By SwimSwam Contributors on SwimSwam
Courtesy: James Zenyuh
Most of us have been tuning into the Winter Olympics the past two weeks, and even for those up early for practice and missing the prime time coverage, social media and other sources allow everyone to catch up on amazing races and moments. I was fortunate to stay up last night and watch the finals of women’s figure skating. I don’t regularly follow figure skating or any other winter Olympic sports, but like many of us, we tune in every four years to see the very best compete for Team USA.
I had never heard of Alyssa Liu before this week, but I was completely captivated by her performance last night, and it wasn’t about her winning the gold medal. It is the circumstances that led her to “happen” to win a gold medal that I believe can apply to swimmers.
Figure skating has many parallels to swimming. You start at an early age, talent is recognized, your parents encourage you, your coaches push you, and you progress through the age group ranks and may eventually compete for your high school team, college team, and beyond. And while you most likely train with a team, at the end of the day it’s an individual sport. In figure skating, as in swimming, your performance is judged, in swimming’s case by the clock; just you up there, on the block, you alone. Like swimming, figure skating culminates in a few moments that define your season. Pressure is applied both externally and, more importantly, internally to reach the goal, get the time, and win. Years of training build for that moment. You have to perform, now!
Something struck me about watching the competition last night. Alyssa Liu did not look like her other competitors last night. There was a detachment, a lightness to her presence. Watching her interact, observing body language and listening to her words before and after her performance, you would never have known what was on the line, an Olympic Gold medal. Other skaters seemed serious, nervous, and locked in. Alyssa almost seemed indifferent to the moment. She was in the same arena with the same expectations and pressure as the other elite skaters, but when it mattered most, she executed one of the most impressive performances I’ve ever seen as a casual spectator of the sport.
Yes, she was a child prodigy, winning national titles as a 13-year-old. Yes, she was well funded. But she never had a choice. Her career was thrust on her and managed for her. Then she dropped the sport like a bad habit at the age of 16. Even at that young age, it enabled her to get a different perspective, enjoy life outside of skating, see what she wants and doesn’t want. That led her back to skating, but on her terms. She skates because she wants to skate, the joy it brings her for its own sake, not out of a sense of obligation or expectation. Alyssa demonstrated a master class in how to deal with pressure by not focusing on the reason for the pressure. The joy she demonstrated was because she was proud of herself for skating the way she was capable of and was completely absorbed in the moment, free of expectation or consequence. If that performance garnered her fourth instead of gold, I think she still would have felt the same way about her performance.
Swimming is really hard. The training, the hours, the expense. We judge ourselves by the clock, the next cut, or the team we have to make. Those are real and important things. Alyssa demonstrated that you can reach your goals by not necessarily focusing on the outcome, but the joy and feeling you get from simply having the opportunity to do what you love in that moment. Alyssa Liu enjoyed herself, whether she happened to win a gold medal or not.
For anyone who has experienced that athletic ‘moment,’ I encourage you to watch it. It will make you smile.
ABOUT JAMES ZENYUH
James Zenyuh is a former Division 1 swimmer, swim parent, swim coach, and occasional USMasters swimmer. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and 3 kids.
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