Once an Athlete, Always an Athlete

The title resembles a thought, that some of the defense services of different countries like to believe-in. The most popular one is Once a Marine, Always a Marine, by the US Marine Corps with the motto Semper Fidelis or Semper Fi meaning, always faithful or always loyal.

Athletes are loyal too, aren't they? They dedicate their lives for that one thing they have believed-in, with enormous support from their families, friends, followers/fans & also the governing bodies of that country as well as respective national sports federations (NSF) to some extent. I came across this, loyal/faithful thought from a series on Amazon Prime named NCIS. One of the characters is Leroy Jethro Gibbs - who is a marine, and keeps reminding everyone around him what it means to be a marine, and there is no such thing as an ex-marine/former-marine.

Well, the same concept applies to the athletes. Doesn't it? Once an Athlete, Always an Athlete and, there is no such thing as an ex-athlete/former-athlete. I had the same adrenaline with regards to sports, because an athlete has a similar kind of lifestyle. They need to have an identical mindset & a strict regime. They dedicate their lives to work hard every single day to get ready for the pinnacle of sports – the Olympic & Paralympic Games (world's most awaited sporting events), or a World Championship, or the World Cup.

I felt the passion (I still do) being a recreational athlete, unfortunately I could not make it to the top, but the stories of being a world champion, and some of the remarkable performances I read about or witnessed, ignites that spark in me. I kind-of feel that fire in the belly to go out there and work towards the betterment of our society by opening up more opportunities that we did not get, to be a professional athlete. We can or should use sports as a medium of communication – a channel to carry our dreams and turn them into reality.

But what is it that I mean by Once an Athlete, Always an Athlete? Does it mean we should play the sport regularly even after retirement? Of-course (if you wish to), but the truth is you cannot stop any athlete from jumping into the field, if they are near the FOP (field of play) because, that is a feeling of sense of pride for them.

Does this also mean a reminder of our responsibilities towards the sport & the nation? They are lifetime ambassadors of Sports. But it is kind-of neutral & depends on the person, because some athletes choose to completely walk away from everything including the commercial & public appearance side, whereas, some wish to stay connected and, find their way into the new streams (like commentating, journalism, officiating, educating, or own a business) molding themselves for that particular job.

They do it exactly like they would work to get better every day, as part of their active-career regime. Retirement seems to be another stage for them to concur, because even that phase can't necessarily stop them from working for the growth, development, and management of the sport itself. Experienced athletes are always valuable because these are individuals who get accustomed to a type of working structure, an environment, and a disciplined regime making them a lifelong asset, and of course, the ability to be in pressure situations, handling it & winning is always an added advantage.

Being an athlete for life or as the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Model suggests, active for life, is a privilege. Being an athlete, you tend to look at life more naturally and realistically, instead of just relying on assumptions & temptations to get a few things. If an athlete wants something - let's say to win a World Championship or an Olympic Medal or a World Cup, you will observe a different kind of level of commitment. He/She will never be satisfied with the performance because they know that it could have been better, and that is what makes them great.

And no wonders, the smile on the face after winning that World Championship or an Olympic Medal or the World Cup could tell you the meaning of what they do and why they do it. It is a sense of accomplishment to prove it to themselves before anybody else. But, the journey is harder than any individual can think-of. There are more failures than no. of winning moments & that's just the tournaments, try and think about the practice & training sessions. Let's not forget the pain and anger an athlete feels to sit on the bench or not be named in the team or playing squad. I know that feeling of sitting in the dough-out & not contributing to the team's win.

But with time, we kind of figure it out that, every opportunity missed is an opportunity earned. With failures, athletes learn to work even harder, and there is no room for missing out the next time. This phase-wise learning is the real test of the character for all the champions. That is what makes them the MVPs – Most Valuable Personalities in Sports.

In India, the prime examples of athletes being athletes for generations even after their professional career is over & someone who believes that the journey to greatness can't be explained, it can only be experienced would be some of them below along with each & every former champion from different dimensions of sports in the Indian sub-continent. (Click on each name to check-out the interview)

(i) Late. Balbir Singh Dosanjh (Sr), (ii) Milkha Singh, (iii) Karnam Malleswari, (iv) Prakash Padukone, (v) Pullela Gopichand, (vi) Anjum Chopra,

(vii) Sourav Ganguly, (viii) Rahul Dravid, (ix) PT Usha, (x) Suma Sirur, (xi) Cyrus Poncha, (xii) Deepa Malik,

(xiii) Anju Bobby Jeorge, (xiv) Abhinav Bindra, (xv) Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, (xvi) Shiva Keshavan, (xvii) Aparna Popat, (xviii) Leander Paes.

