I love sports. I love the thrill of last-minute interception, a diving catch in the outfield, an overtime goal to win the game. And I especially love the Olympic Games, which are starting up in Beijing next month. This year, I’m really looking forward to watching the Games, and I’ve got my eye on two elite female athletes who are competing to qualify - Dara Torres and Lindsey Davenport - mom athletes opting back into their careers after having children.

Ms. Torres, a 41-year-old mom and swimmer is racing this week to qualify for her fifth Olympic Games - a record for any athlete. At her age it’s almost unheard of to be swimming for an Olympic berth, not to mention handily beating her competition who’s some 15 years younger. I had heard a bit anecdotally about how unique her efforts to make the Games are. However, after reading this article about her, I was floored. Her method for preparing for racing is nothing short of intense:

… her two stretchers work in tandem to contort and flex her body, in a 20-minute preswim version of the two-hour sequence they do three times a week at her home.

In addition to that, she gets stretched five times a day and receives professional massages. This is all at a high cost:

Torres’s routine includes a head coach, a sprint coach, a strength coach, two stretchers, two masseuses, a chiropractor and a nanny, at the cost of at least $100,000 per year.

At first, when I read through these facts, I thought, is opting back in worth all that pain and money? I can’t imagine spending the time and effort to go back to a career in which I already achieved the ultimate success. But in thinking about it further, I think Torres is a role model for any of us who want to get back into our game - swimming or otherwise.

Same goes for Lindsay Davenport. Just look at all the media coverage surrounding her comeback late last year and her performance at Wimbeldon this year after having her son. Much has been made of her not playing as well or being injured. But the fact that she has control over her schedule (she opts out of some tournaments as to not have to make her son travel too much), yet wins major tournaments and will likely qualify for the Olympic Games is nothing short of impressive.

The New York Times bills her as a “part-time player” and mentioned her status as a mother no less than twice in the article. Surely, if she can ratchet up her game a notch to qualify for the Olympic Games at the ripe age of 32, there’s hope for the rest of us who want to on-ramp down the road.

I guess I’d better start hitting the gym.

Any of you on-ramp back onto a competitive sport or other hobby?