London
My husband returned last night from a mission trip to Romania, so tonight we caught up on what he had missed of the Olympic games. I loved having them on DVR so that we could speed up those slow moments between dives, skip commercials, and zoom past teams or individuals acting inappropriately when they won (or lost).
To me, the highlight of these Olympiads was Gabby Douglas’s gold-medal performance in the women’s gymnastics all-around. She was happy, bubbly, and humble. The child had not an ounce of the diva in her.
Another wonderful moment came when David Boudia held it together and took the gold in men’s 10 meter platform diving. I was very proud of Tom Daley as well. He was the epitome of grace under pressure. He and his teammates were so happy over his third place finish that they all jumped in the pool together.
What I disliked tremendously was watching athletes pout or display anger because they didn’t win. Perhaps they were disappointed with themselves, but throwing a fit when earning silver instead of gold does not show good sportsmanship to me. Don’t destroy the winner’s joy; let him have his moment unperturbed by a competitor’s jealousy, rage, or unhappiness.
I feel very much the same in daily life. We should be happy in the accomplishments of others, not spiteful. Friends should be joyful that others are doing well, not jealous.
I’ve been rereading Persuasion, and I am struck again by the selflessness of Anne Elliot. She, Elinor Dashwood (Sense and Sensibility), and Fanny Price (Mansfield Park) illustrate grace under pressure, humility, and the ability to rejoice in the happiness of their loved ones. Life was not easy for any of these ladies, yet they persevered, and they were rewarded in the end.
Austen endowed her lead female characters with surprising strength for her time. They were genteel ladies, but they had firmness of character, they were admirable, and they have withstood the test of time. They are still believable today.
Grace under pressure. Interesting concept. There is so little of it around these days that it’s almost possible to forget that it exists at all. And we’re a poorer society for it.
Gabby also exhibited grace when she failed to medal in the individuals after winning gold in the all around. She was disappointed, but she held herself together and congratulated those who won, even though one of those girls had not been gracious to her.
Personally I’m amazed that pouting and fit-throwing is the worst that happened. These are, for the most part, very young people being thrown into a combo of carnivale, Burning Man, Mardis Gras, and the Roman Baths.
I was amused that the Olympic officials were angered when they found a bucket of unauthorized condoms in the Olympic Village, (where the athletes sleep). This means there were buckets of AUTHORIZED condoms available.
My interest in the Olympics declines exponentially.
I didn’t watch as much of it as I usually do, either, Susan. I like gymnastics, volleyball, and swimming. The height of “diva” was reached when the Russian coach put a hand on his girl’s arm after she fell off the balance beam. She shook his hand off, very rudely, in front of the entire world.
I have always loved, and somewhat idealized, the Olympics but it is sad to see bad sportsmanship. Usain Bolt really got on my nerves. Yes, he’s the “fastest man in the world” and yes, the adrenaline was surely flowing but I thought he was over the top obnoxious when he won the 100M.
I have to agree with you, Monica. I ending up wishing he would trip. He was insufferable.