Clean Run Magazine - April 2007 - 72

Where you finish does not always measure how far you’ve come. Agility competitors have as many stories of becoming as they have dogs that they have trained. It is not a question of whether you will have to overcome but when. F r the coolest dog under the sun! o Available At: • Reflect Away Sun’s Heat • Excellent Air Flow Through Mesh Fabric • Reduce Heat Fatigue • Unequaled Reflection and Cooling • Lightweight and Easy to Use Wear Wet Or Dry! or not qualifying. It is how much money you earn, but not what you are worth. The winner of the Olympic Games is not better than the other competitors because he won. He just outscored his opponents. And, I can’t even say that. I won my gold medal when my score and the score of the silver medalist were the same. I was awarded the medal on a tie-breaking rule. A winner is not better. He just performed better on that day. That’s all! Accomplishment is all about what you do. Attainment is also about who you become in the process. To explain my point I have included several examples of success from outside the world of dog sports. The stories are timeless and I hope you will enjoy the lesson within the message. Experience the most effective K-9 Cooler made! Striving for Goals: What Do Scores Reflect? What seems to be lacking in the world’s volume of work on performance enhancement is a different way of describing what those of us who compete are striving for. We are not only seeking to win. We are also seeking to discover. We not only want to get to the top of the mountain but we also want to strengthen physically, mentally, and spiritually because of the climb. We are seeking to become something different than what we were when we started the struggle. We are seeking attainment. Athletes know that scores are not the only way to measure improvement. It’s common to hear a performer say, “I scored well but it didn’t feel that good” or “I feel I performed much better today than my place indicated.” Score only measures the process of accomplishing. Where you ﬁnish does not always measure how far you’ve come. Olympic history abounds with tales of athletes who overcame crippling adversity to win gold medals. Karoly Takacs of Hungary is one of those. Takacs, a right-handed shooter, was part of Hungary’s world champion pistol shooting team in 1938. As a soldier in the Hungarian army Takacs suffered a tragic blow when a grenade exploded taking his right hand off at the wrist. Takacs had set a goal to win the Olympics and would not be derailed. He learned to load and shoot with his left hand. Ten years later, in 1948, he won his ﬁrst gold medal in rapid-ﬁre pistol shooting with his left hand. In 1952, he would repeat his win as Olympic Champion. Walt Davis was totally paralyzed by polio when he was nine years old, but he did not give up. He became the Olympic high jump champion in 1952. Shelly Mann was also paralyzed by polio when she was ﬁve years old, but she eventually claimed eight different swimming records for the U.S. and won a gold medal at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Clean Run | April 07 Silver Shade Mesh M a d e i n t h e USA www.silvershademesh.com For the Border Collie Enthusiast Border Collies in Action © Bruce Fogt • Bumper stickers • Books • Caps • Collars • Door Mats • DVDs • Figurines • Jackets • Jewelry • Lanyards • Leashes • Limited edition prints • Mugs • Note cards • Pet Placemats • Sweatshirts Check out our website: www.bordercollies.com Call, write or email for a catalog: hope@bordercollies.com 375 East Pavillion Road, Pavillion, WY 82523 (800) 833-0332 (307) 856-7601 FAX 72 • T-shirts • Whistles and so much more!

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Clean Run Magazine - April 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - April 2007