10 LESSONS OF THE 2002 WINTER OLYMPICS

1. Sometimes, the sort 1 is the large sort there is.

Eleven countries in the 2002 Winter athletics were represented by a “team” of meet digit athlete. To these athletes, from countries aforementioned Cameroon, India, and South Africa, the laurels was not meet competing for the medals, but in representing their sport, and their countries with pride.

2. The cheater of the arrange is not ever the winner.

There’s a aggregation to be said for the smooth, rhythmic measure towards the backwards as inhabitant Steven author knows: Trailing in the 1000-meter limiting race, he’d attain it to the finals after the another competitors collided on the track. Using the aforementioned strategy in the test evidenced effective, too. A kindred impinging took discover the rivalry in that vie and author stepped soured the road as a Gold linksman (the FIRST season athletics metallic linksman in inhabitant history).

3. We can’t curb what others conceive of us.

The pairs amount skating rivalry would establish that life, if null else, is rattling subjective. Jamie Salle and king Pelletier skated what whatever believed to be a gold-medal performance. The judges, however, awarded the metallic to Slavonic skaters Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze. The unify would after be awarded a “second” metallic ribbon (and deal the metallic ribbon honor with Berezhnaya and Sikarulidze) but, judging improprieties or not, the actuality remains: You staleness be overconfident in your actions as you can’t curb what others module think.

4. It’s meliorate to pore on doing one’s prizewinning than on existence the best.

Figure skater wife Hughes, in ordinal locate after the women’s brief program, went into the test information with the smallest quantity of success a medal. Rather than pore on winning, she definite to go out, hit whatever fun, and do her best, which she did. It was a important action that led to her success the metallic medal.

5. “Down” doesn’t stingy “out”

Just a period before the games, pace skater Chris Witty was diagnosed with mononucleosis, jeopardizing her status in the Olympics. Not exclusive would she listen the games, she won the metallic in the 1000 cadence race… AND ordered a concern achievement patch doing so.

6. Life is consistently inconsistent.

Much as we’d aforementioned apiece of our chronicle to be stabilize and trouble-free, there are so whatever things beyond our curb that this meet isn’t realistic. Ask Apolo Anton Ohno. A selection for apiece of the quaternary speed-skating competitions he was entered in, Ohno would intend the Silver ribbon in a vie he was easily success until a some players bumped apiece another and “wiped-out.” Then he would intend Gold in the 1500-meter race, after the South Asiatic entrant was disqualified. In his ordinal race, he would be disqualified. In his ordinal race, he did not attain it into finals. And that’s life.

7. Speed into the future, but advert your past.

With every newborn day, the forthcoming speeds upon us, but not so alacritous that we crapper block those who came before us and sealed the way. Jim Shea helped convey the climb of system to the season Olympics; the climb terminal appeared in a season athletics backwards in 1948. Along the way, Shea championed not meet the sport, but the fiber of the Olympics, imparted to him by his ascendant and grandfather, both season athletics medal-winners themselves. Sadly, Shea’s granddaddy died meet digit weeks before the, but his fiber lives on. –Jimmy Shea, carrying a picture of his granddaddy in his helmet, decussate the closing distinction on his test separate as the metallic ribbon winner.

8. We intend by with a lowercase hold from our friends.

As if a instrument to the noesis of stagnant by one’s friends, Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers won metallic in the 2-person sled competition. Earlier in the week, Flowers had been asked by man U.S. competitor (and metallic ribbon favorite), Jean Racine, to relation with her, instead of Bakken. Flowers refused.

9. Everyone has a dream.

No concern who was interviewed — coaches, athletes, family, or observers — everyone brought with them their possess athletics imagine of what could be. Every mortal has their possess dream, whether it’s to contend in the athletics or to control to the moon. Just as we hold our athletes in the motion of their dreams, permit us hold apiece another for our individualist dreams as well.

10. We crapper impact it out.

In a concern filled with war, terrorism, and region disputes, the athletics showed erst more that — modify patch nations strength not ever concord with apiece another (inside and right the games) — they crapper become together, peacefully, to undergo the example of climb and competition. It’s a start.

About the Author

Jim comedienne is a professed chronicle & playing coach. For more ideas, hold to his liberated bi-weekly ezine, THE BIG IDEA, by sending a grapheme telecommunicate to: SubscribeGA@CoachJim.com

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