There are different facets of mental strength.
Grit. Determination. Resolve. Irritating tinkling sweat.
Mental strength associated with sports, especially that of the individual kind, must take the cake. On the court, it’s you against your opponent. It’s you against the opposing supporters. It’s sometimes you against your own supporters.
With the weight of the entire 4.5 million behind, support is at times weight. I hated the gratuitous media pressure. It’s just a medal, no matter how 48-years-late it is. A medal- something to show you did something right in the Olympics. Not a matter of life and death.
If I am Singapore Table Tennis coach, I would have simple words for the girls.
Take a bow, girls!
Go enjoy the occasion. Bask yourself in the glory. Go climb the Great Wall. Go take pictures with Michael Phelps.
Just do your best.
And shout! Do what the Koreans do a lot and make a laugh out of it! Intimidate the hell out of them!
It is amazing how apparent the pressure was . Both Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu, 2 players expected to win their individuals, buckled under pressure. But when in the comforting presence of each other during the doubles match-up, they absolutely trounced the opponents. Feng Tianwei, the supposed weakest link, and possibly with the least pressure among the team, won 2 games to clinch us ‘the medal’.
I can’t deny the victory, something I sit through 4 hours for, is sweet. But it is obvious stress is eating our players alive. Some players adore it, some don’t. Our players seem to fall under the latter.
When told that President Bush was there to watch his swim, Michael Phelps thought it was ‘pretty cool’.
I think we should hire him as coach.
October 4, 2009 • 9:02 pm 1
Taming the 3 Lions
To what makes competition desirable (to consumers) are 2 main reasons. First, better pricing. And second, better quality and/or variety. It is therefore amusing to see Singtel’s repeated assurance to the public that their foray in the Paid TV territory should be celebrated. This is despite their inability to satisfy any of the aforementioned.
While the statement “Content is king” is true to most businesses (and perhaps more so for the Media Industry), the bidding war between Starhub and Singtel for exclusive screening rights for the English Premier League football matches is at best cannibalising. Cannibalising the public, that is.
It would serve the Media Development of Singapore good to realise as soon as possible that sports content, in particular, football matches are a different animal to tame altogether. A little good-natured and well thought out regulation is never too much, nor late for anyone.
Filed under: Business, Commentary, Sports