We Earn What We Earn
There is a famous 30-second Nike commercial featuring the great WNBA player, Lisa Leslie, titled, “You don’t win silver, you lose the gold”.
When I first saw this commerc
ial I was like, “Yeah!”
But, then after I won the silver medal in Sydney, Australia in the Long Jump at the Paralympic Games, I was a bit more reserved in my enthusiasm about the commercial. I realized that I put a lot of effort into winning that medal.
Truthfully, I understand where this philosophical thinking comes from and why people would consider the NIKE message a powerful one. Everyone wants to win first place. It does not matter if it is in athletic competition, academic rivalry for valedictorian, or business opposition to win a contract; we all desire the top spot.
I am no different. I want to win.
After further review of my own sentiments I came to the conclusion that I no longer agreed with my previous position. I now believe that this statement underscores a deeper problem in sport and our society, which is an “entitlement” mentality.
I believe in sports, as in life, we earn what we earn, and we win what we win. To take the stance that I lost the gold medal at those games means firstly, I discounted the efforts and achievement of the winner, in this case, Lukas Christen from Switzerland. When he won the gold, he was the two-time reigning champion. He won because he outworked, out-prepared, and out-executed me, by 4.5 inches to win his third consecutive Paralympic long jump title.
Secondly, a statement like that discredits the work that I put in to winning the silver medal. And let me tell you, I did a lot of work to earn that silver medal! 20 years’ worth of work.
Let me break down for you why I earned this silver medal. It all has to do with a shifting of focus, the effort in preparation, and the exceptional execution of the goal.
I competed in two Olympic trials in three different sports and was the eighth fastest 400-meter hurdler in the country at the time before the disabling injury the resulted in the amputation of my left leg.
It took me 2 ½ years to get my nerve back to step foot on a track again, let alone relearn how to run with an artificial leg. It was not until my third year, post-amputation, that I retaught myself how to run again. It was not an easy process.
John getting stronger getting faster
I knew how to train, but I had to figure out my energy system. The energy expended for an above-the-knee amputee is three times that of a person with full limb mobility.
Second, I was ignorant. I did not know what I did not know when it came to the mechanics of artificial knees. For 6 months I was unable to figure out why my artificial leg was hyper extending when I ran. I needed an extension stopper, a piece of metal that stops the leg from going into hyper-extension. I went through three or four hydraulic knees, and 12 weeks of missed training, before a prosthetist from the manufacture told me what was happening.
Third, I was ignorant to the various density of hydraulic fluid in the knee that directly correlates to how fast the knee will return in a running motion. Five days before my long jump at the Paralympic Games, another prosthetist who was watching my practice session told me that I was overpowering the knee unit. In other words, I was running too fast for the knee unit I was using. He called the manufacturer, who overnighted another hydraulic knee with more viscosity allowing me to run faster.
Every athlete that competes in the Olympic and Paralympic games has a dream of winning the gold. For the majority of athletes who are fortunate enough to make it to the Olympic or Paralympic games, that will be the highlight of their career. For a select few, the honored medalists, they will cherish something very few people ever get to experience: having their country’s flag raised in recognition of their efforts and their national anthem played.
Pundits will have us believe the only spot that really matters is the top spot. There is some truth to that. No one wants to be second in a business deal, or be first person out of the job interview, or the runner up in a pageant. But there is a quiet resolve that lies in not winning that pushes one to be better the next time. This resolve is valuable and should never be discounted.
In American society I have seen the entitlement mentality play out in other professions.
One example is youth sports where the attitude is everyone is entitled to a medal. It is almost comical to see this played out in a game of tee-ball or 3 v 3 youth soccer. No one is supposed to keep score. The focus is supposed to be on skill development, friendship, and fair sport. Yet, when the game is over and the kids have run through the parent tunnel. Or, when the oranges or other snacks have been consumed and the mini-vans are reloaded, the very first questions I often hear young athletes and parents are: “How many goals did I score.” Or “how many runs did we get?” “Who really won that game.”
Let’s not kid ourselves, we all keep score.
As an athlete, my thought process was no different. I wanted to win the gold medal. It was not my goal or desire to travel 9756 miles from Northern Virginia to Sydney, Australia and come back with anything less. I do not know of any athlete who goes to a competition looking to win second place.
That is why I believe that “losing the gold” drives an entitlement mentality. The premise negates the work that goes into performance and being satisfied with the outcome of the results.
