7/4/02- Off-Topic: Lance Armstrong- An Athletic Metaphor for America This Saturday, July 6th, as many in the US are recovering from 4th of July celebrations, preparing them, or enjoying a weekend with family and friends, the 89th Tour de France will begin. Most people here will probably not notice, and if they do, it will be a passing curiosity. And that is a damn shame.On July 6th, the greatest athlete in the US, and maybe in the world, will mount a bicycle and begin to defend his title as Tour champion. More than just another over achieving Yank, Lance Armstrong, and the international competition that has made him famous, tell us a lot about ourselves, and our place in the world.By his own description, Lance was a hot headed young man. As he admits in his autobiography "It's Not About the Bike," he was brash, loved fast cars, and had little respect for the traditions of cycling when he first went abroad. He was, really, a typical American boy, full of fire, if a little ignorant of the world outside his country. As he's matured, he's learned to appreciate, and even chosen to embrace, the institutions of other cultures. He will always be the boy from Texas, but now he's also a well traveled man with a mature outlook on the world. He didn't just beat cancer, he also absorbed bits of the cultures he encountered in cycling, and found ways to make them part of who he was, so that he could become a more complete person. His now famous battle with cancer and his amazing return from it to win the world's toughest single sporting event almost overshadow the incredible journey he represents; the journey of our nation through history.This is the quintessential American quality: sifting through the pieces of other cultures and making the best of those part of our own. It is what we've done as we grew as a nation, and what makes us unique and great. Unlike some countries, we've never said "Don't bring your business, food and culture here." Our homeland is the culmination of millions of people bringing little pieces of their old home here, adding them to the mix, and eventually letting them be cemented together in a grand mosaic represented by our Stars and Stripes.Armstrong represents the key to our future. Our culture is still young by historical standards, and still growing and maturing. Like the young Armstrong, learning what will and won't be tolerated in the peleton of a race, we are constantly bumping into the sensibilities of the Old World. Even some of our allies, who we've helped through their darkest hours, question our judgment. When we compete, others always claim we have an unfair advantage. When we play host to the nations of the world, they accuse us of cheating, of having a "home field advantage." They cry that we don't appreciate their games, but are horrified when we finally become real contenders in the World Cup. Lance has been subjected to one round of examination after another, and faced endless drug testing and questioning from the international media, just as our country faces a constant stream of criticism.Armstrong answered his critics by learning some of their manners, respecting their traditions, even learning to give interviews in French, all to show that he did respect these other people and the great things they'd established before he came along. There is nothing wrong with learning about what makes these folks tick. We are, after all, a conglomeration of different peoples ourselves. We should learn, we should tolerate, we should always try and appreciate all the unique things others have to offer us. Rather than be intimidated by the strange world outside his country, and the sometimes harsh reception he got, Lance Armstrong showed, and shows, infinite patience. Then he got back on the bike, and beat them all to pieces in the mountains of France.Cycling is an amazing sport. Riding a Tour de France is like running a marathon everyday for most of a month. Twenty stages, plus a prologue stage, test every imaginable type of sports skill, from the power of sprinting, to the lonely race against the clock of an individual time trial, to the coordination of the team time trial, to the incredible endurance of the long mountain climbs. Throughout the race there is team work; the sacrifice of riders called domestiques, who work relentlessly to help their team leader win and the vigilance of team managers who plan and calculate. There is strategy, as teams jockey for position, slowing or speeding the peleton, always trying to put the team leader in the best position, or keep him from harm. There is technology, an American specialty, as seen in the amazingly light carbon fiber bikes of the US Postal Service Team. To win takes some of everything, and maybe a little luck too. It is simply the most complex and physically grueling event there is in sports. To quote Lance, it's a "sufferfest." And now, for three years running, a team from the US, on bikes built in the US, led by a much matured but still fiery man from Texas, has dominated it.We should all endeavor to understand things beyond our own culture. I encourage you to watch the Tour, international futbol/soccer, read about or even visit other places, learn about other peoples. Some of what we find will repel us, some will excite and entertain us. There are undoubtedly places that we fall short, and things that we don't quite get yet, but as countries go, we're still young. We have drive and fire, and we're not willing to stand still. We suffer the slings and arrows of not just fate, but sometimes those that should be our friends and allies. And we learn, and we grow, as America always has. We might not be the best at everything yet, but the operable word is "yet." We're the United States of America, and no matter what the field of competition is, sooner or later, we will drop you on the climb.Good luck, Lance, and God Bless America!Matt |