 These are just a few names here, but trust me, many individuals have been working behind the limelight (with a few exceptions of-course). They have or still are, contributing towards the development of the sport and grooming the next generation champions. Each athlete is an influencer in real life because, they are now part of the so-called Sports Industry, sometimes from a technological perspective, which is now changing the training & preparation pattern. Some are part of the system as coaches, sharing their own experiences & knowledge when they were at the same stage both mentally & physically.

Some are administrators and decision-makers of the ecosystem, so the next generation of budding athletes can be identified, given extensive support, and also given a chance to be at the highest level of playing sports and, express themselves. They are the champions of their era, but they are role models too, and have the responsibility of carrying the legacy of Indian Sportsmanship & work towards creating new, innovative, and relatively stimulating opportunities for upcoming generations at each level of our society.

Many athletes (retired or still playing) convey attributes about performance, behavior, character, and resilience that draw admiration from peers, followers or enthusiasts or fans. In some ways, they play a significant role in inspiring not just others in the community, but also within their proximity. A global survey suggested that only 10% of the elite athletes get inspired by other elites in-order to start with their current sport. 59% encouragement comes from their parents, and 28% comes from their friends to fall in love with the Sport (The Conversation). Therefore, society plays a huge role in making or breaking an athlete, right from the start.

It is my observation, why a retired athlete talks about his/her past, and in the process, they would emphasize on playing a sport? It can also be on a recreational basis. They would try to convince us to try & fit that playing time in your schedule may be, daily or occasionally as it suits the individual. Some people try and make it a family outing opportunity as well. The reason why sports or fitness is so important because, it gives you a reality check about things we have been hiding from ourselves, forgot about others. Try to follow the steps listed below, if it suits you in terms of timing & comfort level.

Disclaimer: No endorsement/promotion of any fitness geek or any channel, but this "warm-up video" can help you out if you need assistance with the basics. My recommendation is to start with just 4-5 basic movements, including hands, legs, neck, and then progress to another exercise slowly.

Now, I am not sure how many of you would try this. But, if you do, it is not going to help you on day-1, no false hopes - no false commitments. Try and go out there daily to walk & do some stretches for 15-mins to start with, slowly move on to 30-mins, progress to 45-mins, and try spending an hour every day. You might feel the pain on fixing a time for you or maybe just do the exercise over & over again.

It is alright, every athlete has gone through this phase. That's the biggest challenge. You will have more questions along the way for sure, instead of the answers you are looking for, but you will be creating a process which will help you find the answers on your own & live with them, instead of running around in panic mode finding nothing.

Fitness or a sport acts as a tool to snap your brain out of the bubble which gets created around you when we are in a problematic situation, maybe because of insecurities or anxiety & so-on. It is nothing like a cocoon that most athletes create around themselves to keep the negatives away and be in a positive environment, aka peak performance zone.

Once you are out of that negative bubble, we are kind of open to think about possible options & the best possible way to solve a problem. Read this article I wrote on What if Tokyo 2020 Olympics & Paralympics turn out to be exclusively digitized?, where I discussed a 9-point case analysis technique, using the Tokyo 2020 Olympics & Paralympics as an example.

Champions or as the industry calls them the "Greatest of All Times (GOAT)" have mastered that technique of snapping themselves out of the problem-bubble, in real life. If they want to figure out a possible solution for any difficult situation, the very 1st step is to get back to basics, and try to figure out ways to deal with the problem. It would sound more authentic & convincing, if this would be coming from an athlete, that too one of the "Greatest of All Times (GOAT)".

Recently, this video of Andre Agassi has been circling on the internet, and he said "tennis is about problem-solving". A wonderful example of an athlete's mindset, even when they are retired from the sport. He just found a way to deal with a problem when he had to play against Boris Becker, and went on to win 9 out of 11 matches going forward.

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