Olympic Games | Annie Fox's Blog

Failed Olympic ski run attempt or a “total failure?”

February 10, 2014

Bode Miller was the hands down fav to win the downhill ski race at the Winter Games. He finished 8th, a slippery .52 seconds behind Matthias Mayer’s gold medal time of 2:06:23. Clear as ice crystals, Bode failed. But does that make him a failure? Nah! The guy has racked up five Olympic medals in past 15 years, along with 33 World Cup Races. Without doubt, he’s the best America ski racer of the past two decades. And yet, a half a second is damning, isn’t it? But does it have to be? Isn’t it all in your attitude and how you choose to be spun by the media? For us mortals who don’t compete on Mount Olympus, and for the young mortals in our care, life and the progress we make is about what we learn from our mistakes as well as our wins. Or not.

Ty Walker: We’re here to have fun too, right?

On the other side of the mountain, 16 year old Ty Walker came off her flubbed last chance qualifying run on slope style, looked right into the camera, shrugged impishly and laughed. You gotta love that attitude!

I don’t mean to sugar-coat a loss anywhere, especially not in the Olympics where massive amounts of personal and national pride are on the line. (And let’s not forget cash!) But when people get all whiney-nutso when they don’t get gold, something’s outta whack. Like Hannah Kearney, for example. She won gold in the 2010 Winter Games and 27 out of 37 World Cup races since then, but she was so bummed with her bronze medal in the moguls on Saturday she acted like the officials hung a 3-day old dead fish around her neck.

Teachable moment: We don’t live in Lake Wobegon where all the children are “above average.” You win some and you lose some. Buck up. Be a good sport. Try again.

Filed under: OlympicMoms,Parenting — Tags: Bode Miller, Hannah Kearney, moguls, Olympic Games, OlympicMoms, skiing, Slopestyle, Sochi, Ty Walker — Annie @ 11:03 am

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Ice skating lessons of redemption and grace

February 9, 2014

Last night’s team figure skating short program was packed with teachable moments. Not all were visible on the ice.

Ashley Wagner, “I deserve to be here.”

I’ll start with the music Ashley Wagner chose. Even if you never heard of Pink Floyd, that song, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, had to have made an impression for what it wasn’t: classical or Broadway. At times haunting, heartbreakingly beautiful and defiant the song was written in 1974 as a tribute to former band member Syd Barrett who suffered from mental illness purportedly triggered by drug use. The band got to a point where they couldn’t abide by Barrett’s behavior, but they loved, respected and admired him for what he had brought to the “team.”

What’s that got to do with Ashley Wagner? I’m guessing she picked the song for its name. She’s still “shining on” despite her 4th place showing in the US Nationals last month. Coming in 4th when there are only three spots on the US Olympics team usually means you don’t move on. But the officials chose Ashley over 3rd place finisher Mirai Nagasu to represent the US in the Olympics team and the World Championship. Not everyone was thrilled for Ashley. As every tween and teen knows, when people aren’t happy with you, they try to bury you in social garbage.

But Ashley Wagner didn’t let the crap on social media bring her down. She performed brilliantly last night and because of her efforts, kept the US team’s hopes alive moving into the finals.

Teachable moment: When people hammer you for not being “deserving” don’t buy it. Do what you need to do and shine on.

Mirai Nagasu, “I’m proud of the way I skated.”

And what of Mirai Nagasu, the skater who, in the view of many, was robbed of her trip to the Olympics team by Ashley? Well, turns out Mirai is a class act. Here’s what she posted on FB:

“Not being chosen to represent the United States at the Olympic Games in Sochi and at the 2014 World Championships in Japan has been extremely disappointing to me, and it has been very difficult for me to process. I know that I performed my best at the US Championships in Boston. I am proud of the way I skated and of being awarded the Bronze Medal,. I want to wish Gracie, Polina, Ashley and the rest of the U.S. Team the best of luck at the 2014 Olympic Games. I will be watching and cheering them on.”

Teachable moment: When you don’t get what you want, breathe, process the disappointment in private, and take the high road in public.