What the Olympics can Teach Us
Thoughts on Rest and Sports by OTD Students, Marcie Israelson and Kim Frederickson
Rest is built into sports. No single player plays the entire game without substitution or a break. There are intermissions built in between periods/quarters/halves. Teams are offered a predetermined amount of timeouts in games and there are off seasons. Games are scheduled with days or time between them or offer change in lineups to not overwork their players.
All of this suggests we recognize rest and regrouping are essential components to playing sports. Why do we not schedule or allow ourselves break periods in the game of life with more intention and consistency?
Last week, we got to witness Simone Biles take a much needed break. In other sports, you see the ability to recognize a break is needed and call for one. In this instance, Simone Biles needed to recognize and call for her own timeout. She chose not to compete as a means to recover her mental health-- or give her mind and body rest. As a result, she has been idolized and also criticized/judged. As a result of her break or rest period, she did what she needed to do, and returned to compete for the beam routine. She ultimately won a bronze medal.
If she had not listened to her body, her needs, her signs to rest, she could have made a mistake in her routine/performance and cost herself injury or jeopardize her health and her life in the long run. A misstep or pushing your limits in gymnastics can be life-threatening. Any misstep for a person can really alter their life trajectory.
It’s important to note that she chose to rest even though she was in the spotlight.
The athletic culture has typically promoted athletes to push through the pain, to break boundaries, to overcome the challenges no matter what to achieve the desired outcome/greatness. What happens when we take a step back and support the health of our athletes and their minds/bodies so they can truly shine?
Tomorrow you’ll get to hear more from OT Alice Hortop (Mermaid Sparkle), from the United Kingdom. One of her many pearls of wisdom is her reminder of the importance of asking big questions.
What big questions come up for you after watching this year’s Olympics?
Here are a few of ours:
How can we honor dedication, but not overdo it or have it turn into obsession?
How can we acknowledge strength in rest opposed to weakness, or pushing through?
How does our why of rest in sports determine what we do? Perhaps, we are more willing to allow for rest when we see it as a necessary step to winning— and what are we trying to win? (the answer may not be as simple as it appears)
Tennis ball on green background with water spiraling out in all directions around it. On the image it reads, “Whatever our response, there are ripple effects. Thanks for taking a moment to consider the ripples we make
