Two weeks of remarkable and unpredictable sporting drama & EIS chairman John Steele reflects on PyeongChang 2018
With just over two weeks of remarkable, intense and unpredictable sporting drama drawing to a close in PyeongChang, it is timely and appropriate to reflect on what has been an unprecedented Winter Olympics.
PyeongChang is the third winter games I have been privileged to be involved in and I was lucky enough to be present for the opening ceremony and first week of action. Witnessing some of the drama first-hand reminded me more than ever about the unforgiving nature of competition at this level and the tiny margins that exist between euphoric success and devastating failure. It is these highs and lows of emotion that make live high performance sport so mesmerising and inspirational. Being on the right side of this divide is a combination of art, science, good fortune but above all else absolute commitment. At the English Institute of Sport this hair’s breadth, this tiny margin, this immeasurable difference is the world we occupy in our mission to give optimum support to our athletes.
Our work and practitioners join with coaches and other support staff, in the long journey to help prepare an athlete to compete against the world’s best. Arguably that journey and opportunity to succeed was even more unpredictable in South Korea. Margins seem to be getting finer and when coupled with the unpredictability and sheer brutality of some of the Winter Olympic sports, the challenge even greater. No one felt this more than Elise Christie who has undoubtedly been under the microscope with each of her Short Track Speed Skating races dissected in detail. I admired her tenacious approach and the fact that she had the courage to take risks when required. Armchair experts will always have a view on what might have happened, but she is the one making split second decisions travelling at over 30 miles per hour on a blade no more than 1.1mm thick. I know you wanted more Elise, but watching your commitment and courage was inspirational!
At the EIS we try to provide insight and knowledge to boost the performance of an athlete, but our practitioners offer much more than that. It was heart-warming and satisfying to hear Lizzy Yarnold talk about the impact of her EIS-employed Skeleton physio.
“If it wasn’t for my physio Louise Turner telling me to go down again, I’m not sure I would be here,” she said after claiming gold medal. That’s just one example and the EIS is proud to have supported Skeleton in PyeongChang and over previous cycles. These front-line practitioners are operating under intense pressure and are playing a crucial, but often unseen role in an athlete’s success.
I saw many EIS staff on my travels and they all deserve great credit for their efforts in the build-up and during the games. They often go above and beyond the call of duty spending large periods of time away from home, dedicated to making a difference to those they support.
Alongside Louise Turner who works with Skeleton, Nick Gooch, Sarah Henderson, Joe Hewitt, Ed McDermott, Stewart Laing, Seung Jae Lee, Mike Loosemore, Gemma Parry, Chris Price, Richard Weiler, Naomi Stenhouse and Greg Stevens from the EIS were all working in PyeongChang. Thanks to all for doing a great job.
The Winter Olympics also reinforced that athletes and teams have to peak at the right moment and that is far from easy when you consider all the variables. Athletes needs to deliver their best performance when it matters most. You get a sense of the drama from the TV, while it is hugely intensified being there, but ultimately no-one, aside from the athlete, knows what’s it like to be standing at the start line waiting for that race to begin.
Performing at the right moment was illustrated with Billy Morgan winning bronze in the men’s snowboarding big air and claiming Great Britain’s fifth medal. Despite struggling with injury, he overcame adversity, took some calculated risks and delivered when it mattered. But as always, many inspirational moments were not about medal success. Andrew Musgrave took on the Norwegians at cross country like David took on Goliath. No medal but what a gutsy performance and a growing belief that one day he will indeed fell the giant.
The achievement of the high performance system, and many partners working together, has ensured Great Britain is becoming more competitive in winter sports. However, we can never stop looking to the future.
Both Lizzy Yarnold and Laura Deas were recruited by Skeleton following the Girls4Gold recruitment campaign. In late January I attended the launch of this year’s Discover Your Gold talent ID campaign. At that event, I cast my mind back to 2007 when UK Sport was launching the Sporting Giants talent programme, where at the time it felt edgy, risky and potentially ridiculous! The idea was for people with no sporting background to put themselves forward for selection and to be fast tracked into various sports. To some this was admirable innovation, to others it smacked of desperation, but when all was said and done it produced champions. It was based on the good old adage of “come and have a go” and that principle hasn’t changed.
Since then we have had some incredible talent campaigns and Discover Your Gold is the latest incarnation. EIS staff saw a huge spike in interest and applications during the GB medal moments in PyeongChang, so why not take a look? You’ve got absolutely nothing to lose.
It’s worth remembering as well that our GB athletes at the Winter Olympics were supported by the National Lottery, contributing to their living and sporting costs, giving them access to the best facilities and support.
As ever with elite sport, the competition never stops with the Commonwealth Games less than 40 days away. Those athletes competing will be looking to make sure they can deliver when it matters most. Again, they’ll be supported by a set of staff behind-the-scenes, all doing their bit to help the athlete reach their peak.
As the memories of a harsh environment on the slopes and a warm welcome off the slopes in Pyeongchang now start to fade for our Olympians, our Paralympians are bracing themselves for their biggest challenge yet. I just know they are not going to disappoint.