Cavic shows silver can be better than gold
January 7th, 2009, 2:08 pm · · posted by DAN ALBANO, ocvarsity.com
It’s always cool when the former high school star who made it big comes back to their old school.
Former Tustin swimmer Michael Cavic did just that Wednesday, and to borrow a baseball term, he hit a home run.
The man who nearly beat Michael Phelps at the Beijing Olympics met privately with members of the swimming and water polo teams and also was honored with an assembly.
Michael spoke from his heart about following your dreams, hard work and staying motivated.
Sure, it might sound like standard stuff but remember, this comes from a guy who won the SILVER medal and not the gold.
Cavic was super-positive about being the runner-up, which in itself, makes him kinda of unusual.
In my opinion, athletes with Cavic’s attitude might be more valuable motivational speakers to our youth than the gold medal winners. There’s just a little more reality in the runner-up’s message. It’s a big part of life – how you deal with setbacks and where the real victory lies.
Cavic found true victory in silver and feels blessed to still have a goal to shoot for. He is aiming to take down Phelps at this summer’s world championships in Rome.
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS OF CAVIC AT TUSTIN HIGH.
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Any serious athlete with ambitious goals is going to compete to win. That seems to be hard wired into competitors. What does not come as easily is dealing with defeat. The closer you come and the bigger the event, the deeper the wound when you fall short. Getting second place to Michael Phelps by .01 of a second near the end of his march to 8 gold and his annointment as the “greatest swimmer of all time” has to rank right up there as tough losses go. Or does it? I think it was tougher for the people watching and cheering for the underdog who almost pulled off an upset for the ages. As for Michael Cavic, the participant, he swam a race for the ages (his masterpiece as he calls it). To be able to perform at the level he did in one of the greatest races of all time in any sport, he had to master all of his fears and the pressure of stepping up to a once in a lifetime kind of moment. To successfully do that is a high that most humans will never experience at that level. Perhaps that is why he is thrilled to have a silver medal that will always remind him of that wonderful day. His experience transcends the idea that “winning is the only thing”.