Every so often a story in the sports world tugs at your heart strings. The Olympics had several examples this week but none more prominent then Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette. She achieved a bronze medal, hours after she learned that her mother had died suddenly of a heart attack.
When officials asked her if she still wanted to participate, she knew instantly what the right decision would be. It came in the simple form of a voicemail message in which her mother exclaimed, “You can do it, I know you can, you will be on the podium.” She has saved the message and used it as a source of inspiration to carry on during her time in Vancouver.
In life we often use several sources of motivation, whether it is a rousing speech from a football coach or the motivation of a loved one. The point is to use the motivation to succeed and overcome the obstacles before us.
A good example of this is Brett Farve playing after his father died. Although he had to get through many different emotions just to prepare him to play, he succeeded with one of the best performances of his career. Rochette had to embody the same type of spirit just to participate and medal.
Figure skating is often underrated because you don’t hear about it in the media; it is one of the lesser known sports that people don’t respect. In a male dominated sports world it is seen as more of a pageant of beautiful women to look at rather than an actual sport.
Rochette disproves this stereotype because she had the fortitude to carry on after such a big loss. Maybe after the public hears this story they will give the sport that people work so hard to participate in a little more respect.
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