Ben Facts

Watching the Olympics Athletics competition (Track and Field in the US), it’s striking the difference in attitudes that different athletes have.

By far the most fun athletes to watch are those who celebrate their finishes, and see victory in the places where they do place are my favorites. Sally McLellan and Richard Thompson finished second in their events and celebrated like it was the best thing ever.

The problem with sore losers seems to be that expectations become an entitlement, and that there is no plan B. Sayna Richards and Jeremy Warnier  were disappointed with their medals, and just soured the proceedings. There is also no excuse for the attitudes of Jen Stuczynski’s coach, who acted like her performance killed puppies after she finished second to someone who set a world record.

If the only point of competing is to win, what is the point of competing at all? The best case is to be relieved that you won. The worst case is all other cases, because you didn’t. That’s a pretty miserable scenario.

So, now dead to me: Rick Suhr, Jeremy Warnier, Sayna Richards, and Brazil’s crying fuutballing women.

The persistance of that attitude may be why there is not more adult sport participation in the US. it’s the attitude I had when running the 800 and 1600m as a freshman in high school. I went back and read my journal, and it was full of misery and fear even as I was experiencing the thrill of winning races. Winning was a great thrill, but it was always more relief than elation.

The joy should be in a competition well played, and modified only marginally based on placement. Or at least, that’s this Ben Fact.

Update: Carolina Kluft was the best heptathlete in the world from 2003-2007. By far. While she did it, she was a live wire, joking around with the other competitors, dancing, being an entertainer. In early 2008, she decided it wasn’t fun anymore, so she stopped. This exemplifies the mentality that I think is ideal: love to compete first, love to win second.

There are certain things that I accept as truth. Some of these things are based on facts. Others are things that got into my brain somehow, but not from reputible sources.

For this reason, I have to avoid The Onion.

Other things, I say in public and Emily will ask me about how/where I knew something, and I will realize I don’t know.

A few months ago, I had a long conversation with a welder about welding, and knew a remarkable amount, but I had no idea why. After several days of soul searching, it turns out that my welding information was from things I learned while shopping for bicycles, and the welding that goes into those, with their different materials.

So, welcome to Ben Facts. The blog where I write about things that I find interesting that may not exist anywhere else, and may not be true anywhere except my brain.

As defined by me: Pull is leading by example. Push is leading through orders.

Ideally, children will respond to both. Our children are currently one and two and the effectiveness of Push sticks for about 5 seconds (“Stop! Don’t go in the road.” – They wait for up to five seconds before they resume.)

Pull parenting seems like it would be similiarly effective, but I’ve had remarkable success with it.

Both of our children hated the nose syringe, but fighting through it was better than hearing them be stuffed up. One night, I decided to try something else, and gave myself the nose syringe, and made it look fun. Joseph was immediately piqued. After I syringed myself about three times, he wanted to do it himself. He tried a couple times, and after he didn’t have success, he then <em>wanted</em> me to help him syringe his nose.

That shift took less than a minute.

Since this epiphany, this method has been used with general success in many other situations.

It also likely translates to management. It’s much easier to follow a lead than it is to be ordered to strike off in uncharted territory.