Simon sees a red ribbon across the race course. It is the finish line. Even with his legs feeling very heavy and hurting, and feeling the heat from the Beijing sun as he has been racing for almost two hours, his spirits rise when he sees the finish line.
The crowd is cheering. Simon is in first place at the 2008 Olympic Games. He is having fun.
“I love the thrill of a close race,” says Simon. “I love that energy and pressure.”
Simon is a triathlete. Triathlon is a hard Olympic sport. Competitors swim, then they bike, and then they run. Yikes, not an easy sport as it is so demanding.
“You have to be ready,” says Simon. “You have to be healthy. You have to be physically healthy and mentally healthy. You need to eat well. You need to have a good attitude or you can’t compete.”
Simon won the very first Olympic triathlon eight years before, at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. He got up from a bike crash to win. He also had a shirt that started shrinking as soon as he stepped out of the water.
He won the final sprint to the finish line.
But Simon was 25 in Sydney. In Beijing he is 33.
He did not win a lot of races after his victory in Sydney. Racing experts say he is too old now. They do not expect him to win a medal in Beijing.
Simon knows something many experts don’t. He knows how to find the right attitude for him to do well. After Sydney, however, he lost this attitude for a little while.
“I challenge myself to do my best,” he says. “When I worry only about winning, I don’t do well. That’s what happened after Sydney. When I just focus on having fun, I do much better. I try to do the best I can. If I win, then that’s great.”
Simon enjoys every moment now. He finds a sense of play and fun in all his hard work. It certainly pays off when you cross the finish line.
“You need the right attitude,” says Simon. “I didn’t come from an intense sport background. I just loved to play. I was the kid who was always on the phone, calling my friends to come outside and play football, soccer, basketball, hockey… whatever!”
Simon says that it is normal for athletes to feel butterflies in their stomachs and feel their heart race as they try to be the best that they can be.. He suggests that having fun can help an athlete overcome these hurdles.
“The mental and the physical are linked. If you put too much importance on only winning, yourself or worry too much, then often you do not perform well.”
Simon learned about play when he was young. He also learned about how to keep his body healthy.
“Food is such a huge part of it,” he says. “You can’t just stuff anything inside your mouth. Cut the bad or junk foods right out. Even in high school I knew that when I ate good food I felt better.”
Simon’s body and mind are in total balance today. He is in a very close race. Another triathlete, from Germany, is catching up to Simon. The German athlete is much younger.
Simon’s mind is clear. He knows he’s doing his best, win or lose. He also knows that everyone needs help to stay on a healthy track.
“I rely a lot on my Dad,” he says. “We talk a lot before my big races. He always tells me: ‘Don’t let the fog roll in.’ By fog he means all the concerns and worries about things I can’t control.”
The German triathlete passes Simon. There are just a few metres left. Simon isn’t worried. He is not obsessed with winning. He wants to do his best. He concentrates on his own body and mind.
The German triathlete breaks the ribbon just ahead of Simon.
The crowd goes wild, but continues cheering as Simon crosses the finish line. He has won a silver medal! Incredible!
Simon walks over to the gold medal winner and congratulates him.
Simon’s smile continues to grow. He realizes he’s done his very best by keeping his racing fun. He’s had a good play.
Connecting: Early Habits Last a Lifetime
Students are told to visualize themselves (see themselves in their mind like a video camera) doing their favourite physical activity. They can also bring in a photo of themselves or a drawing doing their favourite activity if they find it difficult to visualize. Discuss the following questions in a small group:
- How do you feel while you are doing the activity?
- Where are you?
- Who else is there with you?
- What equipment do you need?
- Why do you enjoy this activity so much?
- Why is it so fun?
Note: If you chose to walk the students through a visualization exercise, you may want to use the following “prompts” to prepare them:
- “Get yourself in a comfortable position, close your eyes.
- Just listen to my voice as I walk you through a simple exercise.
- See yourself doing your favourite activity.
- What does that feel like? Where are you?
- Who is with you?
- What equipment do you need?
Processing: Make a Graffiti Wall
Students who are capable of reading read the story quietly on their o war encouraged to do so, while the story is read to students who have lower reading levels..
- Have students write or draw ideas about the ways that Simon Whitfield leads an active, healthy life on a Class Graffiti Wall.
Transforming: Charting Change
- Students will reflect on their personal levels of physical activity, by considering where they are active, and what they enjoy doing as activities. In the Now section of the chart, students will write or sketch, what choices they make for active play (e.g., tag at recess), at school (e.g., Daily Physical Activity and Physical Education programs), and at home (e.g., family bike riding or playing on a soccer team).
Discuss the need to balance these columns so that physical activity is happening during play, at home and at school, and not just within the school curriculum. Help students brainstorm ways to create a better balance. Students write the ideas that will create a better balance and more activity in their Future column.
- The following questions may prompt them to think about their personal level of physical activity (any body movement that increases their heart rate; it does not have to be structured and learning does not have to occur as it would in a physical education class):
- Where do you do this activity?
- When are you physically active at home (think about inside and outdoors- can encourage being physically active with family members))?
- When are you physically active at school?
- How are you physically active with your friends?
When thinking about a “better balance” between the various areas: the following questions may be used to guide the discussion:
- What is your favourite physical activity?
- Why?
- How often do you do this activity?
- What other physical activities would you like to do?
- What stops you from doing this? What has to be done for you to do this physical activity?