My ignorance about my new equipment coupled with having to learn how to run again were not easy. Yet, three years after taking my first running steps on my prosthesis, I was the second-best long jumper in the world. I was being honored to represent the United States of America in the Olympic stadium having earned the silver medal! You had better believe that I am proud of that.
My stance is this: We earn gold, silver, and bronze. We also earn fourth, fifth, sixth, or whatever position the result concludes. To say that you did not earn those positions, or that you should have done better, is to say you were entitled to something that you did not deserve or earn.
We earn what we earn.
Life’s False Starts Prove Great for New Beginnings!
Penn Relays 1987 – This is me with two legs!.
Yes we won!
I ran the lead off leg for the Arkansas Razorbacks 4x400m relay. I can say from experience that the race is one of the most grueling in track and field. The last 100m is the most painful of the race no matter what shape an athlete is in. Because I knew the pain was coming I used to literally cry before starting for the Hogs!
For those who don’t know how painful this race can be, I suggest going to your local track and, after a proper warm-up, attempting to run one lap, without stopping, at a full sprint. You may want to get a doctor’s note if you’re a
ctually considering sprinting the race — especially if you are out of shape. Believe me, you will cry too! But, please try not to pass out on me — I need you to read my next blog.
The best runners in the 400m dedicate themselves to a rigorous training regime so they are able to run several rounds of races before the finals in large competitions and one of the most crucial points of the race is the start. In general terms the shorter the distance the more important the start becomes. It is critical for the athlete to have the best start possible in order to be competitive. The longer the race the start is not as crucial because the runner can make up more time during the race.
In the 400m, the start is a critical part of the race, although it is less important than in the 100m because it is a longer race and the athlete can make up more time during the race due to the greater distance.
Now on to my story. Christine Ohuruogu, a 400m sprinter from Great Britain, false started in the 400m. This is almost never heard of. She instantly was removed from her lane as per the rules and was unable to contest for the medal in the 400m dash at the world championship race in 2011.
American 1-lap Queen Sanya Richards-Ross stated, “It’s so rare that you hear the second gun in the 400m – I thought it was a malfunction,” she told the BBC. “In the call room we were like, aw man. I’m disappointed for her.”
Consider that Ohuruogu had worked all year to get into form and into the world championships. All of the grueling workouts, all of the months of training, all of the injuries overcome, that led up to this one race were rendered useless because of one false start, in one race.
- She was devastated.
- Her teammates were devastated.
- Her coaches were devastated.
- Her competitors were even sympathetic to her plight, and became more aware of the consequences of a false start.
- The media – “cheeky”
It is so easy to be critical and put ourselves in the shoes of others and say “I would never do that.” But really, how many of us have made a mistake, a straight up boneheaded mistake in life? I know I have. The difference is our mistakes aren’t broadcast to the world for others to judge, as Christine Ohuruogu’s was.
Wouldn’t it be great if we all took the mindset to pick people up when they make mistakes? Recognize the error – yes, but don’t let someone live in that one mistake, forever. Think about it?
- How many of these moments can you change in a day?
- How many people can you help back up?
- What would you do seeing someone at a low point? Would you help them up, like Christine’s coaches and teammates, or would you kick them while they are down like the media at the 2011 Track and Field World Championship?
We all know when we have made a mistake and people aren’t telling us anything new when they talk about our mistakes. They are only restating the obvious without offering any constructive advice. I think a lesson on how to deal with a negative situation and turn it in to a positive is in order.
In his book, One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard has a section entitled “The One Minute Reprimand.” The reprimand begins with something good the employee, or in this case the athlete has done, before allowing the employee or athlete to articulate their feelings about what went wrong. It is then followed by several things a person can do to correct their mistake and a statement about how they are valued as person despite their mistake. This method of mistake correction is a great tool to have in your arsenal and will help the person reprimanded perform better in the future.
So, back to Ms. Ohuruogu. Even though she was disqualified from the open 400, 1 year later she learned from the error (maybe used it as inspiration) and blasted to a silver medal in the London Olympic Games!
The London papers were ecstatic, less cheeky, Ms. Ohuruogu performed brilliantly through the rounds and then won the silver medal! Despite the 2011 setback she hurdled her adversity and demonstrated the true spirit of an adversity overcomer.
When faced with adversity, you can decide whether to settle into your setbacks, or to roar forward and make the best of bad situation.
I believe low points in life allow for the highest potential and from mistakes we can surge back to triumph over adversity and then we can share our lessons with others to inspire them to greatness!
Go forth and inspire your world!
John