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Joe Boxer
Joined: 25 Dec 2007
Location: Bundang, South Korea
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 Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 3:46 am Post subject: How does it feel to lose in the Olympics? |
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According to Canadian fencer Sherraine Schalm,
"It's like I imagine being a man, it's like being kicked in the nuts repeatedly, that's how bad it feels."
Jesus, it's time for Canada to get a medal.
Apparently, we'll get a medal this weekend, though. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:23 am Post subject: |
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This points to the sickness of the Olympics. How can attending the Olympics be a failure? You are one of the very best in the world at what you have chosen to do. If you are a failure maybe the rest of us should just quietly go jump off a high cliff. This attitude that there is one winner and 6 1/2 BILLION losers is stupid.
The Olympics are fun. They can be exciting. They can be inspiring. They can also be depressing if you have a dysfunctional attitude. |
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MANDRL
Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:31 am Post subject: |
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"Ya-ta Boy"
The Olympics are fun. They can be exciting. They can be inspiring. They can also be depressing if you have a dysfunctional attitude. |
I agree with you here. However, I do have a crazy competitive side and the dysfunctional attitude which you speak of consumes me. I can guarantee you that if I feel that way, Olympic athletes are NOT competing for anything less than a gold medal. Anything less is not acceptable. |
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Thunndarr
Joined: 30 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:42 am Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
This points to the sickness of the Olympics. How can attending the Olympics be a failure? You are one of the very best in the world at what you have chosen to do. If you are a failure maybe the rest of us should just quietly go jump off a high cliff. This attitude that there is one winner and 6 1/2 BILLION losers is stupid.
The Olympics are fun. They can be exciting. They can be inspiring. They can also be depressing if you have a dysfunctional attitude. |
Let's put it this way. Olympians probably have a competitive streak a mile wide. This personality facet (an over-developed desire to win) has the inevitable side-effect of overwhelming disappointment when losing. I don't think you can really have one without the other. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:38 am Post subject: |
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Years ago I had a conversation with a high school junior. He said his dad told him that if he didn't win the Olympic gold that he was a failure. I told him his dad was a fool. Second place in the entire world was pretty darn good. I stand by that.
Of course when you are competing you want to strive for the top spot, but to come in second in the world is no mean achievement. Competition should be a motivator, not something destructive. There is a huge difference between 'winner and second place' and 'winner and loser'. It's in the choice of words; it's in the attitude.
The media all too often plays along with the second attitude. That is when sports is destructive. |
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stevieg4ever
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Location: London, England
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:12 am Post subject: |
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I agree totally with what you say. I think it is also important to add that these people are perfectionists (alot of them). When they are 99.9% perfect at what they do they spend all their time focusing on that 0.1% - its just how they are!
| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
Of course when you are competing you want to strive for the top spot, but to come in second in the world is no mean achievement. Competition should be a motivator, not something destructive. There is a huge difference between 'winner and second place' and 'winner and loser'. It's in the choice of words; it's in the attitude.
The media all too often plays along with the second attitude. That is when sports is destructive. |
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khyber
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Compunction Junction
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:33 am Post subject: |
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| I think it's more about investing 6-9 hours a day training for x number of years and then feel like you've wasted that whole time |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:54 am Post subject: |
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| No doubt it is devastating to lose, but then, when did jocks become our standard? There are some fine and intelligent jocks in this world. I know. I taught some of them. However, there are those others.... |
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crusher_of_heads
Joined: 23 Feb 2007
Location: kimbop and kimchi for kimberly!!!!
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:36 am Post subject: |
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| Federal money is needed to promote official bilingualism in Richmond, British Columbia before it is allocated to Amateur athletics. Once Richmond is 98% bilingual, then the federal government will give more money to Olympic athletes. |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 1:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
Years ago I had a conversation with a high school junior. He said his dad told him that if he didn't win the Olympic gold that he was a failure. I told him his dad was a fool. Second place in the entire world was pretty darn good. I stand by that.
