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MP: The Agony of Defeat
Feb. 27th, 2010 12:52 amWhat was I thinking? No, really?
I was watching one of the Olympic Men's Alpine Skiing events the other day, and the commentators made a big deal about how this particular competitor was one of the oldest downhill skiers, and wasn't it remarkable that at the age of forty, he'd never had a serious skiing accident or injury? Seconds later the man was tumbling uncontrolled off the course, sliding to an unconscious stop against a snow fence. It was ghastly. It was obvious he was completely out long before his falling body came to rest. It turns out he was also supremely lucky, and got out of it with a concussion and some facial abrasions, but nothing worse. But he was out of that race, out of the Olympics, and I sat there thinking angry thoughts at the announcers for having doomed that man's career.
I know it's unscientific, illogical, superstitious to say those commentators jinxed that athlete. But you've seen it, too, haven't you? You've seen them say how thus-and-such figure skater is having the cleanest skate of her life, and that's the moment she falls on her ass. You've seen them talk about how all the gymnast needs to do is stick the landing to win gold, and that's when his dismount breaks his ankle, and he goes down in a heap, to a soundtrack of shocked "Ohhhhh!"s. You've watched speed skaters collide on slick ovals, and cyclists spin off hillsides, and batters strike out, and cursed the sportscasters who had just seconds before somehow caused those agonies of defeat with their strangely psychic utterances.
Well, I did it to myself yesterday. I posted that morning page about roller coasters and how I'd managed to circumnavigate the whirlpool for a change, and today, well... To quote Trent Reznor, ( I was up above it; now I'm down in it. )
I was watching one of the Olympic Men's Alpine Skiing events the other day, and the commentators made a big deal about how this particular competitor was one of the oldest downhill skiers, and wasn't it remarkable that at the age of forty, he'd never had a serious skiing accident or injury? Seconds later the man was tumbling uncontrolled off the course, sliding to an unconscious stop against a snow fence. It was ghastly. It was obvious he was completely out long before his falling body came to rest. It turns out he was also supremely lucky, and got out of it with a concussion and some facial abrasions, but nothing worse. But he was out of that race, out of the Olympics, and I sat there thinking angry thoughts at the announcers for having doomed that man's career.
I know it's unscientific, illogical, superstitious to say those commentators jinxed that athlete. But you've seen it, too, haven't you? You've seen them say how thus-and-such figure skater is having the cleanest skate of her life, and that's the moment she falls on her ass. You've seen them talk about how all the gymnast needs to do is stick the landing to win gold, and that's when his dismount breaks his ankle, and he goes down in a heap, to a soundtrack of shocked "Ohhhhh!"s. You've watched speed skaters collide on slick ovals, and cyclists spin off hillsides, and batters strike out, and cursed the sportscasters who had just seconds before somehow caused those agonies of defeat with their strangely psychic utterances.
Well, I did it to myself yesterday. I posted that morning page about roller coasters and how I'd managed to circumnavigate the whirlpool for a change, and today, well... To quote Trent Reznor, ( I was up above it; now I'm down in it. )