There were (and still are) no ice skating rinks in inner-city Chicago, where Shani Davis was raised. There were no African-American speed skaters on the U.S.A Olympic team before he came along. In fact, no black athlete had ever won a gold medal as an individual at the winter games before Davis. Somehow, though, none of this mattered to him. He loved to skate, and he was (and is) fast. Very, very fast.
His mother noticed his skill and drive in the roller skating rink when he was just six and by chance was working for a lawyer whose son was a speed skater. She encouraged her son to give it a try, and he never looked back. Garnering medals and championships everywhere he goes, Davis is now a favorite in his third winter Olympics.
He is fast, true, and he has made history in several ways, but what is most arresting about Davis is the expression on his face when he skates. It is a beautiful combination of both intense concentration and unfettered joy. One look at him and there is no doubt that this is what he was born to do.
What a sobering thought that this could very easily not have been. What are the chances that ice skating would discover this kid in inner-city Chicago? It was an absurd idea, really, for his mother to encourage him in this strange sport with which none of his friends or family were familiar and in a place where there were seemingly no opportunities for ice skating. It would be like someone from Kansas City joining the ski team. What a great loss if Davis or his mother would have allowed realism to cloud their vision.
The passion and dreams that drive people beyond the normal and the ordinary are sometimes almost mystical, other-worldly. Champions, heroes, artists, and revolutionaries are those that refuse to obey the constant chant of this world to “be realistic,” and, “don’t get your hopes up.” They set their sites forward and discover more joy even in losing than those too scared to step onto the ice will ever know.
Watch Shani Davis skate this Olympics. Look at his eyes and the set of his mouth. Cheer for him and celebrate with them team.
And then get back on your own ice track and skate for your life.
Comments
What a fabulously inspiring post. I love stories like this. I love to cheer for accomplishments that are outside the bounds of "reasonable".
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