Gold Medal Smiles

Many of us tuned in last month to watch the world gather in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games. American athletes thrilled us with record breaking swims, nail-biting gymnastics routines, and clutch beach volleyball matches. But on the track, it was all Jamaica. Jamaica has the current claim of both the world’s fastest man and the world’s fastest woman.

Shelly-Ann Fraser won the womens 100 meter dash with a time of 10.78 seconds. As you can imagine, she crossed the finish line jumping for joy with an ecstatic ear-to-ear smile – a smile that was also sporting a full set of braces!

Some people have the impression that braces are only for kids or carries a juvenile stigma. The truth is that braces are so common place among children and adults, that most people don’t bat an eye when an adult wears them. In a job interview or asking someone out on a date, it’s like any accessory like earrings, or a watch. It signals that you are confident, that you take care of yourself, and want to express yourself in the best light .

Shelly proves that wearing braces doesn’t hold you back. It obviously didn’t slow her down. Recent track and field scandals make the question arise whether she used any performance enhancers. If you ask me, yes, she did.