Out of all the events that are shown during Olympic season, the swim events are one of those that I keep on. Because I am a leisure swimmer, and because swimming is a sporting strength where I come from. Of course, these days my laps have fallen to almost zero and frankly... it has been quite some time since I entered the water.
Still, it's an exhilarating sport to watch.
Right now it is the Ladies 100m freestyle, 200m medley and the 100m backstroke Finals. We're shown the competitors waiting in the wings where on white foldable chairs they sit, dressed in their jackets, their windbreakers, their long coats, their swim caps, their goggles and their track pants. Headphones cup some of their ears, earbuds plug the ears of others. No one speaks.
And then the cameras cut to the poolside and we see them appear one by one as their supporters in the spectator stands applaud. Their track suits come off, they do their warm ups and then they move into starting position.
This race I watched was won by a swimmer from Hungary. Another race had one Chinese and two Americans in the top three. Lilly King took the gold, her fellow American took the bronze and the Chinese took the silver. Then there was the race with the Russian swimmer who took the silver. She had her country's flag draped around her shoulders as she took the victory walk round the pool.
But I don't think she smiled.
Not very much anyway.
I suppose it was because she didn't take the gold. But you know, I've kind of noticed that Russian competitors tend not to smile very much when they're at the Olympics.. although sometimes they do.
I've seen them.
Pre-race, they are pretty focused, stern and determined. Like when they are in the waiting areas and when they take their starting positions. Nary a smile. They're out there to win. They're out there to break a personal best. They're out there to set world records. And they're pretty d*** fierce about it.
Post-race they're different. They're smiles then. When they take the winners' stand, their hair is hanging down over their shoulders, they're back in their track suits and.. they're smiling. Sweet, pretty smiles that reflect who they really are beyond the competition.
We would do well to have the pre-race attitude, for Life presents its versions of challenges and competitions in Itself and there's only one way to live it. Either you cut no slack when you're on the field and you live to win and conquer it and do what you set out to do and be d*** good at it, or you don't.
There's no in between.
Yet, we would do well to have the post-race smiley attitude too. Because, more than the winning, it is about the Living and the Inspiring. It is the Living that forms our personalities and makes us whom we believe we should be. It is the Living that makes winning the gold medal a side of us. It is the Living that makes focus and determination and fierceness a side of us.
Which means that there're other sides, and as long as they don't interfere with our performance, as long as they don't weaken us, it's all great and fine.
Nowhere have I seen this spirit more alive in Rio 2016 than in any other sporting events thus far.
Because this time, I'm seeing them decked out in National Colors everywhere. I'm seeing lots of bright, neon shades of sports shoes on the track, on the field, in the stadium and by the pool. I'm seeing bling bling accessories adorning the hair of the Ladies. And best of all, I'm seeing perfectly manicured nails on their hands.
Still, it's an exhilarating sport to watch.
Right now it is the Ladies 100m freestyle, 200m medley and the 100m backstroke Finals. We're shown the competitors waiting in the wings where on white foldable chairs they sit, dressed in their jackets, their windbreakers, their long coats, their swim caps, their goggles and their track pants. Headphones cup some of their ears, earbuds plug the ears of others. No one speaks.
And then the cameras cut to the poolside and we see them appear one by one as their supporters in the spectator stands applaud. Their track suits come off, they do their warm ups and then they move into starting position.
This race I watched was won by a swimmer from Hungary. Another race had one Chinese and two Americans in the top three. Lilly King took the gold, her fellow American took the bronze and the Chinese took the silver. Then there was the race with the Russian swimmer who took the silver. She had her country's flag draped around her shoulders as she took the victory walk round the pool.
But I don't think she smiled.
Not very much anyway.
I suppose it was because she didn't take the gold. But you know, I've kind of noticed that Russian competitors tend not to smile very much when they're at the Olympics.. although sometimes they do.
I've seen them.
Pre-race, they are pretty focused, stern and determined. Like when they are in the waiting areas and when they take their starting positions. Nary a smile. They're out there to win. They're out there to break a personal best. They're out there to set world records. And they're pretty d*** fierce about it.
Post-race they're different. They're smiles then. When they take the winners' stand, their hair is hanging down over their shoulders, they're back in their track suits and.. they're smiling. Sweet, pretty smiles that reflect who they really are beyond the competition.
We would do well to have the pre-race attitude, for Life presents its versions of challenges and competitions in Itself and there's only one way to live it. Either you cut no slack when you're on the field and you live to win and conquer it and do what you set out to do and be d*** good at it, or you don't.
There's no in between.
Yet, we would do well to have the post-race smiley attitude too. Because, more than the winning, it is about the Living and the Inspiring. It is the Living that forms our personalities and makes us whom we believe we should be. It is the Living that makes winning the gold medal a side of us. It is the Living that makes focus and determination and fierceness a side of us.
Which means that there're other sides, and as long as they don't interfere with our performance, as long as they don't weaken us, it's all great and fine.
Nowhere have I seen this spirit more alive in Rio 2016 than in any other sporting events thus far.
Because this time, I'm seeing them decked out in National Colors everywhere. I'm seeing lots of bright, neon shades of sports shoes on the track, on the field, in the stadium and by the pool. I'm seeing bling bling accessories adorning the hair of the Ladies. And best of all, I'm seeing perfectly manicured nails on their hands.