We’d just finished lunch—a big bowl of chili, a green salad, and homemade bread—when my cousin, MM, leaned forward with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “If you were an Olympic athlete,” she asked, “what kind would you want to be?”
The proposition was pure fantasy. None of us would ever be sent to the Olympics. But after a couple of glasses of champagne, it was fun to imagine what might have been.
My sister Sue didn’t see it that way. “None. Never. Absolutely not.”
MM and I thought about it, though. “Cross-country skier,” MM decided after a few minutes. “I did a lot of cross-country around our mountain cabin, and I was pretty good at it.”
I couldn’t think of any winter sports I was good at, so I went in another direction. “Pairs skating,” I said. “I like the beauty and grace of it—flying across the ice, our bodies synchronized with the music and with each other, a partner strong enough to throw me high in the air.”
“Nope,” Sue said again. “None of it.”
We took another sip of champagne and then followed Sue into the kitchen where she dished up ice cream and berries.
We brought our pretty little blue bowls of berries and ice cream back to the table, and while we ate, Sue and MM peered out the window trying to identify the birds in the neighbors’ feeder. I was still thinking about pairs skating though. Come to think of it, there was no way I’d be willing to jump out of bed early morning after morning to train in an ice rink, to fall again and again. And for what?
Yet all those Olympic athletes do it. They choose to do it. Why?
A couple of days later I was asking myself the same question as I watched the snowboarders. Have you seen them? I mean, those guys are crazy!
And yet … and yet, this urge to achieve seems to be part of our nature. Our babies aren’t content lying in their cribs and waiting for their bottles. No, they want to walk, even though they’re bound to fall again and again. Before long they’ll want to ride a bike. And there are always those who are more talented or daring who teach themselves to ride hands free. Jumping rope may be fun, but with some skill and effort, you could do Double Dutch. Why not? And doesn’t that make you feel good!?
Maybe that’s the answer. It makes you feel good to accomplish something hard.
But then, I heard another answer later that day. An interviewer was asking an athlete why he did what he did. His answer: “I found out I was good at it.”
********
Is there something you’ve thought you did well enough that you were willing to spend a lot of time and effort on it even though there might not be a payoff in the end?
********
Nicki, I think I’m with Sue. I can understand finding out you were good at something and pursuing it, but pursuing it to the extent of pain and suffering – for surely the top echelon does experience a great deal of that, and choses to continue doing so willingly – that is not something I understand. And that’s what differentiates me from those high flyers. I admire them for it, but I don’t regret not having that gene 🙂
It was fun to imagine being that girl on ice skates flying around the rink, leaping and twirling. But, like you, I’d never be willing to take all the falls and expend all the effort to get there. On the other hand, come to think of it, I did spend a crazy amount of time and effort to write two novels and get them published for a questionable reward. At least I didn’t break any bones doing it.
As a young girl I dreamed of bringing a concert pianist. I loved music n playing the piano. A music scholarship for my college freshman year only heightened my desire. THEN my first semester dashed my dreams- my love didn’t hold a candle to the talent of my classmates… Nevertheless, piano saved me during the long lonely years of widowhood. And proved to be a great asset while serving as a Spiritual Care Provider in a retirement home.
Ah, the twists n turns of life!
We can all enjoy music, but working hard to develop musical skill is especially rewarding for everyone involved. And it always has more than one payoff. All three of my daughters took piano lessons. Two of them practiced consistently. The other took up singing instead. She took lessons, joined choirs, and sang for her HS graduation. The two who continued their piano lessons also joined the orchestra. They passed their love of music on to their children. None of them became professionals, but you can’t measure the amount of pleasure they’ve received as a result of their piano, violin, and voice lessons.
Sounds like an interesting conversation and a delicious lunch, Nicki.
There is probably no single reason why athletes do what they do ~ some for the money, some because it feels good and makes them feel alive, others are motivated by the desire for accolades, approval, acclaim, acknowledgment, applause, admiration, etc.
If I could be an olympic athlete, I’d be a swimming . . . but only if the pool was warm. 😀
I love swimming too. I must have been about 4 or 5 when I started swimming lessons. I high school I took a class in water ballet and another in lifesaving. Fortunately, I’ve never had to save anyone’s life, but I did a lot of swimming in the Philippines and Vanuatu. Yes! Warm water is the best. Once we were swimming in a bay in the Philippines, and a few people were complaining that the water was too warm. Not for me. It was just right.
Nicki, first I’m now hungry after your delicious lunch and dessert! When I think of the Winter Olympics I always come back to the Wii game Mario Winter Olympics Game. Such fun when my son was young and great to be able to do anything! I excelled at the ski-jump and slalom! 😀 In real life, my only skiing was cross country.
As to your question, one year at university I took a Russian language course! I fancied a challenge and yikes, it was. Three hours every day in class (that quickly became very small) followed by three hours evening studies on top of other two subjects. I thrived under the intensity and by the end of the year reading a Chekhov book, albeit very slowly. My tutor wanted me to continue but we had to spend a year in Russia – I was tempted but being a vegetarian I thought I wouldn’t fare too well! 😀
The advantage of cross country skiing is the scenery. You can ski through the woods. Plus, you get lots of exercise, and you’re less likely to fall.
My daughter got her degree in Slavic languages, mainly Russian. After college, she got a job in the Russian Far East working for the archbishop of Anchorage, Alaska. (It was 1991, when the Soviet Union fell), She stayed for almost two years. My husband and I visited for about ten days one August. Before the trip, I tried to learn a few words. It wasn’t easy. Russian is a difficult language.
I was good at my job and I excelled at it. It was rewarding and I invested a lot of time honing my skills (although not Olympic medal rewarding). I can relate to working at something you love (although not those back flips and somersaults high in the sky!)
You’re also good at blogging, and you’re a devoted cat owner. Both take a lot of effort.
I loved dancing. And yeah, I spent a lot of money and time on it, just for the joy.
You must have been a fantastic ballroom dancer/competitor. It must have been so much fun.
It was. I’m glad we danced while we could!
Great post, Nicki! I have also wondered about the Olympic athletes. What makes someone want to do a backflip on the ice, knowing that the first time you do it, you will fall? What makes a ski racer want to race down a ski slope so fast that crashing is life threatening, as we’ve seen in the news stories? Dedication to what they are good at, as you mentioned.
Graduate school was very hard for me. It was so stressful and time consuming. But I’m glad I went through that challenge.
Come to think of it, graduate school (Vermont College) was a lot of work for me too. Sometimes I’d want to tear my hair out when I couldn’t think of a new story. To make matters worse, I had to send assignments by mail from Vanuatu and travel to Vermont twice a year for the on-campus classes. And yet, it was so inspiring and so much fun.