Olympic Excellence

I had been minimally interested in the Winter Olympics until two days ago when I started watching the Ice Dancing competition during a lunch break. I became enthralled with the male/female pairs, by their nearly flawless, coordinated spins and turns and lifts. I was so enthralled that I watched it again in the evening with Cathy.

As I watched, I wondered how they had trained in order to achieve such excellence. I found one figure skating website that gave a rough outline of what it takes to achieve those skills. Throughout childhood a skater would need

  ·         a minimum of 2-3, 1 hour ice sessions per weekday.

·         longer practice sessions on the weekends.

·         no less than 2-3 lessons each week with a coach.

·         regular, off-ice training in ballet and dance.

·         working out regularly with a conditioning coach.

What does it add up to? A total dedication of their lives to skating.

Is it wise for children to give such single-minded devotion to their athletic life? Our children have important skills to acquire—they must learn how to care for others, to connect with God, to manage money, to think critically, and more. Can these athletes develop those skills if they don’t participate in a broad mix of common childhood activities: household chores, church camp, mission trips, family gatherings, youth group, service projects, hanging out with friends? Though they may become outstanding athletes, will they become outstanding individuals? I’m sure some do, but is it the best way for children to grow up to be joyful, productive, fulfilled adults? Maybe not. (But I will still enjoy watching them compete!)

 

Loving God, Part 5

My Addiction

 

Sports are a substantial part of our daily lives. Consider the statistics:

 

·         88% of kids (ages 8-17) watch televised sports

·         75% of all Americans watch sports weekly

·         70% of adults read about, discuss or participate in sports daily

 

But when a sports hobby becomes an obsession, people (like me!) become enslaved. Knowing that the best way to break an addiction is to starve it, I chose to cut myself off from excessive sports information. For many years we did not subscribe to cable T.V. or the daily newspaper. We also turned down a long-standing offer from my Dad to purchase a satellite T.V. system for our family. I made these choices because I wanted to limit the daily temptations to indulge in sports. Today, I infrequently use my computer to chase down sports statistics and rarely watch ESPN’s Sports Center because both feed my craving.

 

Televised sports try to hook us with the illusion that outcomes are critical. Thus, the Game of the Week is hyped as the Game of the Century. When Michigan State’s basketball team qualified to play in the 2009 NCAA championship game and that game would be played in economically depressed Detroit, much was written about what a great boost this was to the state. But what difference did it actually make in the lives of the Michigan residents? Were they any better off a day later? a month later? a year later? How was that game more than a temporary diversion from their struggles?

 

I bought into this myth that results matter. Therefore, the games took precedence over people and other callings. But a strange thing happened when I adopted God’s perspective: that results are relatively unimportant; that success and winning are not the same; that I won’t care who won a week from now, etc. When I engaged in this self-talk, I found my zeal subsiding. It didn’t happen all at once—I had to persist with this self-talk. But I now find that I am more interested in a close game, excellent play, and good sportsmanship than seeing my team win.

 

I have other strategies to help me control my addiction:

 

·         I often don’t tune in until a game is half over. If the game is a blowout, I don’t waste time on it.

·         I mute the sound so I can perform other tasks—sorting through a closet, paying bills, grading papers.

·         I record an event so I can watch it quickly later.

 

Finally, and most important, I am less attracted to my alternate god when I practice the priority of loving God more through study, prayer, fellowship  and worship. As the Apostle Peter wrote: Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk... now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As I tasted the sweetness of my God, sports soured in comparison. And with my addiction broken, I was in a healthier condition to help my boys love the things of God also.