The Pavarotti of the Boulder

Can’t wait to see the just-released "Free Solo", a movie about rock climber extraordinaire Alex Honnold, who vertically ascends El Capitan in California's Yosemite National Park, the 3000 feet high mother-of-all-boulders, without a rope. So far I have only seen the trailer and an interview with Joe Rogan with Honnold, but was deeply inspired about the protagonists death-defying feat.

I have been reflecting on what the source of my inspiration was? Was it the bravery of the act? Or was it the athletic feat of doing something faster and better than anyone else? Or was it accomplishing something unreal that inspired me?

But as I was sipping a cup of coffee in an Atlanta hotel this morning listening to La Traviata, performed by Dame Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti, it suddenly downed on me… 

What is the risk for Pavarotti’s voice to break or for Dame Joan to not being able to hold a high C…?

Zero chance. They can do it every time, without fail… Because it is a performance that they have devoted their life to perfecting… Because they are the 1% or the 1% of the 1%, who will do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Nor was it a chance event for Novak Djokovic to complete the grand slam in 2016 and it will not be a “black swan” if he does it again this June in Paris.

This reminds me of an interview with Laci Papp, 3 time olympic boxing champion who was once asked by reporter Tamas Vitrai, whether he was ever nervous stepping into the ring for an Olympic finals, with 4 years of work on the line in a single bout. “Not at all” - Laci responded. “I know I have done what’s necessary in the last 4 years and I just have to deliver in the next 9 minutes.”

This is what inspires me about Honnold. He just proved to us that climbing El Capitan without a rope is not a reckless act of daring, but a flawless performance of the ultimate professional rock climber. He is not a crazy adventurer, but the Pavarotti of the Boulder.