The Winter Olympics are in full
swing. Twirling, gliding, sliding, jumping, shooting (yeah, I know, rather
weird), flying, winning, losing, falling, crashing and so forth. We are thoroughly
entertained by some 3,000 athletes from a bunch of countries, and I am in utter
awe. No, it’s not so much from the competitions; it’s watching the
pure undiluted joy, energy and love for what they do, that I see in their
faces. Those smiles and that tremendous show of exuberance, camaraderie and
respect for each other is so inspiring – something that should really rub off
on all of us; this is something we should all try to do – every day. Don’t you agree?
I have always respected people who are really good
at what they do, excluding anything illegal, obnoxious, rude or pathetically
stupid. It encourages me to do better myself within my abilities and at times beyond.
So when I watch these, for the most part youngsters, show so much energy, so
much enthusiasm for what they do, what they do so well and working so very hard
at doing, I feel energized to improve what I do well and try
even harder to improve what I don’t do so well (like going 80 miles an hour, on a
small piece of plastic with blades, wearing a tight-fitting suit). What we are
watching should inspire all of us – and I hope it does.
I was watching a women’s snowboard event and of
course was totally blown away by what they can do and what they do so
fantastically well; absolutely awesome. But what really blew me away was how
these 'competitors' stayed around at the bottom of the hill after their
own runs, waiting, cheering, screaming, encouraging and yelling for the other
girls to do well. And when one by one they crossed the finish-line, they all
hugged each other, laughed, smiled and hopped up and down. Surprising?
Yes, it surprised me, as this was a group of
girls/women crossing international borders, all from different countries showing absolutely
no signs of envy, jealousy or differences. It was only sheer joy between them –
the utter happiness, support and excitement from being there, that very moment – for
all of them, individually and together; something to learn, huh?
Torah Bright (Australia) Kaitlin Farrington & Kelly Clark (USA)
So I started to watch with that in mind; do they all
participate in these games with the same attitude? And I found that they do.
Cross-country skiers, both genders, would give their all on the course and fall
down as soon as they crossed the finish line. And then they would bring on
those fabulous smiles, hug and greet and congratulate each other for the
effort, for giving everything they got – across international borders, no matter where they
came from.
Of the 3,000 athletes who made it to Sochi, just a
few will do that ‘winning’ thing. I am positive that a vast number already knew
before they left for Russia, that winning any medals would be unrealistic. But
then you hear them talk about, with huge smiles, how they aimed at other
goals, personal bests, etc. Being selected to represent their country and their
sport, for the most part seems to humble them, but with pride and determination, to
do well, to give it all, leave everything on the track, ice or snow –
wherever. And when we watch from our cushioned comfy-chair, pressing buttons on
the TV remote, we can clearly see that they all do that, giving everything and then some –
and that is just so awesome.
When we watch, keep in mind how much time, sacrifice, discipline, effort,
(blood), sweat and tears have brought them in front of us. An American girl
talked about how her parents sold a cow here and there for her to be able to afford
getting to the local competitions to improve and ‘perhaps someday’ get to the
Olympics. Her praise and total love for her parents and their dedication, was
loud and clear. She was asked: “So how are you going to pay them back?” She
smiled that fantastic smile, held up her gold-medal and said: “I think this
might do it”, through tears of joy - mine too.
We are watching performances that blow us away. Try
not to be blasé about watching, but try to observe with the full understanding
that this is NOT about winning, no matter how nice it is to ‘win’. This has
everything to do with simply being part of something so big and so awesome;
it’s about participating, building friendships across borders and suck in all
those fantastic moments that none of them will ever forget – how great is that?
Swiss skier Dominique Gisin is best friends with
Tina Maze from Slovenia. They are both excellent downhill skiers and probably
met through the sport they both love. They skied as competitors a few days ago,
and what do you know; they both won gold - a first in winter Olympics. Both
skied the time of 1.41.57. How about a friendship across borders and down
the mountain – rather fast; and then hitting the same time, in a sport
where one hundredths of a second is very big.
I am so in awe and utterly inspired by watching all
this Olympic stuff (except curling – have no bloody idea what the heck is going on). I find that
my daily exercise and fitness routine has been tweaked a lot, by pushing myself
more, working harder because “they do” right there in front of me.
I smile big as they smile even bigger – win or lose.
They smile just because they are there and they fully appreciate it, the honor
of representing their country, their sport, the camaraderie and the many friendships they
find across so many borders. And all in spite of who wins or not – because they
are also fully aware and do fully understand, as we all should and must do,
that NONE of these Olympians, these wonderful athletes entertaining us with
what they love to do and do so well, are losers to any extent – not even close.
Their energy and exuberant smiles tell all. To me they are all winners, every single one of them; and isn't that awesome. I knew you would agree...
No, this is not me. When I ski like that, I wear green.
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