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Thursday, March 27, 2008
Reflection - By Nic Borst (FRPA East)
I think that there comes a point in every year, when it is a good idea to stop for a moment and reflect on everything that has been accomplished and to remember why we do what we do. When we were at the US Open in NC, there were a number of instances that made me reflect, but in general, this is just one of those things that pops into my head and has no place and no benefit unless I do something with it.
For those of us who are intimately familiar with the lifestyle of the athlete, we know how hard it can be to balance everything that there has to be in life, and still strive for our athletic goals. This year, being an Olympic year is no exception and in many cases makes life all the harder because everything is cranked up a notch. Both the great and unfortunate thing about sport is the people participate in it for various reasons, and in many cases, those reasons make it all the harder to balance their lives. It is important as athletes to stop and take a minuet to think about why we are involved in sport, and if their energies are all going in positive directions. For those like me, writing is a great way to focus my thoughts and get them out of my head, as well as a way to remind myself why it is that I do what I do.
The honest truth is that I do this sport because I love it, and I have a passion for everything about it… Love and passion, I can’t think of two more powerful words and yet two words that provide such a dismal lack of insight and information. I guess that is the point though. We use words such as love and passion for those things that other more articulate grammatical devices are completely inadequate of describing. So I love this sport and have had a passion for it ever since my first day on “The pond of Dreams” when I was placed in a wildwater boat and became immediately acquainted with not only the fish, but also the two-foot thick layer of goose shit that coats the bottom of the pond… And yes, I even loved those early morning training sessions where we had to break through the ice to get to the water. While in many cases the initial moments and experiences such as those were most certainly unpleasant, they provided me with memories, perspective, and companionship that I will cherish to the end of my days.
Many people seem to be so limited by the every day routine of training, racing, work. School, relationships, etc that they forget to look at the whole picture… Of where they have come from and just how much progress and how many good times they have had along the way… It is the along the way part that is important, not the medals, the Olympic Trials, the making of the National Team. Those may be highlights along the road that we know and love so much, but the value and the passion that we feel for this sport is not the result of those highlights, but of the road that we have traveled to wonderful places and in the company of good friends.
Regardless of how much progress you have made as an athlete, regardless if you make that National or Olympic Team, the only thing that you will have when it is all said and done are the memories of the journey, and the transformation that you have undergone. Believe me, it is worth far more than any medal draped around your neck, and any accomplishment that you could come up with… and I LOVE MDALS… As an athlete, I of course understand, maybe better than most just how frustrating the present can be, and just how hopeless you can feel if you are stuck on a seemingly endless plateau on your long climb to excellence. All athletes experience this, and it is important to understand and appreciate even the longest plateau as just another opportunity to do more of what you love. When you are invariably stuck on that plateau, just remember all that which has lead to that point, and all of the potential that extends from it. That combined with the use of positive energy in positive directions will, I assure you make the long plateau seem like nothing more than a nice place to stop for a picture and a bite to eat.
Train Smart, live well, and always remember that you and you alone determine the value of your existence!
Cheers!
Nic Borst
Posted by Nic at 2:13 PM
For more of Nic and his blog page, go to His blog
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