We can all act as armchair experts, sitting and yelling at the screen when our guys n gals come on, encouraging and criticising, but none of us have any idea of what it's really like to compete. It's sad, but when Tom Daley failed to bring home the goods, he was subjected to a nasty tirade on Twitter. The Tweeter eventually apologised, just saying he was disappointed. HE was disappointed? Poor Tom, who is still just a teenager, has worked his backside off for years in order to compete. We mere mortals can't imagine what it feels like to train for hours every day, week after week, month after month, year after year... But then again, we have to go to work and perform day after day, week after week etc - and failure isn't an option for most of us. Whereas an athlete can shrug, apologise and explain they weren't at their best, or tried their hardest and still failed, the rest of us can't get away with that. We can't repeatedly turn up at client meetings, completely mess up and then tell the boss we're sorry, we weren't at our best. We'd be fired, eventually. And rightly so. But then, we're British, so we almost expect our athletes to fail, as much as we would wish otherwise.
Yes, the Olympics is exciting, and nail-biting, and disappointing, and amazing. But it happens once every 4 years. This year is different, obviously, because we're competing on home territory. Yet, it's not that different. Our athletes have still spent the past 4 years training, and competing, and suffering, and striving - for the chance to achieve bronze, silver or gold. We are grateful to them for trying to claim glory for Britain, yet at the same time we have little patience for their weaknesses, or if they lose. I admire them all. For the early rising, hours of training and physical endurance, watching their diet, sacrificing a social life, and so on. But then again, they are not doing this for "us" - they are doing this for their own glory as well as for Britain, like everyone else, pushing to do their best in their chosen career for their own sense of achievement and fulfilment. There's nothing wrong with that. Heck, we all want to be someone, to achieve something. Perhaps they just get more praise, press coverage, and admiration for it. And sometimes, more sympathy from the public when they fail to achieve, because we all buy in to the idea of the Olympian athletes running, jumping and swimming for "us"... when the reality might well be, that they are doing it for themselves and their own ego - all along. That doesn't detract from their achievements, but perhaps we should consider that they are only human, and this is their job. Unlike most of us though, they also suffer from adverse publicity from the press should they not achieve what is expected, and who would choose that over a quick tongue lashing from the boss?
Are we not all Olympians, then? No, but we all try our best year after year, we all polish our craft in order to be the best at what we do, and we all want to make somebody proud. This year, I think that Team GB will make us proud. They may not be the best, but they try their best. For the rest of us, we can find fulfilment in making ourselves proud, by doing our best in our chosen careers. And if we don't win Gold, then nobody's going to splash it across the front of the Daily Mail. For small mercies, we should all be grateful...
