Fairness

I'm not sure I've ever actually met anyone named Missy. But I do like the name (which I understand is usually a nickname for Melissa), and it seems like anyone who uses it would just have to be a cutie-pie. I also like the name "Misty" (and the Erroll Garner song), mainly because of Misty Rowe on Hee Haw.

Yes, I admit it -- I watched Hee Haw. All the time. You got a problem with that? (Hey, how could anyone not appreciate Roy Clark?)

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that almost all Americans would agree that things should be "fair"...but we seem to have two different ways of defining the word.

Some would argue that the result of fairness would be "equal opportunity for everyone." Others define that result as "equal outcome for everyone." The first definition carries with it the idea that while everyone has the same chance, some may achieve better results than others...and that's OK. The second implies that excellence and superiority should somehow be handicapped, so that everyone stays together at a lower level.

It's pretty easy to tell which way you lean on this one. Just answer this question: Should everyone who plays in a league get a trophy?

This topic came up because I heard about a girls' high school swim meet last weekend here in Colorado. Olympic Champion Missy Franklin lives here, and happens to be a high school girl. Therefore, she is eligible to compete in high school swim meets, and has chosen to do so. As you might expect, she tends to finish pretty far ahead of most of the other local gals who swim in these events.

Some of the meet attendees (for the most part, parents) complained about Missy being there. They argue that Olympians should not be allowed to compete in local competitions...primarily because it knocks all the other swimmers down a place. According to people I talked to, some of these folks were pretty vocal in their opposition to having the world's fastest woman whupping up on their poor defenseless daughters.

Well, boo hoo.

C'mon people! We should celebrate the fact that we have such a great swimmer in our midst. There's no shame in taking second place to an Olympic Champion. Heck, I'd be happy to get lapped in a 100 if I could say I swam in the same race with her! We should enjoy watching her swim, and be thankful that we can learn from the experience.

Perhaps I only feel this way because I was never in a position to win anything in high school swimming. (Well, OK, there was that one time I was seeded first in the 100 freestyle in our dual meet in Enid, Oklahoma. Unfortunately, I had to scratch because of the uncontrollable projectile vomiting I suffered after eating "the creeping crud" from the West High cafeteria. But that's a story for another time.)

I grew up in awe of both people with raw talent (Robin Messner, Mickey Canaday, Vernon Smith) and those blessed with the ability to work incredibly hard (Danny Robinson, Groovy Ben Wagoner, and the entire Smith family. Well, except for Daniel, who is a quaestor.) But because I never had a scholarship (or a championship) riding on my performance, I never felt anything but pure joy in being able to swim and compete. Sure, I got my butt kicked all the time, but I never resented the victors -- I just wanted to do whatever I could to become more like them.

So it bugs me when people gripe about wanting to make things more "fair." Rather than whining about those who succeed and wishing we could be handed what they have earned, we should instead be thankful we can compete in the same venues they do. We should seek out ways to become the best we can be, using whatever gifts we each have.

I know I'm never going to be as tall, talented, nor charismatic as Missy Franklin. But any time she wants to come swim in my lane and lap me 100 times, she'll be more than welcome.

Tomorrow: climbing. Have a great day!

(PS. Extra credit if you can tell me how the photo at the top of the page relates to the topic. Be excellent to each other. And party on, dudes!)