1980 was a strange time for the United States of America. The previous 10 years included the implementation of the 26th Amendment, anti-war protests, and women's liberation; the Watergate scandal, NASA stopped sending men to the Moon and the death of Elvis Presley. America had its 200th birthday, there was a gas crisis, and now you can play a game called "Pong" right in your living room. In a country with such a rich and rich tradition of being the best, this period could have been one of the lowest periods in our history, especially with the Cold War. We didn't have the confidence we always had in our government. It was, until a group of scrappy middle schoolers and a pragmatic coach made us all believe it. As the Cold War continued, our country lost faith. In an excerpt from Jimmy Carter's crisis of confidence speech, I think he sums up pretty well the feelings of the country and what we needed to do... "We always had the belief that our children's days would be better than the ours. . - Our people are losing this confidence, not only in the government itself, but also in the ability, as citizens, to lead and ultimately shape our democracy. As a people, we know our past and we are proud of it... But just as we lose faith in the future, we also begin to close the door on our past... For the first time in Hock 2, the story of our country is in the majority. of our people believe that the next five years will be worse than the last five years... We must stop crying and start sweating, stop talking and start walking... The strength we need will not come from the White House, but of all house in America. (Carter)During the Cold War, the unit...... middle of paper ......ch backup after clutch backup. Jimmy made 39 saves in total. As I said earlier, Russians usually win matches, it's in the third period that you are exhausted and they take advantage of you, but not this match. Under Herb Brooks, the Americans were the best conditioned team in the world. And over time, everyone knows the famous phrase of Al Michaels who excitedly shouts: "Do you believe in miracles?" YES!" Every time I hear that I get goosebumps. It's a line that we will always remember. The Soviets couldn't believe it. They just lost to a group of 21 year olds. Two days later, the Americans finished the job by beating Finland for the gold medal. In each match, the United States came back to win. This match against the USSR gave America hope. If a group of students could overcome all the obstacles, why wouldn't the rest of the country do it? ??