My six year old daughter and I enjoyed some chill out time on Sunday afternoon, watching the Winter Olympics on TV. She asked me why I had tears in my eyes. It was simply because I find it so special and awe-inspiring to share in the experience of such dedicated athletes living their dream. The focus, the determination, the sheer hard work that goes into preparing for such an event is so intense, that the energy coming out of the television screen is almost palpable. And then it all comes down to one race.
The event we were watching was the Final of the Women’s Moguls. A tough event, but very cool to watch. As we approach the final, the Canadian woman is assured of a medal as long as she doesn’t make any major mistakes. Her home crowd roared their support and then, halfway through the course, the unthinkable happened, she lost control and took a major tumble! Skis are flying off in all directions, she’s obviously in pain, plus she has the knowledge that all those years of hard work, and her hopes of a medal, have now come crashing down. The medal was so close, and now she is out of contention.
But, to her credit, she picks herself up and finds her skis. She takes a moment, and focuses on the finish line. She takes a deep breath and she carries on, completing the jumps and the rest of the gruelling course. There were more tears and a standing ovation in our house! What a fantastic illustration of courage, guts, focus, determination and tenacity.
We may not be Olympic skiers but we can all learn from this. How often do we stop at the first obstacle? How often do we quit before we reach the finish line? They say that if you shoot for the moon, even if you fail you may still land on a star. She didn’t get the medal, but she is still a star in my book!
Written by Jacqui Thomas
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