Reflections on Life - The Golden Edition

Author: Bai Quan Zhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Give yourself a firm commitment. Don’t be afraid to pay the price for success.
Leotard was not naturally endowed with a typical gymnast’s physique. She was not graceful, nor did she possess the fluid movements of a ballet dancer. She stood only 145 cm tall, with a solid and strong build, resembling more a sprinter than a promising gymnast. Due to the commitment she made to herself, she was not afraid to pay the price for success. She once said, “I know I don’t look graceful on the floor, in rotations, or in ballet movements, but I’m an excellent sprinter with endless energy and explosive power. So, I can do things other girls can’t.”
At the age of 14, she was already the champion of Virginia and had won gold in international gymnastics competitions. At such a young age, she possessed the maturity of someone older, understanding that she wanted to pursue even higher goals. “I need someone pushing me from behind,” she said, “I need to train with other girls who share the same aspirations.”
While most teenagers were still in a phase of daydreaming, clueless about the meaning of commitment, Leotard had already made great sacrifices for her goals. She left her comfortable home, moved to Houston, and lived with a stranger, just to have the opportunity to train under a world-class and demanding gymnastics coach, Ms. Carol Lee. While other children spent their time watching TV, movies, hanging out with friends, or going on trips, she trained seven days a week for four hours each day. Carol Lee corrected all the habits Leotard had been practicing for eight years, from her tumbling techniques to her daily diet.
As the Olympic date drew closer, Leotard described her daily routine: “Warm-up at eight o’clock, then go to school. After school, I go back to the gym for four hours of practice, followed by homework, and then sleep.”
Was it hard? Of course. Was it fun? Not necessarily. But why? Because what the victors were diligently studying, others had never even thought of trying. She might not have liked the monotonous daily training, but she loved gymnastics and her dream, so she embraced the challenges.
However, a few weeks before the summer Olympics, her right knee suddenly became immobile. Fragments of torn cartilage fell loose and lodged in her knee joint. Less than ten days after surgery, she returned to the gymnastics gym, doing the full pre-competition training. Time was running out, and there was no room for delay—only enough time for a final sprint. She had prepared for years and couldn’t let the results go to waste. Her firm commitment kept her going.
In the last event of the competition—the vault—Leotard needed a 9.95 score, nearly perfect, to tie with the Romanian gymnast who was a strong contender for gold. A reporter described her effort: “She took a gentle run-up to the take-off line, leaped into the air, spun in mid-air, and landed like a lead bar, perfectly still yet as gently as a spring butterfly.” She received a perfect 10, the highest level. But what amazed all the spectators, judges, and other athletes was that she actually requested a second attempt. Incredibly, the result was still the same—a perfect 10! But Leotard was not surprised at all. She had already prepared herself mentally.