So, we’re all feeling the effects of a comedown of this year’s Olympics being over, right? I won’t lie, getting out of bed before 10am has been an absolutely mammoth task knowing I won’t be watching high jumpers, hockey or horses dancing whilst munching on my crumpets. The Paralympics can’t come quick enough babs, I NEEEEEEEED to see superheroes on my tele ASAP. And not of the Marvel/DC kind because my Google search history of “Hugh Jackman in Deadpool & Wolverine final scene” is verging on obscene…but that’s for another day. If you know, you know.
I’m always a fan of the Olympics right, but this year I fully unlocked super fan status- I imagine I’m the equivalent to a “Swiftie” now (Taylor Swift die-hard fans for the older demographic who read my blog, hiya huns!). Maybe it was because I didn’t have to get up at 3:27am to watch Tom Daley somersault 10 metres down this time (cheers Tokyo & Rio’s time zone differences), was it the “tres belle” backdrop that Paris so beautifully provided throughout the entirety of the games or could it be the fact that Clare Balding is the absolute tits of a presenter and hooks you in with those dulcet tones of hers?
Or was it, that for the first time (aging, wisdom and all that) I was truly able to appreciate it for what the Olympics, at its heart, is. The coming together of people- of all ages, races & genders, who have a dream. Gosh, I’m welling up again (that’s literally all I did for those two weeks…oh and find the hot swimmers Instagram pages obvs).
After a hideous couple of weeks here in the UK with the news channels and feeds being flooded with horrific, vile, heart-breaking updates daily, the Olympics truly restored my faith in the world and mankind. It has shown us fantastic sporting moments of course, across every single discipline (even the Breakdancing, 'Raygun' included…just about) the talent that they all possess is just otherworldly. But I think, and more importantly I believe, they showed us what being human means.
So, it got me thinking, and I think my fingers have been desperate to tap away at my keyboard again, what did I learn in those two weeks? What have I remembered long after that flame went out? (Thank God Leon Marchand made it back to that stadium by the way, I was worried for a bit that he'd got lost). Without further ado, here’s the list (that no one asked for) LADIES AND GENTLEMAN…
“Life Lessons from the 2024 Olympic Games”.
1. Focusing on the wrong person can make you not realise what’s passing you by.
One of the most nail biting (and slightly cringe inducing to be fair-who knew male runners could be so sassy to each other!) moments of this year’s games was the men’s 1500 metres event. The battle was set, Josh Kerr vs. Jakob Ingebrigtsen- back and forth on who is “the best” for so many years, or so the VT said, and it all came down to this final showdown of the season. They’d trash talked each other in interviews, they were giving each other the classic “psyche outs” on the track, and for them, they were the only two people who were taking home Gold and Silver that evening…that was until the American, Cole Hocker, came up on the inside for the last 70 metres and, well, for want of a better term, kicked their cocky little asses. He saw the two of them only have eyes for each other (aweee cute) and he took the opportunity to push past them both to the most incredible victory…fortune favours the bold in real time.
And it got me thinking, how many times have I been so laser focused on one thing or one person that I’ve let a million-other thing slip by. In today’s world, we’re always chasing someone or something, we’re making everything and everyone disposable, thinking that there is better, grass greener vibe- that we never slow down to see what we do have is actually quite great already. I know I’ve missed out on so many opportunities and amazing people because I’ve been so “tunnel vision” on, what tends to be in my experience, the wrong things (or him’s!). So, thanks boys for reminding me to check what and who is around me before I end up losing my own race again next time.
2. Red lipstick is for EVERYTHING.
Now we all know I LOVE a red lip but I didn’t know that I shared this love with my new girl crush (and freshly crowned bronze medallist, yes queen) Ilona Maher. She wore her red lipstick on the rugby field to break the stereotype of “rEAl GIrLs dOnT pLAy rUGby”- ughhhh. By wearing her signature red lip, it was the Maybelline Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick by the way, she smashed through the sexist comments and showed that she wears lipstick because it makes her feel good. It doesn’t take away how well she plays, runs, hits and it’s a great, big, F YOU to the standards of what is typically thought of as a man’s sport. Proving once again that anything men can do, we can do too.
Ilona has been the most incredible beacon of light for women to feel good about themselves and the way they look and has used her platform for good...and for bants too. If you aren't following her on instagram, what are you doing with your life? She gave the ULTIMATE comeback to a troll mocking her for not looking "feminine" and "questioning" if her BMI put her into the overweight or obese category by saying "I do have a BMI of 30...Alas, I'm going to the Olympics and you're not". I hope that troll had some cold water nearby to help his fresh, new BURN !!!!
A red lipstick, for me, is like putting on a superhero cape. I feel like I can take on the world when I have a rouge shade painted on and its new Olympic stamp of approval makes me even more proud to be a part of the “Red Lip Brigade”.
