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Feb. 17, 2006 You work four years for the dream of being the best in the world. In one brainless moment of showboating, your dream dies. Welcome to the Turin Games, American-style. Lindsey Jacobellis, a flamboyant artist who parlays her snowboarding excitement into Visa commercials, went a little too far today at the end of her final run and skidded ignominiously into Olympic history providing the world with a memory they will not soon forget. She also taught all the showoffs out there a poignant lesson. Win first. Celebrate later. Athletes never seem to learn that painful lesson. In 1957, Bill Shoemaker misjudged the finish line and pulled up off his saddle on Gallant Man and Iron Liege, the second place horse shot by him to win the Kentucky Derby. That was dumb. Enter dumber. Leon Lett, a defensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys picked up a fumble in the Super Bowl and headed for the goal line. As he came within feet of crossing it he decided to do a little, "shake and bake" victory dance as he held the ball aloft announcing his greatness in football's ultimate game. Unfortunately, Don Beebe of the Buffalo Bills was coming up fast behind the celebrating Lett and knocked the ball, and Leon's ego, for a loop. The play was not ruled a touchdown, but a TOUCHBACK, robbing Mr. Lett of glory because he was a tad premature in his victorious moment. Scott Hoch rushed a two-foot putt that would have easily won him the Masters golf tournament in 1989. He lost on the second playoff hole. These players "snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory," and will always be remembered as not having finished what they began for a variety of reasons. It is one thing to, "choke;" it is quite another to brag about your accomplishment BEFORE you accomplish it. You remember what your mom told you growing up, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch!" If you do, you will not eat that day. Lindsey Jacobellis will never forget losing her chickens at the end of her snowboard run. There were four contestants and two of them were already out of the gold or silver medal possibility. Lindsey was so far out in front all she had to do was stay upright for a few more yards. She was on her way to a touchdown and she tripped over the chalk. She had an easy dunk and she missed the entire basket. She went to catch the ball for the final out and it bopped her on the head and bounced over the fence giving the other team the championship. As Lindsey lay there, the grateful follower, Tanja Frieden from Switzerland, easily cruised in to take the gold medal. Lindsey got up and limped into second place, winning the silver and a lifetime of wondering why she felt the need to show off when she should have been concentrating on simply winning humbly and graciously. Her response to all this? "I was having fun. Snowboarding is fun. I was ahead. I wanted to share my enthusiasm with the crowd. I messed up. Oh well, it happens." Oh well, it happens? An intriguing way of explaining how your ego negated four years of the hardest work you will ever do in your life. Lindsey's message to the young people of this world is that hard work, persistence, sacrifice and a desire to be the best in what you do is secondary to having a good time, baby! Which leads all of us to ask the hard question: If that is what the Olympics are all about.... Why are they giving out medals? Lindsey will figure out the answer to that question once she completes her last therapy session in the stupid management course. And, she will always have her SILVER medal to remind her of how much fun she had. ------------ About the author: Pat Hurley has won three Emmy awards for writing, hosting and producing television shows. He resides in Southern California. Email: coolhumor@sbcglobal.net Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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