Brandie Jay: The Land and Look and the Perfect 10

In gymnastics, the outcome is based on the approval of judges, so it leads gymnasts to value the opinion of others.  They are taught to be perfectionists because there is a standard of a Perfect 10.  To get the Perfect 10, you have to get a 10 from two judges.  You are taught, from the time you start competing, to value the score that the judges give you.

Hearing this was eye-opening to me.  I didn't realize that gymnasts are trained to seek perfection out of each routine and to look for the approval of others.  That approval isn't even fully based on the routine but based also in part on things that they can't control - like how somebody sees and values their body image, their appearance, and their technique.

They are conditioned to put their value in the eyes and opinions of others.  They even have the term 'Land and Look' which means that soon as they land, they look immediately to their coach for validation and approval for their performance.  In the video, Brandie said that even if she KNOWS that she did a perfect vault, she still immediately turns and looks at her coach for his validation and approval.

This made me think of other areas of sports and life where we value the opinion of others before and over own opinions of ourselves.  In so many ways, we seek validation from other people.

Its nearly impossible to avoid the opinions of others, and it is important, on some level, to be aware of how others perceive you and how well you do what you do, but it's more important to tie your value, worth and success to something that you can control.  In the video, Brett said that gymnasts through this have an opportunity to understand these forces better and so that they are more prepared as they exit out of the sport.  He said that to use the forces that sports provide and repurpose them into helping others become stronger.  Going through this can have a positive impact on ourselves, and can have a bigger force on the world if repurposed appropriately.

A couple of goals I will have moving forward will be defining what success looks like for myself, my teams and my family, and working productively and purposefully to accomplish those goals.

If I get a Perfect 10 score from others because of that, then GREAT.  But I want to find peace and joy in knowing that I, and we, did everything that we can to the best of our abilities.