Olson will continue to inspire us all
For the past three years, I’ve been blessed to wake up almost every day and gaze at the beauty of the USC campus and all of its enchanting sights.
Whether it’s of students rushing to class on Trousdale Parkway in the mornings, groups hanging around one of the university’s 30 fountains or visitors snapping a picture in front of Tommy Trojan, it’s these iconic scenes that constantly attract directors and producers to shoot their films on campus.
Not for one second should we take for granted our ability to see these sights, though it wasn’t the visual aesthetics that lured Jake Olson to USC.
Instead, it was love — the love for USC football and the game that he loves to play so very much. Olsen, who lost his left eye when he was just 10 months old and his right eye 11 years later due to cancer, is blind, but that sure hasn’t stopped him from pursuing his lifelong dream of one day playing college football for the Trojans.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound long snapper will get to fulfill that dream as he will “walk on” to the USC program after being admitted to the school earlier this year, according to Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.
And according to head coach Steve Sarkisian, Olson will, one day, get his shot to snap on the field in the game for the Trojans.
When that time comes, I can’t even fathom how freaking cool it will be to see Olsen line up and spiral the ball to the holder be teed up for one or three points.
This is one of those feel good stories that can only touch your heart and make you so proud to be a member of the Trojan Family.
It started more than five years ago when after Olsen learned that he would be losing eye sight for good, the one thing that he wished for was to see a USC football game one last time.
Head coach Pete Carroll and the 2009 Trojans would make that wish come true when the team took Olsen under their wing to make sure that he saw and took part in everything to do with USC football. His last night before the surgery would also be spent at a USC practice, which concluded with all of the players and coaches huddling around him.
Who knew that one day Olson would get another chance to take the grass at Howard Jones Field — this time in a cardinal and gold uniform. In 2015, we will have the privilege of getting to see that moment take place.
Meanwhile, Olson will be feeling the leather of the football, while brushing it up against the grass to ensure his ensuing snap gets delivered into the right hands.
USC will be welcoming the 18-year-old Olsen as a Swim With Mike scholarship recipient, which is awarded annually to physically challenged athletes at universities across the nation.
Olson overcame all odds to make the football team at Orange Lutheran High School in Southern California, and his passion and persistence to get to where he is today serves as an inspiration to us all.
His ability to work toward achieving a lifelong dream also reminds us that people with disabilities are no different from those who are without them.
Olson is a prime example of that, though he is definiltey not alone. There are thousands of physically challenged athletes across the nation that all excel in their respective sports or disciplines.
Just a couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of playing in a wheelchair basketball tournament, in which both physically handicapped and able-bodied players participated.
As someone who normally plays basketball standing, running and jumping using my two legs, it sure wasn’t easy, and I gained so much respect for those who had no choice to adapt to playing the game they loved while in a wheelchair.
Nonetheless, I had such an incredible time and definitley feel that there should be more sports and activities that are integrated for athletes with and without disabilities.
This is just another instance of the power that sports have to bring different people together and inspire others in the process.
I know it’s an overused cliche, but it’s not always all about wins and losses. It’s not always about all of the awards and records.
Rather, it’s about the chance to be a part of something that is bigger than yourself.
Olson may very well see the field in a USC uniform only one time during his career, but that’s not before he already inspires the rest of Trojan family.
Not letting something out of his control get in the way of his dreams surely embodies what it means to be a Trojan — to fight on.
Olson won’t be able to see his fellow students and the rest of the Trojan faithful cheering him on at the Coliseum when he steps onto that field, but I’m sure he will not only hear, but feel the thunderous roars of admiration and excitement from the crowd.
It’s the least we can do for showing us what it means to fight on.
Darian Nourian is a junior majoring in print and digital journalism. He is also the sports editor of the Daily Trojan. His column, “Persian Persuasion,” runs Thursdays.