Of course when you are competing you want to strive for the top spot, but to come in second in the world is no mean achievement. Competition should be a motivator, not something destructive. There is a huge difference between 'winner and second place' and 'winner and loser'. It's in the choice of words; it's in the attitude. |
I dated an Olympic calibre athlete when I was in high school. I believe he was ranked fifth in the world in his rather obscure sport at the time. When he came home, crushed after a competition, I told him much the same thing that you're saying here.
The thing is, olympians, they're not like us. They're not just focused, they've basically sacrificed their entire lives up til that point to compete at that level. Knowing that all the hard work, and stuff that was given up still wasn't quite enough can be one hell of a blow.
Everyone thinks, " If only I'd done something differently" from time to time. The guy getting the silver medal is thinking that, and knowing that his family and friends have been sacrificing for years to get him that chance, and that a good portion of the world might've seen his mistake (even if most of us didn't realise it was a mistake at the time) |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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| peppermint wrote: |
| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
Years ago I had a conversation with a high school junior. He said his dad told him that if he didn't win the Olympic gold that he was a failure. I told him his dad was a fool. Second place in the entire world was pretty darn good. I stand by that.
Of course when you are competing you want to strive for the top spot, but to come in second in the world is no mean achievement. Competition should be a motivator, not something destructive. There is a huge difference between 'winner and second place' and 'winner and loser'. It's in the choice of words; it's in the attitude. |
I dated an Olympic calibre athlete when I was in high school. I believe he was ranked fifth in the world in his rather obscure sport at the time. When he came home, crushed after a competition, I told him much the same thing that you're saying here.
The thing is, olympians, they're not like us. They're not just focused, they've basically sacrificed their entire lives up til that point to compete at that level. Knowing that all the hard work, and stuff that was given up still wasn't quite enough can be one hell of a blow.
Everyone thinks, " If only I'd done something differently" from time to time. The guy getting the silver medal is thinking that, and knowing that his family and friends have been sacrificing for years to get him that chance, and that a good portion of the world might've seen his mistake (even if most of us didn't realise it was a mistake at the time) |
That's a good point. It's like those guys who sell their small software company for $35 million and don't retire. They use the money to start another company with plans to sell that one for $75 million.
Our lives seem perfect to some others. We look to those above and think we'd not be happy until we attain that.
But coming back to the topic, I have to say at this points let's lose big. Let's hope we walk away with not so much as a single bronze. Let's make the Togos and the Uzbannastans with their single bronze and single silver really feel good when one of the richest nations in the world can't manage what they manage. |
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TECO
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 3:21 pm Post subject: |
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| the Olympics aren't what they used to be. How long until the next Doping scandal surfaces? Don't give a sheeit about it at all actually.....ah, I guess some of the athleticism that occurs without cheating is pretty cool, or does that exist still? politics are interesting I guess - heard how China had digitally inserted crowds into the stands to make it look like they were "Sold Out" for some competitions. Also heard how they even cheated on the little girl singing the national anthem (or was it another song?) by having the best, but not most attractive girl sing the song, but have the cuter girl lip sync the performance. Now doesn't that sound like it's in the true spirit of the Olympic Games! |
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Joe Boxer
Joined: 25 Dec 2007
Location: Bundang, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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Canada has to support its athletes more. There should be more government money put aside for sports.
Other countries support their athletes well, and then give them huge bonuses when they return with a medal.
Winners could do alot to inspire the new generation of lard-asses that would rather play sports on their Playstation 3.
Oh and Ya-ta Boy, all of the Olympians should strive for gold. The feeling of "wow, I got to the Olympics" is just not good enough. |
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ed4444
Joined: 12 Oct 2004
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Joe Boxer
Joined: 25 Dec 2007
Location: Bundang, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 2:41 am Post subject: |
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Actually, if that's the fight I saw on TV the other night, the Korean won against the heavily-favored American. |
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