Like so many of you, we’re watching the Olympics. The athleticism and spirit on display are inspirational, and it’s hard to imagine what the pressure must be like for the Olympians. There have been thrilling highs and painful lows.
One of the lows was Damien Warner withdrawing from the decathlon after missing all three tries at the pole vault. Heartbreaking. He’s so good but just didn’t have it on the field for that particular round.
Now, I know very little about the decathlon. (It’s really hard! Jim Thorpe amazed the world with his win in 1912! Warner won gold last time out! Aaaand, that’s about it.) In trying to make sense of Warner’s strategy, I can only guess that he started with as high a pole vaulting target as he did because he wanted to save his strength for other challenging events. (Maybe that’s not the case, but go with me here.)
What lessons would I take from this loss? That even the best can have bad days. That it’s usually a good idea to give it your all, every time. And that it pays to focus on the task in front of you.
All week, we’ve been seeing Olympic ads featuring Warner, showing his son how to compete with flair. An important lesson, to be sure, but this experience will allow him to show him, and all of us, something equally important: how to gracefully cope with loss and come back stronger.
* In a mostly unrelated but still fun note, I am (counts on fingers) three degrees of separation away from an Olympian who is in Paris right now!
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J.R. Johnson 
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