Millions of eyes have been focused recently on Gabby
Douglas, the first U.S.
woman to win the gold in both the team competition and the all-round. The crowd
at the gymnastic hall in London
was enamored by both the smile and the performance of this young American
athlete. During the final bars of the national anthem, her smile became even
brighter, as she basked in the sunshine of her unique victory. Her
near-flawless events brought anything but a smile to her Russian counterparts,
whose confidence was crushed. In fact, the two determined Russians who shared
the podium with Gabby were frustrated and distraught. Victoria Komova, who won
the silver, wouldn’t wear the metal in the media zone, claiming it was “too
heavy.”
The
Russians have dominated this sport for years, and are known for their high
level of discipline and expertise. Even Bela Karolyi, the legendary coach, said
that Douglas reminded him of other great
athletes whom he has coached in his career; champions like Nadia Comaneci, the
Romanian super-star, who won the same event in the ’76 Games with a series of
perfect 10s. He likened Nadia to Gabby, who is the first African American
all-round champion; Gabby, he said, had Nadia’s same fearless spirit, “just
going out there with no second thoughts, and just performing.”
It’s
obvious that Gabby Douglas had God-given ability, but needed rigorous training to
develop her skills. This prompted a move at age 14 from Virginia
Beach to Iowa
to pursue her dream. The going was tough indeed, with countless nights of
loneliness, homesick days, and afternoon practices that pushed her eventually
to excellence. With little fanfare, she showed up at the London Olympics this
year, and the rest is history.
I was
impressed with Gabby’s philosophy of competition. She doesn’t hide from
pressure, but rather welcomes it. “The pressure,” she said, “should make us do
better and greater things. It helps me. It motivates me…You have to learn how
to perform and seize the moment.” On a deeper level, Gabby was quick to give
praise to her God for giving her strength to excel. Regarding her victory, she
wrote, “Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things
he does for me.”
How proud was
her mother, Natalie Hawkins, when her daughter blew her a kiss as she stepped
down from the platform? This Mom had been the supporting force, who encouraged
her to pay the necessary price to make such a day of celebration possible. Does
she not deserve a “metal” too?
Hard work
and discipline pay off! This story is a challenge to our young people who drift
along with no real direction or purpose. Getting a job and finishing school
should be “no brainers;” doing well in these areas would initiate other
wholesome goals. What would our country look like if our upcoming adults had
such a mindset? Needless to say, it would also have a tremendous effect on
minority youths, which Gabby represents.
There’s also a pointed word to parents
here. Who will dare to follow the example of this mother, who provided, supported,
and encouraged her daughter to be all that she could be? Obviously, all will
not attain Olympic status, but with hard work and character training, they will
hopefully make a positive contribution to this troubled world.
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