A Favorite Photo of Mine

Am I lifting my photo ban?

Maybe?

I feel like for a long time I didn't want people to know who wrote this, but at this point I think we are passed that.  

Let's just hope the people I work with don't find it.  They probably will, but I don't care.  I used to be a reporter, and I have a Masters Degree.  I know how to keep things confidential. 

Anyway

I have this photo on the door to my office.  The first version said "Track Girls are Tougher than Football Players."  I spent a whole lot of time worrying about whether or not it was acceptable to call them girls or women.  I thought it just sounded better with girls.

You think about these things when your three sports management teachers were women.  It gives you a different perspective and I know Dr. Bruening, Dr. Burton and Dr. Fink are all smiling knowing I thought like that. 

As it turns out I had to take it down because someone was afraid it was going to piss off the football players, or make them really sensitive.  When your boss tells you to take it down, you do it even if you disagree.  Everyone wants all of the teams to be respected but I think it's good for football players to see that people care about sports other than their own.  Until then they won't have any respect for anyone but themselves.  Many of them think the whole world revolves around them and that  nothing in life is tougher than being a football player.   I don't blame the players for it.  A lot of them are nice people.  I just blame the culture and money involved for making them think that. 

I will always be more impressed by the runner who runs around a track endlessly, day after day, sore as hell, trying to be faster than the day before.  They get to run with teammates a lot, but they also have to be self disciplined to run on their own.  I think that self discipline and the need to be better every time they go out is what is so important and impressive to me.  It's why I love them, it's why I get annoyed they don't get enough respect.

Anyway above is the photo without the word overlay.  It is on my office door, and will always be there because of what it represents to me.  It's a favorite photo of mine

The person in the photo is Chrissy Pacewicz (who also designs my running plan and who I wrote about earlier in May).  As much as I don't like writing about people I actually know, I think that this story needs to be told, like Cory's kick and all of the other things I have written about.  Sometimes I think it's awkward to write about people you know and will see again but then again she said she's happy and excited to get any positive information about her name out there. 

Now first of all I do have to admit that Chrissy bribed me.  She treated me like a king and gave me food, and just like in the real world that buys you a lot of good press and goodwill.   

But actually Chrissy Pacewicz deserves every moment of good press because like most Olympic Sport athletes she doesn't get enough.   There are too many people who care about headlines and ratings and not good stories.  She deserves to apply for a job and have someone google her name and then see this picture and read the following words.  "You would be dumb not to hire her." 

Other athletes in big time sports get that treatment.  Why not her?  She's actually the real deal.  No one has propped her up to sell tickets.

The reason I love this photo so much is because of what it shows me.  Even though it probably means something different to her.  Heck, she may not even like the photo, but I love it because to me it represents giving it your all.  When you are done with your race, with studying for your test or for doing basically anything you should aim to look like her.  You should be so exhausted that you can't talk or walk.   During finals week I pointed to that photo to half of the kids I met with.  I told them they needed to look like her after studying for their finals.

This photo and Brian Williams commencement speech made me think about starting an MBA too.  When I look at that photo I think about how I could push myself to be better.  

After the race there was another photo that I liked.

Let's post it so you can see what I mean, because I am no Bill Shakespeare and can't make 1,000 words turn into a great photo.  

Here is a photo of her teammates picking her up.  Because once you have exhausted yourself, you need others there to pick you up, to help you out and to celebrate your achievement with.

I heard she cut about 25 seconds off of her personal best in the 5k in her final collegiate race.  That's an accomplishment. I think the fact that she did this in her LAST RACE is what really captured my attention and is what made it unique. 

To me these photos represent the two most important things in life.  Giving it your all and surrounding yourself with good people. 

That's it.  That's what life is about and that is why these photos are both up in my office. 

And you know it's funny, after all it's been awhile since I was a student reporter on the Women's Basketball team at UCONN.  Many people might think that it must suck to have gone from watching Geno coach, to working and writing about soccer teams to working and writing on track and cross country.

UConn Soccer player Jess Dulski actually felt bad for me when I first told her that I used to report on the Women's Basketball team. It was as if she thought I was getting demoted. 

But it hasn't changed much for me.  All of those teams and stories are the same to me because they all have great people.  As long as I am surrounded by good people, who work hard, act like winners, and in turn make me a better person, I'm happy.