Sports: 5 Things We Can Learn From the Sochi Olympics

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” Michael Jordan 

Sochi Olympic Rings at Olympic Park

Sportsmanship is key.

Persistence and Practice pay off.

The 2014 Winter Olympics also known as the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics  are being held in Sochi, Russia. It's the first time that Russia has hosted the games and, while there have been some challenges, they have put on a great event. The games started on February 7th and will run it's course on the 23rd. Next stop will be South Korea for the 2018 Winter Olympics. It will be held in the city of Pyeongchang. The Olympics is such a wonderful training ground for anyone who wants to learn or be reminded of what it takes to become a world champion at anything we do; Practice, practice, practice. 17-year-old Adelina Sotnikova beat figure skating defending champion and favorite, Yuna Kim of South Korea,  to win Russia's first Women's Figure Skating gold.  But don't count Yuna out, she is persistent and will be ready at the next meet.  Frankly, any kind of team sports can teach us how to be persistent, brave and spirited in a positive way.


“One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than a hundred teaching it." Knute Rockne
 

Opening Ceremony Of the XX11 - 22nd Winter Olympics In Sochi, Russia

Giving Your Best is better than merely beating an opponent

Upsets Happen, chin up and plan for 2018

The athletes focus on doing and giving their best.  They don't give up even in the face of failure. When things get tough, they buckle down, put on their game face and keep practicing and perfecting their game. They are in it to win fair and square and most don't have the Harding syndrome. Any athletes who try to abuse the games or other athletes will, eventually, show themselves up and get banned. When Team USA lost to Canada in the Women's Ice Hockey final, they were upset but admitted that Canada played a great game. They shed tears on the stand and plan to be better prepared and ready in 2018. Scheming or attacking an opponent is the wrong headed way to compete in life. It might give temporary gains but in the long term it won't work... and we all know what happened to Harding and others who went down that road.  The lessons learned in the sports arena translate well with how we handle situations in our every day lives. What behavior have you observed since the games started. What have you learned about team effort and sportsmanship?  What additional things can we say we learned?

Come back for the rest



“Be fair. Play hard.” Dan Venezia 

Olympics Symbol

Team Effort for good always trumps team effort for underhanded work.

The great thing about true team effort is that it teaches people to put their egos aside for the good of the team. There is no insidious plan to undermine specific members or the whole team for individual applause. The team wins and loses together and learns to work harder next time. When we work from a spirit of team effort, our goal is to make everyone succeed. We give our 100% and, when we fall short, we fix the problem and pick up where we left off.  Another key element we learn from team work is TRUST. When we work from a spirit of trust, we believe that all team members are working in the best interest of the team. When issues arise, we handle them fairly and treat the problem as an oversight not as a dubious attempt to hurt a team member.

Some people don't know how to be team players in life, all they care about is winning for themselves and not for others. Their behavior causes disruptions in the team and creates animosities and mistrusts. On the road to personal and professional success, winning at any/all cost is a dangerous approach. Why? Because winning at any cost to the detriment of others is not a win; people get denied their rights and reputations get tarnished.  We can choose to believe it or not, but if all that motivates us is hurting others to add notches to our belt, we have sacrificed our soul for some ephemeral glory... it won't last. So lets go team up and put our noses to the grind. Go for it!


What are your thoughts? There are no wrong answers; our views aid conversation, contemplation and sharing stories on sportsmanship. Please share your views with me in the comment section. Thanks again! If you are interested in joining the February Challenge, there are a few tips to remember:
1) The NaBloPoMo February 2014 theme is "Perspective"
2) The NaBloPoMo writing prompts are Fantastic
3)  NaBloPoMo has added a photography component to its theme and prompts
4)  I'm doing NaBloPoMo, and I'd LOVE some company.


Some Food for Thought: What are your thoughts on the Olympics? Have you watched any of it? What conversations/experience have you had with the subject? How/Why?In what way? Happy February! Love and Peace!

I would love to hear from you: Please leave me a comment. Thank You!

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photographs: Sochi Opening, Sochi Olympic Ringshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sochiolympicrings.jpg,  ceremony, via Wikipedia or My Personal Collection

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
 Mirth and Motivation
 Positive Kismet

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