3. Prioritising our mental health is the best thing we can ever do.
SIMONE BILES. SIMONE FREAKING BILES. WHAT A WOMAN. The talent, skill and all-round GOAT energy (“Greatest of All Time”- I got you boomers) she has is a sight to be seen. We’ve all known since Rio that the name Simone Biles would go down in history as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time and now her 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals make her the most decorated gymnast in history…and now is officially one of the greatest gymnasts, heck ATHLETES, of all time. Google says so.
We saw the 19-year-old, fresh faced, baby Simone smash the 2016 games and the world fell in love with her…which is why our hearts broke for her in Tokyo in 2021 when she had “Twisties”- ‘a mental block that creates a dangerous disconnect between mind and body while gymnasts are airborne’. Now I don’t know about you, but that sounds fucking scary. That would be a frightening experience to go through for any gymnast, at any level, but for Simone she then had the weight of the world (specifically the keyboard warriors) calling her out for being weak, a loser, a failure, a disappointment when she decided to “pull out” and walk away from the competition. She decided that as much as the athlete side of her was important…the human being underneath was worth saving more.
She looked after herself and was brave enough to come away from a situation that was going to kill her- she’s said herself that if she had done the vault that she was meant to do she probably would have died or at best, been very seriously injured.
Simone then proved at this year’s games that the comeback is always stronger than the setback. She went home with three golds and a bronze…and more importantly her mental health being back to a strong, stable, happy, healthy state. And she gave a shout out to her therapist too (some of y'all should take that as the one piece of advice from the blog you take...GO TO THERAPY).
As much as we have made great progress over the years, talking about “Mental Health” is still a bit of a taboo topic and so many people are quick to judge and make unkind comments about people who are openly sharing their struggles with their own brains. Had Simone have broken her leg in Rio the internet would have been flooded with “Get well soon babe” well wishes (and probably a fair few “if she was a real athlete she’d still compete” type messages too- hey the internet is crazy) but a broken brain…suddenly she’s an attention seeking, spoilt, lazy fake. We need to do more, speak up more, be there more for the people who are brave to speak out, and to show that the ones who haven’t quiet found their voice yet that people do care. We do take it seriously. We do believe you. We’re supporting you.
Taking a break isn’t a bad thing but letting yourself get to breaking point is.
4. Sportsmanship is a rarity.
Having been in a “competitive” world since before I was born (Mum did a competition when I was still chilling in the womb…and we won, obvs) I have experienced my fair-share of competitions over the years and after watching these games…I’m shooketh to my core (“horrified” for anyone still reading over the age of 18). The respect, kindness and support we’ve seen over the last two weeks puts about 95% of dancers to shame. It’s an ICK to be a dICK. The humanity the Olympians have shown to each other is what makes them golden. Now don’t get me wrong, there was a few rotten apples in the “Five Rings Tree” but most of them got their comeuppance anyway- Karma’s GPS system got her to Paris safe and well.
It was the moments like Simone and Jordan bowing down to Rebecca when she won her gold, the Brazilian handball player who helped carry off her opponent after she had a knee injury. The Italian high jumper who, after not having such a good day himself, ran over to help massage the cramp of his biggest competitor. And who can forget the moment when Hayden Wilde had just been literally “pipped to the post” by our Alex Yee in the Men’s Triathlon event but still found it in him to give him a hug and help him move over out of the way for the other finishing athletes. The smiles, the nods, the claps, the hugs, the cheers, the handshakes, the “congratulations” shared are the real moments worth their weight in gold.
Yet in our “dance world” you’re met with the death stares, catty and smarmy Instagram posts, snarky comments and teachers teaching their kids to act the same way!
Now, don’t get me wrong and before I get the “iTs nOT aLl DAncErS” comment I want to make it clear that I know it’s not ALL DANCERS. I know many kind, supportive and friendly dancers in this industry but…it’s enough dancers. Enough dancers who do behave in un- sportsman like ways which puts another dark cloud looming over our industry. And maybe another reason why Ballroom and Latin dancing wouldn’t go to the Olympics…there isn’t a scoring section for “Bitching” (hehe).
So this one is a reminder for those dICKS that do wanna be a Derick/Debbie Downer at the comps- be polite, say well done, throw a few claps out every now and again oh and put a smile on those miserable faces…it really isn’t that hard huns. TRUE WINNERS CHEER EACH OTHER ON.
5. Rumours spread like wildfire.
One of the most controversial moments of the 2024 games was the utter take down of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. After her Italian opponent abandoned her fight with Imane due to “never being punched so hard” the internet proceeded to turn Khelif into public enemy number one. Trans rumours started to swirl the social media feeds and before we knew it she was this unbeatable, testosterone ridden monster who was a man (funny how no one accused her of being a man back in 2021 when she lost in the quarter finals to an Irish boxer…weird hey?).
