Sport is about being courageous
Having chronicled sports events for three decades, I have come across top sportsmen who have overcome adversity to achieve glory. Tiger Pataudi who led the Indian cricket team with distinction, had lost vision in one of his eyes following a car accident but fought back to achieve glory in cricket despite the handicap. Nowadays we have seen the phenomenon of jockeys wanting to highlight the threat perception to their lives more than the glory that accompanies success. They tend to withdraw if they have to cope with adverse conditions. What is sport all about? It is about being courageous. Courage does not mean absence of fear. Courage is about overcoming fear. The true test of a sportsman is his ability to cope with all conditions and handicaps.
One of my colleagues, Suresh Menon, had put it succinctly while writing about how much the fear of injury plays on the mind of a sportsman and what ultimately determines his success. ``In no other field of human endeavor does the ultra violet of mental effort merge into the infra-red of physical prowess so perceptibly as in sports. Success is a function of both mind and body and how much one influences the other gives the key to a sportsman’s temperament. If the success graph of a sportsman were to be plotted, with `mind’ on the axis and `body’ on the other, the point of intersection would be the level at which he performs. To put it in practical terms, success is often achieved only after overcoming an environmental disadvantage or a physical handicap.’’
Pain and injury are constant companions of a sportsman more so in a field like horse racing and motor sport where the specter of death looms over the participant, a palpable presence. Even in a sport which is seemingly harmless like cricket, quite a few cricketers have succumbed to injuries sustained in a match. So when one opts to be a sportsman, injury and death shadows him. But then one ventures into the field being aware of the dangers. We have had sportsmen train by pushing themselves to levels that were considered impossible for human beings.
Horse racing is full of a many a courageous horse which overcame adversity to achieve great glory. The name of Sea Biscuit comes readily to one’s mind. In India we have had great horses which have achieved excellence despite physical handicaps. In recent times, Becket had so many problems and yet he overcame all of them to become a champion. His aggressive trait and amazing turn of foot have caught the imagination of race goers. Thankfully he was not a jockey because then he would not have performed at all because this breed of sportsman have this knack of complaining about everything and blame everybody if they fail except themselves. Of course, this trait may be special to India where excuses are learnt before skills! Recently, Zenyatta lost her unbeaten streak by losing by a mere 12 inches in what was the 20th start of her career. Jockey Mike Smith who rode her admitted that it was his error of judgment which cost the wonderful mare the unique distinction. In India, we would have had jockeys or their admirers spinning a tale about how despite the valiant effort of the jockey, the horse was not good enough to win. In fact, they would go so far as to say that but for their brave act, the horse might have finished far behind!
Hyderabad Race Club cancelled seven races after going through with the first two races on Monday, citing inclement weather and bad underfoot conditions following protest by jockeys. If the conditions were so bad, the authorities could have cancelled races right at the start itself to avoid so much of inconvenience to the paying public who had come from far off places, paid the entry fees and also bought mobile badges. Is the club gracious enough to refund their expenses and apologize for the inconvenience caused and accept their error if the jockeys were right?
It is alright if racing is cancelled by the authorities if the conditions are bad. It is for the authorities to take the call. The decision has to be taken by the Stewards on the advice of officials who have no axe to grind. Jockeys cannot become umpires and players too. They cannot usurp the powers of Stewards under whose license they operate. The authorities cannot let their powers to be diluted. Sadly jockeys in India want to have the cake and eat it too!
One of my colleagues, Suresh Menon, had put it succinctly while writing about how much the fear of injury plays on the mind of a sportsman and what ultimately determines his success. ``In no other field of human endeavor does the ultra violet of mental effort merge into the infra-red of physical prowess so perceptibly as in sports. Success is a function of both mind and body and how much one influences the other gives the key to a sportsman’s temperament. If the success graph of a sportsman were to be plotted, with `mind’ on the axis and `body’ on the other, the point of intersection would be the level at which he performs. To put it in practical terms, success is often achieved only after overcoming an environmental disadvantage or a physical handicap.’’
Pain and injury are constant companions of a sportsman more so in a field like horse racing and motor sport where the specter of death looms over the participant, a palpable presence. Even in a sport which is seemingly harmless like cricket, quite a few cricketers have succumbed to injuries sustained in a match. So when one opts to be a sportsman, injury and death shadows him. But then one ventures into the field being aware of the dangers. We have had sportsmen train by pushing themselves to levels that were considered impossible for human beings.
Horse racing is full of a many a courageous horse which overcame adversity to achieve great glory. The name of Sea Biscuit comes readily to one’s mind. In India we have had great horses which have achieved excellence despite physical handicaps. In recent times, Becket had so many problems and yet he overcame all of them to become a champion. His aggressive trait and amazing turn of foot have caught the imagination of race goers. Thankfully he was not a jockey because then he would not have performed at all because this breed of sportsman have this knack of complaining about everything and blame everybody if they fail except themselves. Of course, this trait may be special to India where excuses are learnt before skills! Recently, Zenyatta lost her unbeaten streak by losing by a mere 12 inches in what was the 20th start of her career. Jockey Mike Smith who rode her admitted that it was his error of judgment which cost the wonderful mare the unique distinction. In India, we would have had jockeys or their admirers spinning a tale about how despite the valiant effort of the jockey, the horse was not good enough to win. In fact, they would go so far as to say that but for their brave act, the horse might have finished far behind!
Hyderabad Race Club cancelled seven races after going through with the first two races on Monday, citing inclement weather and bad underfoot conditions following protest by jockeys. If the conditions were so bad, the authorities could have cancelled races right at the start itself to avoid so much of inconvenience to the paying public who had come from far off places, paid the entry fees and also bought mobile badges. Is the club gracious enough to refund their expenses and apologize for the inconvenience caused and accept their error if the jockeys were right?
It is alright if racing is cancelled by the authorities if the conditions are bad. It is for the authorities to take the call. The decision has to be taken by the Stewards on the advice of officials who have no axe to grind. Jockeys cannot become umpires and players too. They cannot usurp the powers of Stewards under whose license they operate. The authorities cannot let their powers to be diluted. Sadly jockeys in India want to have the cake and eat it too!
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