The Taste of Victory

So while at Nationals, I recently got the chance to taste what it means to be a champion. More specifically, I got to enjoy some of Europe's finest Gruyere cheese. Not just any old Gruyere, however, World Cup cheese.

Alec saying 'cheese!'

This cheese is a classic example of something that gains value by virtue of the way we see it, the reputation assigned to it by us as a community. The same goes for any prize in fact, any medal, trophy, or award is only as valuable as we deem it to be. (This actually also applies directly to currency, whether physical or not). Were you to go and buy any other European cheese, the effect would simply not be the same; in the same way that expensive wines 'taste better' in comparison to cheaper ones, despite that not being the result in a blind test. The cheese tastes better because of what it represents.

The stages of cheese euphoria.

My point here is this, as a member of the ski community, one only places as much value on an award as they wish. Of course, we are collectively encouraged to see it one way, and associate high value with certain accolades. In my mind, the only thing of absolute value gained from being a competitor are the experiences. Although vague, this would include the lessons learned, challenges faced and hopefully overcome in the end. 

That is not to say that awards are entirely without value, however. I would see them more as a validation of someone's hard work being realized, a the sum of their many experiences. Take the example of the U.S. ski team in Pyeongchang: The women's team was graciously able to see through the value of a medal, standing behind their team's strong effort in the relay, leaving them in 4th place. However, I cannot deny that their story was not made better by Kikkan and Jessie skiing to the top spot, Olympic gold in the team sprint. In my eyes, it was clear to those watching at home that the hard work, effort, and support (from waxing, coaches) was all there, and the medal is just a validation of that. 

Returning to the story, big kudos go out to Andy for working hard enough to go and claim that cheese, and being kind enough to share a little taste of victory with us.