Lizzy Yarnold has won Britain's first Olympic gold on Valentines Day in Sochi, Russia. She told the world's press ""My mum and dad and my sisters are here and I couldn't have done it without them or the Team GB team." This is mentoring at its best. It creates a culture of confidence. Lizzy told the press "I believed in myself and put in the hard work and dedication before we came here. My advice to anyone watching is follow your dreams and never limit yourself to what you can achieve." This is good advice but remember that success is a team sport, it takes a team to raise a champion.
What makes this an incredible story is that Lizzy only began in winter sports six years ago. Four years ago she was ranked the 54th best shot putter in the UK! How did she move from mediocre athlete to Olympic champion? The answer is twofold. First its all about mindset (how you see yourself) and second its all about environment (the people and opportunities that surround you). Lizzy placed herself around people who believed in her and who nurtured a 'can do' attitude. At 19 she had people who saw her raw talent, and (no pun intended) saw the gold in her. This is something we all need, to be believed in and encouraged to develop who we really are, to take raw ability and encourage it.
Amy Williams (gold medallist from the previous Winter Olympics) describes Lizzy as having something "different within her psychologically." This mindset shaped her future but it took being spotted by a talent scout from Girls4Gold (a mentoring project to discover and develop sporting talent). Yarnold admitted to BBC Sport: "At the Girls4Gold selection, I desperately wanted to be picked for modern pentathlon. But they said I'd be more suited to skeleton instead. I must admit I'd never heard of it but I've never looked back since." This is the goal of mentoring, to uncover/discover your God given gifts and breathe life into them.
What does this amazing story of success tell us? It shows that people have raw talent, sometimes in areas they didnt even know existed (like a winter sport called skeleton which meant throwing yourself down a death defying slide on a sled). It shows that being believed in (whether family, friends, or coaches like Amy Williams) makes all the difference. Add to that a strong dose of self belief and focus, and you have the makings of a champion. But imagine if Girls4Gold had not existed? Imagine that Lizzy's family were cynical or even resistant. Where might she be now? Would her strength of mind, her determined character have flourished? I doubt it. When Lizzy was 19, one individual, a man called Mervyn Sugden, an insurance underwriter from Surrey donated money towards her sports training to buy the equipment she needed. He clearly saw some raw talent and took a risk with his time and cash. Lizzy has now nicknamed her sled Mervyn in his honour.
This story of Olympic gold is a modern parable (a story with a deeper meaning for life). If each of us could find someone and believe in them, what a difference it would make. If you are a teenager with raw ability, how would you feel to have a sponsor like Mervyn? I am personally choosing to believe in this next generation. They will not all be Olympic gold medalists but each person is gold to God, each person has raw talent, everyone flourishes with praise. Imagine a generation like this, one placed in good healthy soil so that they grow strong (in body, soul and spirit) and believing in themselves, becoming all that God meant them to be.
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