Let’s talk Olympics pressure
The XXIV Winter Olympics have ended, and there are many takeaways. There is pride in American athletes and competition. There is the joy of smaller nations competing with one or two or three athletes, compared to the excesses of the U.S., Canada, China and the ROC (which I will address in a moment).
In all, 2,871 athletes representing 91 teams (nations) competed. The United States brought 224 athletes and Canada competed with 217. The Russian Olympic Committee delegation was 214 strong and host China had 173 athletes. More than 50 committees brought fewer than 10 athletes. This year, two athletes competed for Puerto Rico's delegation, and one each competed for the U.S. Virgin Islands and for American Samoa. More than a dozen other delegations brought only one athlete to Beijing.
Following a blood doping scandal, Russia was banned from competing in the Olympics in 2017. But Russian athletes can still compete under the neutral Olympic committee banner. Yes and no on this. If Russia can’t compete, should their innocent athletes be banned as well? On the other hand, the ROC is Russia, and even though these athletes are tested often, I wonder if the “clean” athletes shouldn’t compete under NO flag, just “Unattached athletes of the Earth.” Of course, they would still have to be sponsored by some umbrella, so it isn’t feasible. But Russia showed again that it competes unfairly and against the rules, and while it may not be fair that its innocent athletes suffer, there should be some stronger form of penalty, don’t you think?
Now, about the athletes: These talented, focused, dedicated, obsessed athletes work for four years to win, and sometimes work for 16 years to get the gold, but at what price? There is stringent training and testing and more training and more testing to make sure athletes don’t gain chemical advantages. There is joy and agony. In many cases, an athlete trains and competes for four years to gain the podium based on a single performance in a single day. Are they focused? Confident? Are their biorhythms right? Do they have a bad day, or a day to end all days, such as the incredible Sarah Hughes figure skating performance or Australia’s Steve Bradbury winning short track 1,000-meter skating race, both in 2002 at Salt Lake City. And the mess-ups … Lindsay Jacobellis lost her Olympic gold in 2006 when she went for a celebratory board grab on the second-to-last jump. Switzerland's Tanja Freiden was the athlete who capitalized on that showboat move.
Jacobellis spent 16 years training, competing and never giving up and at the age of 36 won two golds at Beijing. And her partner, Nick Baumgartner, from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, at the age of 40, after losing his “last chance” for a medal of any kind, unexpectedly teamed with Jacobellis and won gold in the mixed snowboardcross. They never gave up and stayed mentally tough and won. Upside.
Then there are Shaun White and Mikaela Shiffrin. Downside. White, in his final Olympics, came up empty this time, and while a medal would have been a storybook ending, it is tough to feel sorry for a three-time Olympic gold medalist in half-pipe snowboarding. He had his moments in the sun. As for Shiffren, she had a rough go this time and also came up empty and was mentally drained on the hill, but she has won two golds, and it is tough to mourn when she has had her Olympic successes.
Finally, there is ROC’s 15-year-old figure skating phenom Kamila Valieva. She, at her tender age, is the best in the world, but she tested positive for a banned heart medicine that, in a cocktail of other meds, can enhance performance. She never should have competed, as her positive test should have disallowed that. But she was allowed to compete, and with all the pressure and notoriety thrust upon her in addition to just being expected to win gold, she underperformed and did not gain the podium. Instead of consoling her, her coaches and her team, the same ones who gave her the cocktail (whether she knew it or not, we do not know as of now), vilified her for “giving up” and “not fighting”.
There is something to be said for tough training, and it has yielded winning results. But this is a 15-year-old, and a little kindness could do wonders, don’t ya think?
For athletes who “lose it” mentally, there is a compassion felt, but on the other side, these athletes train, focus and obsess for years – at least four years between Olympiads – and if they aren’t mentally tough enough to win, perhaps they shouldn’t gain a podium spot. I don’t have an answer. I think compassion for one who has gotten there and has competed at the Olympics and then has a down day is not out of the question. What do you think? Let me know at mike.blake@mountvernonnews.com.
See you next time.
