Tuesday 14 February 2017 12:08, UK
Whatever your job, whatever you do in life, you will always have hurdles. Everyone will.
Even sport stars. Even speed skaters. Disappointment, frustration, injuries, self doubt. Elise Christie has had to deal with all of this at the start of her new season.
Two weeks ago, she sat on the ice after another fall in Montreal in her first World Cup competition. The 25-year-old from Livingston was numb. She questioned everything. Her career. Her self worth. Her future.
Read these stirring words from the Sky Academy Sports Scholar on how she's battled her demons and reignited her passion for life and sport again......
Some days we wake up feeling great, with an inner superhero built in. Some days we wake up feeling normal, and an event or situation brings out our inner superhero. Some days you won't even see or be able to access the hidden super powers.
Being an athlete is full of ups and downs, it's full of magical, inspirational performances. On the flip side there is massive disappointment and feelings of letting down everyone who believes in you.
Around two months ago, I sustained a bad ankle injury. All I can remember is sitting on the ice, in excruciating pain, thinking 'I've just got over my Sochi disappointments, the bullying, the feeling of letting your whole country down… can I come back from another setback so soon?'
Then your deepest fears come alight - is my season over? Will I ever be able to skate the way I used to? Is this the end of my career?
Despite the odds, three weeks later I was back. Well, I was back on the ice, and boy did I feel different. After a week of skating round slowly, panic started to set in. It was like I had been transferred into someone else's body, this was not how I skated.
It was extremely challenging to get back on track and start moving in the right direction, and I have so many people to thank for helping me stay focused. I know that being part of the Sky Confidence Month recently played a massive part in my recovery.
If Jessica Ennis-Hill could learn to jump from another foot, then I could learn to skate a little differently. Somehow three weeks down the line, one week from the first set of World Cups, I achieved all my targets, I was ready to compete, apparently.
It's really difficult to explain the passion I feel for my sport, in fact the passion I believe any athlete will feel for their chosen discipline. It's almost scary how much you put your heart into it, and after weeks of heartache and emotional roller coasters, I felt flat.
I had managed to bounce back from the injury setback, but it then hit me that this could just lead me into more heartache and disappointment from my sport. Of course, this is exactly what happened, World Cup 1 in Montreal ended with a fall in the 1000m quarterfinals and a fall from bronze medal position in the 500m.
My next week was spent feeling strangely numb. Had I really fought so hard to come back for this?
With anything in life that has served you disappointment over and over again, you of course feel resistant to have it play a part in your life. Everything in life will have its challenges. It's really about acceptance and facing those challenges head on.
There is absolutely no point in asking 'why me?'
Instead, accept that the situation has happened to you and move forward. This is what I was willing to do in preparation for World Cup 2 in Toronto and the challenges I might have to face.
Now I felt far from being where I needed or wanted to be in many aspects: the ankle pain, my fitness, confidence, technique… but one thing had changed. I was ready to accept that maybe I wasn't where I wanted to be or even where I had been prior to the injury, but I was ready for the challenge.
I realised that actually what was more disappointing about the previous week was not the falls, but it was the lack of passion, the lack of stepping up to the challenge. I walked away from World Cup 2 with two medals, but more importantly I walked away from it with pride.
Pride that I hadn't let down anyone, including myself. And irrelevant to whether I had won a medal or not, I had put myself on the line despite all the issues going on.
So I'll finish by saying acceptance is the key to success. Don't waste time dwelling on things you can't change or have no control over. Accept the situation you are in and get the best out of it.
'Stop being who you were, and become who you are'.
And most of all, figure out what makes you great, what brings out your inner superhero, and use it.
WHAT'S COMING UP FOR OUR SCHOLARS
NOVEMBER 23+: Elise Christie, World Cup, Nagoya
NOVEMBER 26: Jack Bateson and Savannah Marshall, GB Boxing Championships, Sheffield
NOVEMBER 28: Jess Judd, European Cross Country Championship trials
NOVEMBER 21-29: Sam Oldham, Tokyo training camp
NOVEMBER 31: Elise Christie, World Cup Shanghai
25 NOV-DEC 21: Holly Bradshaw, South Africa training camp
