There was one man who
flew while the others jumped. Dick Fosbury won the Olympic high jump
gold at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, and he did it upside down!
What we now see as the
norm in high jump, athletes jumping with their backs to the bar was
quite the opposite of what was done till 1968. But somehow, someday
Fosbury while in high school decided that he should jump with his
back to the bar.
It is said in the
beginning his coach told him that it would not work and he would
never be able to jump that way. But he did. Not only did he jump, he
jumped high, so high that he won the Olympic gold.
Then I wonder 'what
if'? What if Fosbury had flopped instead of flying? What if he had a
bad day in office? Or what if while he worked on his technique in
high school, amidst people who saw things otherwise, he had given up?
Or what if he has just not been good enough, with a great idea, but
just not physically gifted enough, or hard working enough to see the
idea become something more than just an idea? Or the final 'what if'.
What if despite all this ideas and hard work the Fosbury flop was
simply not a better way to jump, and hence failed?
History would tell us
that all these 'what ifs' are immaterial, because Fosbury flew with
the flop. But all the 'what ifs' existed and were true when
Fosbury first got the idea of the flop, and Fosbury had a choice.
Each day was a choice – “To be or Not to be,” as Prince Hamlet
said. Each choice he made removed one 'what if' but gave birth to
many more. Each day he moved ahead the consequences of failure grew,
from ridicule of school mates, to a career and life's work wasted at
the highest level, the Olympics. But Dick Fosbury chose to flop and
the rest as they say is history.
Wow, grabe!!! What a piece of masterpiece blended together with the spirit of courage retold from the life of Fosbury when for many others it would have been just another "Let it go, man!" I remembered this quote by someone (I've forgotten his name): "I can accept failure but I can't accept not trying and failing." What a challenge it is to read and take inspiration from the life of this man. Yes, it could have been a flop had he never tried on his innovation and gave up the idea of trying the "impossible" things. And I imagined that Fosbury would have been no better or difference than any other Olympians of his time had he not dare to take the challenge. Indeed,like Fosbury: "To be or not to be" has to be a constant choice one needs to make everyday if one wants to leave his distinguishing mark of trail in the great history of human cradle. Great writing Matt! I encourage you to write more...even more in the coming days. Blah...blah...blah......
ReplyDeleteGood read! & such an apt title, The Flop that Flew :)
ReplyDelete