholesome story reminds us that at the end of the day—many, if not most humans will gladly show generosity when it is genuinely asked of them.
Paul Slobodzian and his fiancé Aly wanted to create an unforgettable wedding to celebrate their love in the most special way possible. To make it happen, both took on a side hustle driving for Uber Eats every day for over a year.
During one delivery, Slobodzian thought he’d try slipping a heartfelt, handwritten note sharing his wish into the bag of the order.
Are you watching the Olympics? |
The income thresholds vary widely, but it still feels like these figures just can't be right.
The U.S. middle class has long been a symbol of American prosperity, a promise that freedom, opportunity and hard work will provide your family a reasonably comfortable life, even if you don't strike it rich.
In the past, an average middle class family could presumably afford to buy a modest home and take the family on fun-but-not-extravagant vacations. Not living luxuriously, but easily affording the basics, building up some savings and enjoying a little wiggle room in the budget for occasional extras. A nice, secure life.
Eric Moussambani had never even seen a 50-meter pool before competing at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Everyone loves rooting for the underdog in sports, but for Olympic swimmer Eric Moussambani—also known as Eric the Eel—the word "underdog" was an understatement.
Moussambani followed an unusual path from his home in Equatorial Guinea to the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Nine months before the games, he heard about a wildcard program the International Olympic Committee had developed to encourage competitors from smaller nations to participate in the Olympics. Rules at the time allowed small nations that didn’t qualify any swimmers by time to still send an athlete to compete.