Sometimes, when we watch sports and athletic competitions, our main focus is usually on the athletes themselves, because they’re the ones who actually compete in the games. But then, many times, we fail to also take into consideration everyone else who makes it possible for them to actually compete, and the amount of work they also need to put in.
It’s just like how great athletes have coaches, and these are not coaches who simply teach with a board and marker, they actually show what they’re teaching. They exercise just as hard as their athletes, and they need to be fit as well. Because if they’re not fit enough for coaching, then they have no business being a coach.
Sometime over the weekend, I was watching a video clip of some gymnasts. There were different types, from jumping over poles to doing handstands and various skills on the poles. These are some pretty risky stunts that involve them launching themselves into the air and landing perfectly.
But then, these were rehearsals, and they were far from perfect. So, their landings were anything but perfect. With the way they were landing, they could break heads, necks, ankles, and knees. But do you know what they all had in common? Spotters (or observers, not really sure what they’re called), their job is to be close to the athlete and watch them carefully during rehearsals. They’d have to watch them to predict if they’d have a bad fall. And if it’s bad, they either catch them or toss a bed underneath them to cushion the fall.
It’s usually a split-second decision, so they must be active all the time, no matter what. So, as a spotter, you see someone hurtling towards the ground and you toss the bed to catch them. Just like that. But the other one is even crazier, which is catching them. I’ve noticed that there is a specific way to catch them, so that neither the spotter nor the athlete gets hurt. I’ve seen the spotters do a backflip while cradling the athletes like a baby, I’ve seen them catch them and go into a roll, to transfer that excess energy to the ground. And I’ve seen them catch them in a way that prevented what would have most likely been a cracked skull.
It’s crazy, yeah! But people actually do this, like it’s their job! It requires a level of trust between the athlete and the spotter to be able to achieve that cohesion. Because the athletes need to be able to rehearse freely, jump and fly as high as they want without being scared of falling, which is why the spotters are there. So, the athletes let loose, knowing they have someone looking out for them. And thus, it works so beautifully.
And that brings me to what I’m talking about today, for the spotters to be so active, they also need to be fit. You have to be fit to be able to catch someone and make a backflip in the same breath, like, there is no two ways to this. In the same way that coaches and referees have to be fit, just about everyone in their circle who helps prepare them or takes part in the competitions will also be fit. If not, you’ll never be able to keep up.
And so, I think so much goes into these competitions, but we only ever really notice the players. Too bad.
