Andy Roddick was once the World Number One in Tennis. They are calling him the come back kid and he is still only 24 years old. Is it me, or is this not still relatively young?!
I may have given the game away about my age with the previous comment, but I do feel that 24 years old is still quite young. The good news for Roddick fans is that he is indeed back with a bang. Roddick won the 2007 Artois Championships, over the weekend, for the fourth time.
Roddick has certainly had a dip in his form as was evident by his slip down the top 10. This only goes to show you that it is tough to stay at the top, to stay motivated and to stay on form consistently. This is why it is amazing to look at some of the all time greats, to see what McEnroe, Lendl, Agassis, Sampras and Bjorg achieved during their tennis careers. However, they all had ebbs and flows and none moreso than Andre Agassi who, after a huge drop in form, came back even stronger, faster and tougher than ever, and only retired last year!
Andy Roddick may have lost his way a little, but don't we all at some time or the other? The good thing is that he has found a way to get back on track and looking stronger, faster and tougher than ever - what more could he ask for?
Tuesday, 12 June 2007
Getting Older is Par for the Course, but What About Getting Wiser?
Geoff Ogilvy is not yet really a household name, but he is last years' US Open Golf Winner.
After winning the US Open last year, Ogilvy has kept good form. As well as getting himself into golf's top ten players he has remained one of the world's top ten golfers. He seems to have coped with the pressure and yet, interestingly enough, he admits that, despite the success he has had over the last couple of years, he has not always been the most positive. According to journalist, Paul Mahoney, Ogilvy lacked self-belief and used to be 'an angry young man'. Ogilvy himself says that he used to walk down the fairway muttering about how bad a player he was and asking himself how he could possibly tour with a game like that.
Ogilvy admits that if his caddie spoke to him like that he would dispense with his services quite quickly. Now he has been around the block a few times he is wiser and less angry and says that "As you get older, though, you get wiser. You look at other guys stomping around and realise what an ass you look like when you do it".
Not all sportspeople seem to realise that even after having been in a sport for a long time there can still be a lot to learn. It is refreshing to see that Ogilvy sees that in himself and that self-awareness will surely help him well during his career.
So, Geoff Ogilvy, who is not yet 30, acknowledges that as he gets older he is certainly getting a little wiser!
After winning the US Open last year, Ogilvy has kept good form. As well as getting himself into golf's top ten players he has remained one of the world's top ten golfers. He seems to have coped with the pressure and yet, interestingly enough, he admits that, despite the success he has had over the last couple of years, he has not always been the most positive. According to journalist, Paul Mahoney, Ogilvy lacked self-belief and used to be 'an angry young man'. Ogilvy himself says that he used to walk down the fairway muttering about how bad a player he was and asking himself how he could possibly tour with a game like that.
Ogilvy admits that if his caddie spoke to him like that he would dispense with his services quite quickly. Now he has been around the block a few times he is wiser and less angry and says that "As you get older, though, you get wiser. You look at other guys stomping around and realise what an ass you look like when you do it".
Not all sportspeople seem to realise that even after having been in a sport for a long time there can still be a lot to learn. It is refreshing to see that Ogilvy sees that in himself and that self-awareness will surely help him well during his career.
So, Geoff Ogilvy, who is not yet 30, acknowledges that as he gets older he is certainly getting a little wiser!
Friday, 8 June 2007
Who is behind the sporting mask?
For many professional and elite sportspeople retiring from active participation in sport is one of the hardest decisons they will face. The current insatiable desire for celebrities often keeps many sortspeople in the public eye. This can be a double edged sword because for some they lose a sense of their real identity. When they retire from their sport they are unsure as to who they really are.
In a similar way, it is interesting that actors/actresses, get acclaimed not for being themselves but for being who they are not by taking on the personality of their character. How many would be acclaimed in this way if the true person behind the public mask was revealed?
Sportspeople are often surrounded by many people claiming to be their friends whilst they are famous and are at the top of their sport. Additionally, so much is done for them that they don't really have to think too much about day-to-day matters. When they finish their careers not only does this whole support mechanism disappear but also the framework of their life is dismantled. The rug is therefore been pulled from under them and they fall off the pedestal on which the public and the media have placed them. No wonder this is a time of great vulnerability for many.
It is often the case that the greater the talent and the greater the media acclaim the harder is the adjustment. Paul Gascoigne's well documented problems, incuding depression and alcohol, are a familiar manifestation of this. His recent operation for a perforated ulcer also suggests that his health is deteriorating too.
