Winning and Losing?

Hey folks!

After writing about learning from each other and the amazing team spirit in the Youth Olympic Team Austria, I'd like to write something that has not yet fully landed in peoples' heads. I will pick up the topic of the YOG and media Fergus has started earlier. However, instead of turning it into a more global issue, I would like to take a different approach and describe it "from the inside". Because after all, I think that the inaugural YOG in Singapore did a far too great job as to be covered by the same approaches as the traditional Games.

One of Ferg's key point was that no story of the YOG seemed to be complete if it was not about a shiny piece of metal dangling from somebody's neck. To a certain point, that's fair play - after all, we are talking about sports and even though it should not only be about winning, doing better than somebody else is just the crucial element. However, it was definitely a disappointment to see that the media would just apply the same techniques, e.g. in storytelling, they use with every other major sports event, including the traditional Olympics. And that's a pity! Because, although being not the only player in this, the media for me is a crucial factor in reducing the image of sports to glorious winners and beaten losers.

Our Youth Olympic Team Austria accumulated a total of 6 medals - I think that's an incredible number for 16 athletes. And I can guarantee you: The atmosphere, as also described yesterday, was always filled with excitement when one of our guys or girls won a medal. First of all, we were of course really happy that one of our team mates, one of our friends, did so well in his/her competition. And on the other hand, I'd even say that we felt a little proud, because I tend to think that the encouragement and motivation from within the team also amounted a tiny little bit to the success.

However, it would be absolutely wrong to think that the medals were the only events the atmosphere was like this. I vividly remember how excited everybody was about our gymnast reaching the final and becoming an excellent 12th overall. Of course, who would care about becoming 12th in traditional story telling? But not only for us, the achievement our girl made that day was tremendous and definitely worth sharing with the world.

Or take the example of our shooter. He made a stupid mistake in his qualification round - something he told me happens every four years at best. I only heard it from someone else and expected to find him really devastated when coming home to the village at night. Far from it! He said to me: "Yeah, it was a stupid mistake and it's a pity it happened today. But life goes on and I will continue to work hard for the next competition." I think that those are remarkably wise and clever words coming from such a young athlete. And I totally believe that somebody handling a defeat like that would deserve to be reported about!

Those were just two of the countless examples I'd have. Bottom line is that there are so many stories worth telling, aside from the first three ranks. And I think that there is no better ground to take new approaches in journalism and reporting than the YOG. This is in line with something I've already written about in April:

"You might be a winner, but to be a champion, you need to show friendship, excellence and respect."

I am not saying that all the winners are no champions - absolutely not! They are great athletes and they have worked very hard for their success. But please: Let us also read and watch stories about the other champions out there. After all, they are not always marked by shiny objects dangling from their neck...

Team Spirit Austria

Hey folks,

Yesterday, I wrote about the many different things that the people in Team Austria (and I am convinced in other teams as well!) have learned from each other, even outside the CEP's guiding frame. Today, I was looking through some questionnaires we gave our athletes and coaches on the flight back home. We had asked them to share their experience and also to be so kind as to give us permission to use their statements.

The questionnaire had six different phrases that people should complete, e.g. "My favorite moment of the Games was...". And one thing is rather interesting and remarkable about this very question. As you might know, we only had so-called individual sports, i.e. people not competing as a team, in our delegation. However, nearly everybody, both coaches and athletes, completed the phrase as follows:

"My favorite moment of the Games was...supporting and being supported by Team Austria!"

When we were in Singapore, everybody of course had a tight schedule: Going to venues, practicing, going back to the YOV, doing CEP activities, competing...Nonetheless, people would always ask me for tickets to go watch other sports. And although we only had 16 athletes, it was quite often that 10 or even more of us would be at a venue, screaming our lungs out (or maybe that was only me? Anyways!) for our guys. This led to some really memorable situations, like when we handed out Austrian flags to Singaporean school kids and suddenly, the whole block was branded in red-white-red. Or when we went to cheer for our table tennis player, who would later say that being cheered on by us was one of his favorite moments of the Games.

In psychology, there is often a differentiation between intrinsic (from within) and extrinsic (from the outside) motivation. Needless to say, all the athletes going to Singapore are very motivated from within - otherwise they would not be that good. However, I think for every young athlete, it's a very good feeling to know that your talent and achievements are also appreciated by other people. And that your team mates, no matter how busy their schedule is, take a one hour bus ride just to watch you compete.

When I think back of our time in Singapore (which I still do a lot), this is one of the first things that comes to my mind. And it will also be one of the first things we will work on for our Youth Olympic Team Austria in Innsbruck 2012!

Learning from each other

Hey folks,

So approximately one week after our amazing experience in Singapore has ended, I feel ready to write another blog entry. Apart from the usual physical fatigue after such an event (hours were long and sleep was short), I also experienced this kind of mental fatigue. Experts might call it reverse culture shock - the kind of shock you get when you go back to your culture of origin. Anyways, it was just a little bizarre to be back home after the nearly three weeks in Singapore.

In the following updates to this blog, I would like to write about certain things that will live on from the Games. Those might be more global things (speaking of which: Fergus has written a masterpiece on the YOG and media with an excellent capital model!), however, since I can only speak for myself, those might as well be more personal insights. If you allow, I'd like to be selfish and start with one of these stories.

In Singapore, the Austrian delegation comprised of 16 athletes and my job was to promote the Culture and Education Program (CEP) to them. This particularly meant to tell them about the various activities going on, signing them up for stuff taking place outside the village and actively motivating them to get involved. However, over the course of time, it was interesting to see that we initiated our own education program - by teaching and learning from ourselves!

Let me explain: In our team, we had ten girls and six boys competing in 12 different sports. They came from all Austrian regions and all had made different experiences in their lives. Of course, the CEP was a great initiative to teach them things they would maybe not have such an easy access to if it wasn't for the Games. However, I personally believe that they also hugely profited from being together with their peers and learning from them. And although I can't point my finger at it (after all, we are talking about teenagers, who are not too much into openly showing that they have learned something ;)), I could really see that every single one of them has grown during their time in Singapore.

However, it would be foolish to say that only the athletes have learned something. I personally have to admit that I learned a million new things.

• From our shooter, I learned how to take defeat like a real champion.
  
• From our gymnast, I learned what it means to sacrifice, e.g. by controlling your diet, for your sport.
  
• From our canoeist and ringer, I learned how to clench your teeth and go for that medal.
• From our triathlete, I learned that even after taking a gold medal, the next day starts with another training session
• From our sailor, I learned what dedication it takes to make it to the top
  
• And from our rower I learned the importance of mastering foreign languages.

Bottom line is that in only 18 days, we all made so many valuable experiences, from which we can extensively draw in our futures. I already feel the effects: In Singapore, I realized that also in the future, I want to accompany youngsters on their way to sporting excellence. That's way I will work even harder to finish my education and thus be able to, hopefully, help them even more. I also would love to try out rowing, because I think it's a real fascinating sport, not only because of the great abs it gives you. And last but not least, I restarted working out and playing handball. And guess what: It feels good and rewarding. I might would have done these things even without Singapore, however, it would definitely would not have been with the same motivation and satisfaction.

Unfortunately, I can only talk from my personal experience, since I can not look into anybody else's head (yet). However, I am convinced that my athletes will feel similar effects. Maybe not now, in the immediate aftermath. But they will. And they will realize that their experiences from Singapore will tremendously help them in their future. Not only in sports, but with everything they want to achieve in life.