Anne Cribbs - The Real Deal

Last year, my partner and I volunteered at the World Men's Curling Championship in Las Vegas.  It was simply amazing. It was like going to Disneyland for me.  So many lifetime memories.  There were a few negative notes, unfortunately.  We encountered two people who had obviously been bullied throughout their lives and they thought they had some power over the volunteers.  They used this power to make some of the volunteers miserable.  I was an easy target because I was having the time of my life and they didn't like that energy.  I also have an anxiety disorder so I was very vulnerable to their childish tactics.  Regardless, it was amazing.  Drinking out of a giant curling rock.  The picture is my sweetie flanked by Marilyn and Elvis and his two girlfriends.  We actually got to know these girls really well.  They came to every draw and hung their coats, literally, in the volunteer lounge.  They both were really warm, friendly, professional, and intelligent.  They were also like every other woman; insecure about their looks.  Certainly, they were a reminder not to judge books by their cover. 

So many amazing memories, but one of the most amazing experience was meeting Anne Cribbs.  If you have never heard of her, read this link. 

https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2013/11/06/anne-warner-cribbs-receives-athena-award

Meeting Anne Cribbs was definitely worth the price of admission.  We got to know her by email prior to getting to the games.  She was sincere, warm, and compassionate.  It was obvious that she was a leader.  The first thing that is striking about Anne is how physically beautiful she is.  Her next major birthday that ends in 0 will start with an 8.  However, she could easily pass for 39, she is really that beautiful.  It shows the value in health that being physically active brings to a life.  She retired at age 14 from competitive swimming as an Olympian.  Since her retirement, she has worked tirelessly in many fronts advancing sports in US culture, particularly trailblazing paths for women athletes. She is a popular motivational speaker and owns her own sports and public relations company.  Just reading about her was intimidating.  But, in person, she was the warmest person ever who had time to talk to everyone and hear everyone's story.  She was genuine and was a true leader.  She never got frazzled and was positive all the time.  But, it wasn't an act for her.  She really is a truly nice person.  Her intelligence and grace were obvious and spoke for themselves.  She was humble and a true leader.  Her very presence was inspiring and you just knew that you were in the presence of greatness.  She didn't have to tell you how great she was, it was obvious.  She also had a wonderful sense of humour and worked as hard as anyone to make the games a success.  She didn't take life too seriously and didn't get flustered when mistakes were made and she would be the first to admit when she made a mistake.  Not that she did.  In short, she was the real deal. 

You don't meet many "real deals" anymore.  We live in an age where we have been disappointed by many of the people that we see as heroes.  We live in an age where power is intoxicating and when people have some, they make poor personal decisions.  We see heroes fall a lot.  It is somewhat sad because it seems we don't have a lot of people to cheer for anymore. 

That is why it is so refreshing to meet a true American hero like Anne Cribbs and to get to know her and find out that she is authentic.  You never got the impression that her leadership style was put on or that she was choosing her words carefully.  She was just authentic.  An amazing woman. 

But, the best thing about getting to know Anne Cribbs was that, if she can exist, that means there is the possibility of more like her out there.  Real ethical leaders.  There are heroes out there.  You may have to look, but they do exist.