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After Richmond’s extraordinary win in last weekend’s AFL Grand Final, media shy star Dustin Martin was asked how the team handled their nerves before the big game.
He simply said, “Our desire to succeed has outweighed our fear of failure.”
A team that has so often underachieved on big stages was able to perform brilliantly under the brightest of lights.
A team that has so often buckled under the weight of the expectations of their long-suffering fans finally threw off that burden to play with flair and freedom.
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In the recent World Athletics Championships in London, Australian discus thrower came second and was awarded a Silver Medal for her achievement.
She didn’t win, but she was still smiling afterwards and was rapt with her efforts.
Why?
As a former World Champion, shouldn’t she be disappointed that she didn’t win again?
Young Sydney Swans defender Alex Johnson last played AFL football in the 2012 Grand Final.
He was a star on the rise with a very successful team and the future looked bright, before a horrible run of injuries struck him down.
Since then, he has gone through 5 knee reconstructions, 12 operations and a serious infection in his knee, which has made it 1736 days since he last played.
I can’t imagine what that must have been like.
Months of boring, repetitive rehabilitation, followed by a significant setback.
Followed by more rehabilitation and then another setback.
The above photo is of my 9 year-old daughter, Madison, who came 10th in her school division today, which enables her to go through to the regional finals.
For her, it’s a really big deal and she is sporting the biggest smile I’ve seen on her face.
But she wasn’t smiling when she was training on a cold, wet, foggy morning doing laps before school.
She wasn’t smiling when we said no to McDonald’s or other junk food.
But she was beaming after training hard, pushing herself on the day and achieving her goal.
Hopefully, she’s learned an important life principle.
When you’re watching sporting contests and comparing the expertise of each coaching team, it’s tempting to imagine the pre-game words of the coaches and think that the side that had the best motivational speech won.
These days, that’s rarely the case.
The team that wins is the one that is best prepared for the contest.
It’s the team that has worked the hardest on the training track.
Like many other sports fans, I watched the gripping US Masters sudden death playoff this morning (Australian time), between Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose.
To see the relief and exhilaration when Garcia made the winning putt was terrific.
Here was a guy in his 74th golf major, finally getting the rewards of almost 2 decades of toil. They only play four each year, so that’s a long time to wait between losses.
Here was a guy who had lost in a playoff in the 2007 British Open and had other close calls and disappointments, showing the benefits of never giving up.
This week, the Boston Celtics took first spot in the Eastern Conference from reigning champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers (and then promptly lost it again).
When asked about this accomplishment, coach Brad Stevens had this to say,
“It doesn’t mean a whole lot right now.
The whole idea is to make progress and get better every day and try and stay in the moment. You do that whether you are in last place or trying to build up or whether you are in position for fighting for seeding. Read the rest of this entry »
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown recently signed a contract worth $68M over 4 years, making him the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL. He has been to the Pro Bowl 5 times and is a superstar of the NFL, but it hasn’t been an easy ride for him.
Nicknamed “Boney Tony” in high school, when he left Central Michigan University to enter the NFL Draft, he was described by scouts as, “Very thin, small in stature, lacks functional strength.” As a result, he slid down the order and was taken in the 6th round at pick 195.
But instead of being disappointed, he used the snub as motivation, selecting the number 84, because 8×4=32, which is the number of teams that overlooked him in the draft.
After signing his record contract, Brown revealed that he keeps a copy of his scouting reports and went on to say, Read the rest of this entry »
In 1892, James J. Corbett became the first boxing heavyweight world champion, winning by knock-out in the 21st round.
This is what he had to say on the art of being a champion:
“Fight one more round.
When your feet are so tired that you have to shuffle back to the centre of the ring,
fight one more round.
When your arms as so tired that you can hardly lift your hands to come on guard,
fight one more round.
When your nose is bleeding and your eyes are black and you are so tired that you wish your opponent would crack you on the jaw and put you to sleep,
fight one more round,
remembering that the man who always fights one more round is never whipped.”
Ibrahim Hamadtou displaying his remarkable skill and tenacity
One of the more remarkable stories from the Rio Paralympics is Egyptian table tennis player, Ibrahim Hamadtou.
At the age of 10, Ibrahim lost both of his arms in a train accident, so you would think that table tennis is an odd choice of sport.
But this extraordinary man was not to be daunted, holding the paddle with his teeth and serving by throwing the ball into the air with his toes.
Yes, you read that right.
