The winner takes it all

John McGowan considers the horrors of school sports day and suggests a surprisingly simple remedy

The loser's standing small? Photo: Alethe

‘Well done darling! You did brilliantly.’  As summer term draws to a close, parents get to enact the timeless rituals of sports day. Cheer, take photos of a sprinting child and celebrate success. The chance to shine in front of the whole school, and mums and dads too. A good thing, no?  Rolling up to my own children’s sports day this year though, my eye was distracted by the other end of the proceedings: the kids labouring in while the winners were posing for pictures. I swear they were pretty much the same kids who brought up the rear last year. In fact, I know they were. What, I wondered, is the benefit of sports day for them?

Athletic identity: Hercules' muscle or Achilles heel?

Izzy Biggin

Being at the pinnacle brings
it's own pressures.
Photo: Alexandre Moreau

Last November England cricket batsman Jonathon Trott departed from Ashes tour of Australia due to a long-standing ‘stress-related illness’. This was a shock for some of the media. Do such things happen to elite cricketers? In contrast, others speculated that cricket has a particular problem. After all, fellow England batsmen Marcus Trescothick and Graeme Fowler have had their own battles with depression. However, with other sporting legends, such as boxer Frank Bruno and Olympic medallists Dame Kelly Holmes and Victoria Pendleton also disclosing struggles with mental health issues a unique place for cricketers seems unlikely. Given the particular set of pressures on elite athletes (fame, wealth, expectation), perhaps it may be more prudent to consider the risks of being at the pinnacle of physical achievement. 

Many of us will suffer from the kinds of distress that gets labelled a mental health problem when dealing with the demands of everyday life.  Is it really surprising that elite athletes, with their pressures to consistently perform, are at risk of developing psychological difficulties too? As icons of physical perfection it may be that we assume that they have equitable superhuman mental strength as well. It’s also worth giving some thought to what happens when an elite athlete is no longer elite. Or what happens when an athlete is no longer an athlete. What happens on retirement, or when an athlete suffers a drop in form, is left out of the team, or is injured? When the elite athlete identity, formed by a lifetime of early morning starts, gruelling training schedules and countless social sacrifices, is no longer applicable, it would be surprising if there were not some consequences for self-esteem and psychological well-being.