The Olympic Spirit and Finding the Fun

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Alex Chang, MFS, RM

It’s hard to believe that 2022 has finally arrived. With the New Year comes hard realities and new hope as I know you, like many of us, had hoped the pandemic would be fully behind us. It is not. The Olympic Winter Games are around the corner and yet we cannot say with certainty what to expect going into these games.

We hope for safe travels, for Olympic medals, and for acknowledgement of both the athlete and the coach for a lifetime invested in our sport. We often live our own hopes and dreams through these athletes, which is a beautiful thing… but what happens when they/we don’t get there? Like any athlete, we may want to throw in the towel, but does that get the athlete to their desired destination?

I think the power of sport lies in our connection and identification with these athletes, to their hopes which remind us of our hopes, to their struggles which echo our own daily challenges. They are a mirror unto ourselves, so I make this request at this time of uncertainty and challenge: Let’s find the Olympic spirit in each of us, to refocus our energies onto a path forward, and accept that we may not always come out with a medal, but the struggle to be better makes us better.

“Each day, let’s see if we can treat our daily challenges like a game. Let’s take out the projected negative outcomes and bring in the element of fun, possibility, challenge, and game-play into our own daily work.”

I hate to pretend to have any real answers with any authority, but I do hope to remind you of the power within each of us to overcome, to achieve, to refine our approach, and to dedicate ourselves to being our personal best. We are coaches, ‘influencers,’ teachers, and leaders, and we bring out the best in our athletes. It’s in our DNA. Let’s put that energy and experience into bringing out the best in ourselves, bringing out the best in each other, and ultimately bringing out the best in our community.

Here’s another thought. We help athletes overcome the challenges of their journey, but we also make it fun and engaging through tasks and game-play. Is it a distraction tactic? Maybe… but when the athlete can reframe the action as less of a task and more of a game, they can enjoy the game, apply themselves, and park their ego/judgment. In other words, they don’t nullify the game before they start with a projected negative outcome (this is something we often do as adults). They just play the game. Each day, let’s see if we can treat our daily challenges like a game. Let’s take out the projected negative outcomes and bring in the element of fun, possibility, challenge, and game-play into our own daily work. Hopefully along the way, we can find the fun and sport of living our best life, whatever that may be.

Be safe, have hope, and find the fun!