Journal Article

The mindless touch

Musgrave, Susan

2011

Overview

\"Have you noticed that something called the Olympics is on?\" my daughter writes, in her daily email home. She is living in Berlin and for the last fortnight she says she has turned on the television, desperately seeking news of home, only to find all the channels preoccupied by figure skaters having a cry over gold medals while people are presumably still blowing each other up in Afghanistan. \"But what's a war compared to coming first in ice skating?\" she asks. \"Gold is a Girl's Best Friend,\" read the slogan-of-the-week at a gas station in my neighbourhood, (last week's was \"Most people know how to make a living but not how to make a life\" (hear hear). I have nothing against gold, per se - it's just that I've always found silver more understated. I am against what gold stands for - the idea that you can't win anything less. You're only a winner if everything you touch turns to gold. Perhaps I have my parents to thank, for not pushing me hard enough to become competitive. Had I arrived home from the Olympics with a gold medal around my neck my mother would have thanked God that their good money hadn't been wasted on skating lessons. My father, who maintained any fool could win, as long as there wasn't a second entry, would have said, \"let's see if you can do even better next year.\" They taught me a lesson I am still grateful for: I couldn't win.

• Publisher: University of Windsor, Faculty of Arts,University of Windsor
• Subject: Canada / Competition (Psychology) / Professional sports / Records & achievements / Social aspects / Sports