"Your best!?"
Some are suggesting that our media is being "hard" on our athletes for not rising to expectations.
I say, good on them.
Finally.
When Charles Hamelin managed a less-than-impressive 4th place in the 1000m short track speed skating - when he is the reigning world record holder at that distance - they should say, "What the hell?"
Because, at the end of the day at the Olympics they don't hand out participation ribbons. They award medals. And the medals are for accomplishment. For winning.
As Vince Lombardi pointed out,
"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing."
To celebrate losing, is to celebrate mediocrity. The reality of life, contrary to the suggestions of my esteemed Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, Louise Charron, is about accomplishment.
Not good effort.
Not good intentions.
But actually doing the job we set out to do - and if we celebrate anything less than victory, well, we diminish the effort and sacrifice of those who are triumphant.
As Sean Connery replied in "The Rock" when Nicolas Cage said "I'll do my best":
Your "best"?!
Losers always whine about "their best".
Winners go home and fuck the prom queen.
5 comments:
But what if the Prom Queen is the winner!
What then!
The time difference between a podium finish and a fourth place, or worse, finish is measured in hundreds of a second in bobsleigh, skeleton. luge, skiing, speed skating, and many other disciplines. The people you are competing against are also the best in the world. If you fart on your way down the run that is enough to cost you time. On any given day, in any single event, anyone can come out on top.
I can understand why the athletes feel so bad after all the years of training and hard work comes to naught on this particular day. But for Canadians to feel let down somehow is ridiculous. How many of us have a gold medal day every day. And how many of us, if we were on that track or hill, would be being timed with a sun dial rather than a stopwatch.
PL.. no, not feeling let down, but not "celebrating" their defeat.
Yes,anyone can beat anyone else on any given day..unfortunately, Canadians never seem to find that day when it counts.
Countries, where winning matters (like the States) do.Often.
What I didn't like was seeing headlines like 'she LOST the Gold' instead of 'she WON the Silver' medal. If it was only about athletes that did not score a medal at all, I wouldn't really care what the media was saying (although, as PL said, anything can happen and it's usually a pretty close race). Yes I often cheer for the Underdog - so sue me lol. But I've watched the Media going for blood from each athlete that didn't take the Gold - If Canada had never won a gold on home soil before these games, we should be going freaking berserk over how many we have won this time! It's crazy lol. But those who placed 2nd and 3rd did awesome too and they did not 'LOSE' the Gold for Canada, they WON the silvers and bronzes. That's all good in my books (but not the media's apparently).
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