Journal #3

David Hearn’s 2000 Olympic Journal

Win, lose or draw: Medal or not, here I come

Often the focus for the Olympics is whether or not you win a medal. My coaches may well review my results this way along with the US Olympic Committee, my next-door neighbor, and the general public. People ask me, "Oh, how did you do?" which often translates to, "Did you win a medal?" Not winning a gold medal is often viewed as losing. It is either win or lose, there is no in between.

I have fallen prey to this type of thinking on occasion over the twenty-five years that I have raced at the top level. It is hard to avoid. Looking back now, I wish I had cherished and appreciated my second place finishes in the World Championships a lot more at the time. I earned silver medals from 1979 to 1989 behind my training partner, friend, and archrival Jon Lugbill. Only once at the Worlds during these ten years did I beat Jon, and, at long last, this 1985 victory was satisfying. But so should have been all of those silver medals, and they are sweet in hindsight.

My desire to win is extremely strong. I put this pressure on myself, in part, I think, because I have been able to win in the past. But I have learned that the route to top performance is through a focus on the process, never the result. By focusing on the best strokes and conditioning and relaxed power application and split second timing I can unleash potential that is still surprising to me. Letting go of the need to win and being open to the possibility of great performance is key.

Yet all sport still gets boiled down to, "Did you win?" This is for many the measure of meaning to a sporting life. Was it worth it? It is seen as many sacrifices and hard work, just for the result. The quote from Shelley Oates-Wilding, Canoe/Kayak Sprint Olympian, on the McDonalds paper bag says it best "You don't give up anything you want to be an Olympian, because being an Olympian is exactly what you want."

It is like making a living at a job, another gauge that people like to use, your career choice, as a standard of comparison to themselves. Is your job interesting, socially redeeming or spiritually rewarding? How much money do you make? The more money, the more value you must be imparting to society, right?

Everyone has to decide for themselves their own definition of winning and losing. And I feel that there has to more to it than the shiny disk at the end of the day. I have great appreciation for the dedicated athlete who works at his craft, patiently improving bit by bit by passionately devouring the sport for the intrinsic rewards of pursuing excellence.

There seems to be a ridiculously low amount of appreciation for just going out each day and doing your very best. Medal or not, I am a winner, along with the other 10,000 Olympians representing the 198 countries competing in the 2000 Olympic Games.

As Lorraine, clerk at the Mobil Quick Mart adjacent to the whitewater course said today, "Win, lose or draw, you're all champions, otherwise you wouldn't be in the Olympics."

I am working hard to be one of the best if not the best in the world in Whitewater Canoe Slalom. I am proud to represent my country and honored to know that I may just inspire someone along the way to do their very best at something too.

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Last updated: January 18, 2006