2011 World Figure Skating Championships

2011 World Ice Dance Medalists Show the Importance of Perseverance and Resiliency

: The 2011 World Championships Ice Dance Medalists (Photo by Liz Chastney)

This year’s ice dance podium at the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships is historic in a number of ways. It’s the first time the World ice dance champions have been from the U.S.; both the gold and bronze medalists are from the U.S.; the bronze medalists made the podium in their first Worlds; all the medalists are North American ice dancers; the medalists are all young ice dancers; each of the teams has been together for a long time; and they all have the same coaching team (Shpilband/Zoueva).

The 2011 World Champions, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, have been together since 1997. The 2011 World Silver Medalists (and 2010 Olympic and World Champions), Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir from Canada, have also been together since 1997. And the 2011 World Bronze Medalists, Maia and Alex Shibutani, at 16 and 20, have been ice dance partners since 2004.

Two quotes explain a lot of the success of the world medalists. And those same qualities needed for success in figure skating can be applied to life in general. Legendary college basketball coach John Wooden emphasized the importance of perseverance.

“It Takes Time to Create Excellence” Word-Art Freebie

I wrote about John Wooden’s ideas and inspiration a little over a year ago: Figure Skaters Need Patience to Create Excellence.

Roger Staubach, Heisman Trophy winner and Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, attributes much of success to two qualities: perseverance and resiliency.

“It Comes Down to Perseverance and Resiliency” Word-Art Freebie

Here’s the complete quote:

It comes down to perseverance and resiliency… When you get knocked down, you don’t give up. You hold onto your values, and you keep your faith. – Roger Staubach

In figure skating partnerships, there’s a special unison and beauty that comes naturally for teams who have been together for many years. While there can be many good reasons for a team to end their partnership, it’s wonderful to see three top teams who have persevered and made the most of their partnerships. And everyone who’s been involved in figure skating (or any sport) knows that resiliency is required to handle the ups and downs of both training and competition.

If you haven’t seen the free dances of the 2011 World Ice Dance Medalists, here they are:

Meryl Davis and Charlie White (USA), 2011 World Champions

Tess Virtue and Scott Moir (Canada), 2011 World Silver Medalists

Maia and Alex Shibutani (USA), 2011 World Bronze Medalists

Even Now, Sports Are Important

The devastation in Japan brings a lot of things into perspective. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Japanese people. Those of us who are lucky to have our families alive and well feel grateful that we still have one of the most important parts of life.

But what about other parts of our lives? Are they still important as well? The figure-skating community has been affected by the situation in Japan like the rest of the world – and by the fact that the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships originally scheduled to begin on March 21 were scheduled for Tokyo, Japan.

It’s obviously not appropriate to have the World Championships as originally scheduled. I don’t know what can or should happen with this year’s Worlds. But I do know that, despite everything that’s happened, sports are still important.

ESPN Commentary published an excellent article about this exact topic. The article is called “Japan and the Vanishing Point.” In the article, Jeff MacGregor says that the superficial and commercial parts of sports are unimportant. But he also says that the “object lessons in near-limitless human potential” are important:

I’m not talking about sports stardom or sports celebrity or sports money. Those things are unimportant. . . . But a kid driving the lane midair all grace and fire and defiance of gravity is not. The NFL draft or the NFL lockout or the NFL logo on your comforter and sheet set is nonsense. The courage to get back up having been knocked down is not. Opening ceremonies are majestic, profitable nonsense. Usain Bolt, 9.58, is not.

I think of all the positive character traits our children can learn through sports. I know my children have developed skills and traits that will serve them well throughout their lives . . . traits like self-confidence and the ability to work hard, develop self-discipline, and persevere through adversity.

I think of inspiring examples of strength and courage through adversity that encourage us all to dig deeper and persevere through hardship . . . examples like the Paralympians and the Special Olympians. . . . examples like Joannie Rochette at the 2010 Olympics and John Coughlin at the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Jeff MacGregor talks about “our idea of ourselves” . . . “the irreducible human gesture at the center of modern sports.” He says: