With kids that are still young, but old enough to understand the world a little more now, I have endless opportunities to offer explanations in an attempt to satisfy their curiosities. Lately, they’ve asked about the Olympics. While they are old enough to feel the excitement, the pride, and the drama of it all, they want to know what it actually means.
They’ll ask things like, “Why do they cry when they win?” or “What happens if you lose?”. Those questions honestly make you pause because the Olympics aren’t just about sports. They’re about life. I’ve tried to explain it simply: the Olympics show what people can do when they give everything they have. Not just for a moment, but for years.
In 1980, the U.S. Olympic hockey team pulled off one of the most unforgettable upsets in sports history. A group of young American players (many of them college age) faced the Soviet Union, a team that had dominated international hockey for years and looked nearly untouchable. The Soviets weren’t just expected to win. They were expected to steamroll.
But Team USA didn’t skate onto the ice thinking about the odds. They skated on with belief, discipline, and a kind of quiet determination. When they won, it wasn’t just a victory. It became a symbol of what is possible when people commit fully to something bigger than fear.
It’s still remembered as the Miracle on Ice, but the truth is: miracles don’t just happen. They’re built. And as we, yet again, experience the 2026 Olympics, that idea feels more relevant than ever because the Olympics have never really been about perfect stories. They’re about hard ones.
This raises a question that applies far beyond sports: What is your gold standard?
Not the version of success you talk about casually. Not the goal you chase when things are convenient. The real gold standard – the one that asks you to show up when you’re tired, uncertain, or outmatched.
Because gold isn’t only about winning. It’s about how you perform under pressure. It’s about preparation, teamwork, and refusing to quit when the world assumes you will.
That’s why the Miracle on Ice still matters. It’s also why athletes like Lindsey Vonn continue to resonate so deeply with people even years after their biggest Olympic moments.
Vonn’s career wasn’t a smooth downhill run. It was marked by injuries that would have ended most athletes’ dreams: torn ligaments, broken bones, painful recoveries, and comebacks that demanded both physical toughness and mental grit. She didn’t just fight to win, she fought to return.
There’s something powerful about watching someone rebuild themselves over and over, especially when the world is watching and waiting for them to fail. Vonn became a reminder that strength isn’t about never falling, it’s about choosing to get back up, again and again, even when it hurts.
The Miracle on Ice was a story of underdogs beating the unbeatable. Lindsey Vonn’s story was about enduring the impossible. But both share the same heartbeat: resilience.
This shows up everywhere, including business. Many feel like underdogs in their own industries. They may have a great product or service, but they’re competing against bigger names, louder voices, and brands with budgets that seem impossible to match. Sometimes it feels like the playing field isn’t level, and momentum is hard to build. It just means you need focus, strategy, and the willingness to keep showing up.
We iterate on this through our creative, research, and consulting work at Ideba, knowing there isn’t always one “right” answer, and progress usually comes through testing, refining, and staying curious. Like sports, it’s rarely about a single moment of brilliance. It’s about consistency, adjustment, and staying in the game long enough for the breakthrough to happen.
The best ideas don’t arrive fully formed. They’re practiced into existence.
The Miracle on Ice wasn’t about flashy individual talent. It was about unity and preparation meeting opportunity. Lindsey Vonn wasn’t defined by one race. She was defined by the hard road back to the start gate.
Your gold standard isn’t defined by who you’re up against, it’s defined by how you respond. How you prepare. How you adapt. So whether you’re building a business, launching a new product, or trying to grow in a crowded world, set the gold standard.
PS: Make sure to catch the documentary Mircale: The Boys of ’80 on Netflix and let us know, “Do you believe in miracles?”.
Leah McQuillan – Research Manager
