I don’t really understand why we don’t get more excited for the Winter Olympics.
In the sports world, we have been talking about the LA Summer Olympics for what feels like 15 years. The World Cup gets massive buildup, as it should. As a lifelong college basketball junkie who loves both the men’s and women’s game, I literally have matchups saved on my phone calendar so I don’t miss tip-off.
And yet, the largest multi-sport event in the world often seems to arrive quietly, without much collective anticipation.
I get it. Some of the sports feel obscure. Curling, to many, looks like shuffleboard on ice. But that misses the point. These sports matter deeply to cultures around the world, and history reminds us just how powerful the Winter Olympics can be.
If you ask many Americans born between 1935 and 1975, they will tell you that one of the most important sporting moments of their lives came during the 1980 Winter Olympics. The Miracle on Ice. A moment so iconic that it transcended sport.
I have my own version of that story that I’ve written about before, my family was fully convinced that the reason the U.S. beat the Soviet Union is because my mom threw holy water at the television just before the winning goal.
Growing up in upstate New York and later raising my own kids in New England, winter was not something you avoided. You lived in it. You played in it. You figured it out.
As I look outside today at nearly 20 inches of snow, I feel a little bummed thinking about how many kids now spend winter indoors because the elements feel like too much. At 2-4-1, we actually have an offering called Winter Carnival that is built entirely around the idea that play does not need perfect conditions. Ironically, we canceled this past weekend because the wind chill was forecasted at negative eight degrees, and we worried about kids showing up without hats or gloves. We erred on the side of caution, and that was the right call. Still, I will admit that I lost sleep over it.
Because there is something incredibly important about teaching kids that play is possible regardless of equipment, space, or weather. Yes, safety matters. Protection matters. But so does teaching kids that they can adapt. That they can organize themselves. That they can create fun with what is available to them.
Resiliency and imagination are built when kids are given permission to solve problems and move their bodies in imperfect conditions.
Watching the Winter Olympics reminds me of that.
I remember after one Summer Olympics, my mom went out and bought bamboo poles. With five boys in the house at the time, all restless and sports-obsessed, she thought maybe she had just discovered the secret to raising Olympic pole vaulters. Within a few attempts, the poles snapped, and the broken pieces quickly became bats and swords.
That was play.
When I lead retreats or meetings, I often ask adults to reflect on their favorite memories of play as a child. One of mine stands out vividly. A massive storm hit upstate New York, dumping nearly 30 inches of snow. Our neighbors took a snowmobile out across the street, and shortly after, freezing rain coated everything in ice.
What it created was magical.
We trudged through deep snow, cracking ice with every step, and when we reached the top, there it was. A perfect bobsled tunnel. To my eight-year-old self, it felt like the Olympics had landed in our neighborhood. We spent hours sliding through that course, cold, soaked, and completely alive.
If I do not go outside that day, I do not have that memory as I approach my 60s. I remember it as if it happened yesterday.
That is the point of this blog.
We need to put kids into situations where they can create memories. Where they can fall in love with movement. Where they learn that they can handle more than they think. I am not advocating for kids to be outside in dangerous conditions. I am advocating for thoughtful, safe opportunities that challenge them just enough to build confidence and joy.
Some of the best memories we carry into adulthood are born in moments of discomfort, creativity, and shared adventure.
So watch the Winter Olympics. Let them inspire you. Let them remind you that movement comes in many forms, that play is universal, and that joy does not require perfect conditions.
Because at the end of the day, “Life’s 2 Short 4 Just 1 Sport.” Indoors or outdoors.
About Steve Boyle
Steve Boyle is a connector, collaborator, and tireless advocate for making youth sports more playful, inclusive, and developmentally sound. As Executive Director of 2-4-1 CARE, Inc. and Co-Founder of 2-4-1 Sports, Steve has helped lead a growing movement to reshape the youth sports experience—one that puts the joy of play and the whole child at the center. Grounded in his background as a school counselor and coach, Steve co-created the award-winning TOP Self™ platform, which uses sport as a vehicle for social-emotional learning. Under his collaborative leadership, 2-4-1 has grown from a single program in West Hartford, Connecticut to a global nonprofit impacting communities across North America and Africa. Steve’s influence extends beyond his own organization. He served as Advisory Board Chair for the National Association of Physical Literacy and as Global Lead for Athletics and Physical Literacy at Whittle School & Studios, shaping programming in Washington, D.C. and Shenzhen. Whether working with local partners or global networks, Steve brings humility, heart, and a belief in the power of teamwork to everything he does.