on excellence

As I write this post thousands of runners are assembling near the start line in Rotorua for the marathon around the lake. There is a wonderful energy that is contagious when athletes are gathered.

I first watched the Rotorua marathon in about 1983, give or take a year or so. It becomes an addiction, even for the spectator. There is something special about seeing people dedicated in pursuit of their goals. It became an annual family outing, and my fit young adult off-spring certainly gained rather than suffered from coming with their mother year after year to watch their grandfather and other family members run.

Athletic excellence and personal bests, however modest, are worth celebrating.

The Bippiblog has a campaign to turn off the TV during the Olympics. I couldn't bring myself to post it here, but please check it out in case you want to share it on your blogs and elsewhere.

There is something about excellence that promotes others to strive as well. I probably will watch some of the Olympics. When I go to the masters games I come home inspired, energised... and each time that enthusiasm lasts longer than the time before.

Today I watched another kind of excellence. A marble monument was being erected near Cassino. I undertook to photograph the process for the friend who had initiated the project from England.

A two hour project became a four and a half hour effort as tiny little things went wrong, and almost nothing went as it should. The project manager smiled apologetically to me, and said mildly "we are unlucky today". From a flat tyre on a trailer to an ill-fitting generator connection, a truck driver running late to a broken strap around a marble rock, even the best of the equipment seemed to pick this afternoon to have problems.

Through all of this the young man heading this team of workers was thoroughly pleasant, calm, competent, and ensured that his men stayed the same. It was an absolute pleasure to watch as he defused potential problem situations one after another. He lead by example, somehow finding the perfect mix of "hands on" and distance to know exactly what was happening.

He wont win any gold medals at the Olympics. He wont be mentioned when excellence is discussed in the media. But what I saw today was equal to any sporting display of excellence. He was captain and player, strategist and team doctor. He had talent, knowledge, leadership skills, and had trained and been trained well.

Thankyou, R S and your workers, for letting me join you today.