Nick Bendel
Stand up Sally- yours was an oarsome effort
May 3rd 2008 14:35
Earlier in the week, Sally Robbins fielded questions from the press, after learning that she had not been selected in the Australian rowing squad for the upcoming Olympic Games.
Predictably, though, the focus was on the dramatic events of four years earlier, when ‘Lay Down Sally’ abruptly stopped rowing towards the end of the women’s eights final at the Athens Olympics. How was it, the journalists wanted to know, that she had collapsed in such spectacular fashion?
“Rowing is a tough sport,” Robbins explained, in which “you are physically and mentally on the edge the entire race, and you aim to row your last stroke as you cross the finish line.” It is defined by “exhaustion and pain”. “There is only so much a human body can take. In going beyond my limits, I lose control of my decisions and my actions in the boat, and any athlete knows this is not a good place to be. Ultimately, going beyond my limits in the pressure of an Olympic final led to the collapse at the Olympic Games.”
It was an honest, revealing response, and one that ought to cause Robbins’s many critics a moment’s reflection. These critics included members of the media, who branded her collapse selfish; members of the public, who derided her as gutless; and even members of her crew, who were quick to ostracise the humiliated rower. Indeed, one teammate even went so far as to slap her. And why? Simply because her body, through no fault of her own, had reached the end of its limits.
Far from being selfish, gutless and worthy of contempt, Robbins is somebody who has always deserved understanding, and even praise. To reach the pinnacle of any sport demands exceptional discipline and years of sacrifice; a weak person cannot make it that far. To then accept the challenge of qualifying for the next Olympics- in spite of widespread public ridicule, not to mention the scorn displayed by so many of the rowing fraternity- requires the greatest mental strength. So when such a person tries their utmost to succeed in the intensely demanding environment of an Olympic final- only to fail- criticism is the last thing they deserve.
Further to Robbins’s credit is the dignified manner in which she has handled her humiliation. There have been no tantrums, no attacks on her colleagues and no requests for pity. Most would have cried at the injustice of it all; Robbins, however, accepted her lot with grace. Most would have quit after such an enormous setback; Robbins, however, had the fortitude to keep fighting. Such doggedness is a reflection of her motto: “Never surrender the dream”. More to the point, it is the quintessence of the famed Olympic spirit.
Predictably, though, the focus was on the dramatic events of four years earlier, when ‘Lay Down Sally’ abruptly stopped rowing towards the end of the women’s eights final at the Athens Olympics. How was it, the journalists wanted to know, that she had collapsed in such spectacular fashion?
“Rowing is a tough sport,” Robbins explained, in which “you are physically and mentally on the edge the entire race, and you aim to row your last stroke as you cross the finish line.” It is defined by “exhaustion and pain”. “There is only so much a human body can take. In going beyond my limits, I lose control of my decisions and my actions in the boat, and any athlete knows this is not a good place to be. Ultimately, going beyond my limits in the pressure of an Olympic final led to the collapse at the Olympic Games.”
It was an honest, revealing response, and one that ought to cause Robbins’s many critics a moment’s reflection. These critics included members of the media, who branded her collapse selfish; members of the public, who derided her as gutless; and even members of her crew, who were quick to ostracise the humiliated rower. Indeed, one teammate even went so far as to slap her. And why? Simply because her body, through no fault of her own, had reached the end of its limits.
Far from being selfish, gutless and worthy of contempt, Robbins is somebody who has always deserved understanding, and even praise. To reach the pinnacle of any sport demands exceptional discipline and years of sacrifice; a weak person cannot make it that far. To then accept the challenge of qualifying for the next Olympics- in spite of widespread public ridicule, not to mention the scorn displayed by so many of the rowing fraternity- requires the greatest mental strength. So when such a person tries their utmost to succeed in the intensely demanding environment of an Olympic final- only to fail- criticism is the last thing they deserve.
Further to Robbins’s credit is the dignified manner in which she has handled her humiliation. There have been no tantrums, no attacks on her colleagues and no requests for pity. Most would have cried at the injustice of it all; Robbins, however, accepted her lot with grace. Most would have quit after such an enormous setback; Robbins, however, had the fortitude to keep fighting. Such doggedness is a reflection of her motto: “Never surrender the dream”. More to the point, it is the quintessence of the famed Olympic spirit.
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