JK Rowling, Elon Musk and Piers Morgan- the unholy trinity- were at the helm of spewing the fake information around the internet and before we knew it Facebook feeds were full of memes, hate speech and transphobic comments, nice one dickheads. In the age where information can spread like wildfire we need to remember to do our own “fact checking’ first and remember the power of our words and the messages we share!
I made a pact to myself a few years ago that I would never say anything about anyone that I wouldn’t say to their face...with a megaphone. And I have stuck to that pledge to this day…could be why I only have about 6 friends though…hmmmm…anyway, moving on…
Maybe that’s something we could try to remember: just because we are hidden behind a keyboard or phone, it doesn’t mean that our words stay in hiding. There is time to pause before we post, share or say something and we never know who we might hurt on the other end.
OH and side note- Imane is going to sue JK Rowling and Elon Musk! Get em girl!
6. Age is nothing but a number.
As someone who is rapidly approaching a “big birthday” I am definitely feeling not so okay with aging. And by “not so okay” I mean, literally can’t stand it, want to cry, beat the system and stay 29 forever more. I regularly feel “behind”, “wasted potential” and to be honest, a little bit of a failure. I don’t own a house, I haven’t got a fancy ring on that all-important finger, I’m a childless spinster and in terms of work…I’m alright at my job. Could be better, could be a whole lot worse (see number 4). There is a Sylvia Plath quote that sums up my feeling far more eloquently than this Essex girl ever could and it’s:
“What horrifies me most is the idea of being useless: well- educated, brilliantly promising, and fading out into an indifferent middle age”.
Offfftttt, god she was good wasn’t she.
But that’s how I feel, a good few times a week.
However,
Watching the Olympics, it reminded me that we’re never too old to chase our dreams (whatever they may be). There was the British skateboarder, Andy Macdonald, who at 51 made his Olympic debut- he said even though he was among the low-ranking finishers in the competition he still considers himself a winner. There was the Canadian equestrian, Mario Desluriers, who after a 33-year gap came back at 59 to try and win a medal. Then there was the internet’s “Table Tennis Grandma”, Zeng Zhiying, who was 58 at her first Olympics.
It made me see that I’m not “over the hill” just yet and turning 30 isn’t a death sentence on dreaming. Don’t get me wrong, I’m under no disillusion that I’ll be at the Olympics in my 50’s (I’m aiming for my debut in 2028 by the way) but I can still dream a new dream, whatever that may be…I’m not counting myself out just yet and maybe a new dream would do me good.
If you’ve made it this far you deserve your own gold medal so well done to you- your award is my “Top 10” less preachy, off my soap box, lessons learnt:
1.The Swimming Pool is where I will probably find my dream man
(Hello tall, handsome, ABSolutely incredible men).
2. I get emotional watching people do well.
3. I get emotional watching horses do well.
(Their little noise defending hats, too much cuteness)
4. I’m really annoyed that my mother didn’t put me into an Olympic style sport as a child because I’ve had major FOMO.
5.There is such a thing as too big.
(French High Jumper. That’s all.)
6. Snoop Dogg is still the man. And he wears Equestrian gear very well.
7. Maybe it’s just Italian male dancers that are creeps & cheats not Italian men in general.
8. Sometimes a nap really is the best thing in the world.
(Ukrainian high jumper + her sleeping bag = ICONIC)
8. The shooter from Turkey is a secret agent and I won’t be told otherwise.
10. Changing your Tinder location to the address of the Olympic Village is the greatest thing one can ever do.
(I’ve collected Swimmers, Volleyballers & Rowers like my life depended on it)
But I think my favourite moment from the Olympics was when Fred Sirieix was talking with his daughter, Andrea Spindilini- Sirieix, after she hadn’t got herself on to the medal podium. He said something to her that will stay with me for a very long time so I’ll leave you with his words:
“It’s sport. Some days you win and some days you lose…You did your best Andrea…It wasn’t meant to be…So proud of all that you do”.
The most fitting reminder that even if we try our best, sometimes things don’t work out the way we want them to…and that’s okay. Because we are worth more than our sports, more than our jobs, more than what people think of us, more than our achievements, more than our wins and definitely more than our losses.
We have witnessed such pure joyfulness and love this Olympics and we need to take this away with us. We’ve been inspired, encouraged and hope has filled our homes for those two weeks. For a brief moment, we were reminded of how much good there is in this world and what happens when we all come together. Bring on the Paralympics where we fall in amour all over again.
Merci Beaucoup Paris and Merci Beaucoup Olympians, c’ etait magique! xoxo
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