Whose responsibility is it to help sportspeople to deal with the many challenges that they face during their active sporting careers?
How can sportspeople retain a sense of who is the real them?
How can sportspeople give themselves the best chance of making a seamless transition into their new life and career?
Why is it that some sports are more supportive of the ongoing personal development of their 'athletes' than others?
These are some of the key questions that both individuals and their clubs and/or governing bodies need to address if we are to produce well rounded sportspeople who can become real role models for who they are in their own right.
In a similar way, it is interesting that actors/actresses, get acclaimed not for being themselves but for being who they are not by taking on the personality of their character. How many would be acclaimed in this way if the true person behind the public mask was revealed?
Sportspeople are often surrounded by many people claiming to be their friends whilst they are famous and are at the top of their sport. Additionally, so much is done for them that they don't really have to think too much about day-to-day matters. When they finish their careers not only does this whole support mechanism disappear but also the framework of their life is dismantled. The rug is therefore been pulled from under them and they fall off the pedestal on which the public and the media have placed them. No wonder this is a time of great vulnerability for many.
It is often the case that the greater the talent and the greater the media acclaim the harder is the adjustment. Paul Gascoigne's well documented problems, incuding depression and alcohol, are a familiar manifestation of this. His recent operation for a perforated ulcer also suggests that his health is deteriorating too.
Whose responsibility is it to help sportspeople to deal with the many challenges that they face during their active sporting careers?
How can sportspeople retain a sense of who is the real them?
How can sportspeople give themselves the best chance of making a seamless transition into their new life and career?
Why is it that some sports are more supportive of the ongoing personal development of their 'athletes' than others?
These are some of the key questions that both individuals and their clubs and/or governing bodies need to address if we are to produce well rounded sportspeople who can become real role models for who they are in their own right.
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
The Young Talent of UK Athletics
It looked cold, wet and miserable during the Glasgow Athletics Grand Prix over the weekend, but there were definitely some sunny spells with great performances from two of Britain's up and coming athletes Nicola Sanders and Craig Pickering.
Both of them performed well in their respective races (300m & 100m), but what struck me was their confidence both on and off the track. Both of them show amazing poise at the beginning of their races and also when being interviewed they are both articulate, confident and focused on their ultimate goals.
Where do they get it from?
Is it their family? Is it their education? Is it their culture? Is it genetics? Is it their individual personality? Is it their coach? Is it their friends? Is it sheer talent? It is quite clearly a combination of all of those things and more. The sum of the whole is made up of very strong parts.
I certainly believe that an individuals formula for success can be quite unique and the different factors which make up that formula need to be top notch in order for the formula to be successful. Sir Clive Woodward has said that for a team to play well, everyone in that team has to play well, and I think that for an individual sport such as track and field that philosophy still holds true. It is just that in athletics, instead of team mates, competitors have different aspects of themselves which have to all perform well at the same time.
Sanders and Pickering are certainly two athletes that I enjoy watching and look forward to watching them compete as the athletic season progresses, their energy and love of their sport is almost tangible and quite infectious.
The press are hailing them as bright stars, so now the summer season is well on its way let's just see how they get on with the big girls and boys!
Both of them performed well in their respective races (300m & 100m), but what struck me was their confidence both on and off the track. Both of them show amazing poise at the beginning of their races and also when being interviewed they are both articulate, confident and focused on their ultimate goals.
Where do they get it from?
Is it their family? Is it their education? Is it their culture? Is it genetics? Is it their individual personality? Is it their coach? Is it their friends? Is it sheer talent? It is quite clearly a combination of all of those things and more. The sum of the whole is made up of very strong parts.
I certainly believe that an individuals formula for success can be quite unique and the different factors which make up that formula need to be top notch in order for the formula to be successful. Sir Clive Woodward has said that for a team to play well, everyone in that team has to play well, and I think that for an individual sport such as track and field that philosophy still holds true. It is just that in athletics, instead of team mates, competitors have different aspects of themselves which have to all perform well at the same time.
Sanders and Pickering are certainly two athletes that I enjoy watching and look forward to watching them compete as the athletic season progresses, their energy and love of their sport is almost tangible and quite infectious.
The press are hailing them as bright stars, so now the summer season is well on its way let's just see how they get on with the big girls and boys!
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