“Heart.” “Determination.” “Guts.” “The will to win.”
These are the words we hear in winner’s circles around the world. But what separates the victorious athlete from thousands of other well-bred, impeccably trained and appropriately managed athletes, who fail to live up to expectations? The answer of course is the intangible.
It’s the desire to compete that separates the best from everyone else. But where does that come from? What makes one horse want to go all out, and make another horse “unwilling” or “lazy?”
Scientists have long struggled with nature versus nurture arguments, because success is almost always a combination. Regardless of how many pucks I shot against the neighbour’s fence, I’m quite sure I never would have been Sidney Crosby, or close. On the other hand if Crosby didn’t start shooting pucks in his basement at age two, and skating at age three, who knows who would have lifted the 2016 Stanley Cup?
The genetics and training are relatively easy to quantify. If you’re not bred to be great, or not trained to be great, good luck to you. But what about the intangible part? Why was your brother or sister more competitive than the rest of you? Why do some stop when they reach the point of exhaustion while others continue to push harder? Why can’t I convince certain kids on my baseball team to run hard to first base on every hit, while others need no coaching – they just want to get there as fast as possible?
Jaromir Jagr, who is currently the oldest player in the National Hockey League at age 44 is, according to team management, still the first player to the ice rink every morning and the last to leave at night. They’ve cut him a key so he can come earlier and stay longer. He still leads the team in points and according to reports, is determined to play until he’s 60.
As a child, Jagr grew up in Czechoslovakia, and was a witness to hard work. His father worked in a mine, and the family had to wait in long line-ups for the ability to purchase necessities like fruit, bread and toilet paper. As a young child he was skating at age three, often took 500 shots a day, and was soon doing 1,000 squats daily. He was determined, and still is today – perhaps like no other. At season’s end this year he was awarded The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is given annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.
As the field for the North America Cup rounds the turn into the stretch, I wonder what made these horses what they are today? When did they get their heart, their determination and their will to win? When did they take the step from opportunity to greatness?
I have a two-month-old foal, happily and joyfully living her life. How much of her path is already set, and how much will be determined before her first birthday? We know that horses can be bred to become champions, and horses can be trained to become champions, but we also know that they will only become champions if they want it themselves.
So while we should praise the breeders and connections of every successful racehorse, we must also recognize that it takes a lot more than genetics and training to become a Hall of Famer.
It takes a little bit of magic.
Darryl Kaplan
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