Edition #15: Did Lindsey Vonn make the wrong choice?
Was it brave or was it dumb?
If you watched the Winter Olympics, you’ll know there were lots of opinions about Lindsey Vonn’s decision to compete despite tearing her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) a week before - you can read about it here.
All eyes were on her as she lined up for her first run. The comeback, that was already unbelievable, now with an even bigger plot twist.
Twelve seconds into the run, her Olympic fairytale ended in catastrophe. She crashed out, and was airlifted from the mountain, screaming in pain, knowing that hours of surgery and months of rehab awaited her.
Was it courageous? Or was it reckless?
““Courage is knowing it might hurt, and doing it anyway. Stupidity is the same. That’s why life is hard.””
The Problem: How do I know if I’m being brave or dumb?
As the quote suggests, it’s a pretty fine line…
Lindsey Vonn was on the brink of the biggest comeback in downhill skiing history. She came out of retirement at 40, sporting a fancy new knee, as a genuine contender for Olympic Gold.
But disaster struck 10 days before the Games. She crashed out in tricky competition conditions, tearing her ACL.
The crazy thing was that her knee seemed okay.
So what do you do?
Pull out and play it safe?
Or risk it and try, knowing what’s at stake?
The Solution: Bring wisdom into the equation
How risky is too risky?
Many thought it was too risky and she should have walked away. That health is always more important than any race, including the Olympics.
It’s a very reasonable position.
But you have to consider the risk relative to the person.
Flinging yourself off a mountain at 140km/hour is risky for most people. But Lindsey isn’t most people. She is one of the best and most experienced skiers in the world. This was her normal.
It seems like Lindsey was facing a low-risk, high-stakes scenario.
Risk = the chances of crashing
Stakes = the consequences of crashing
I say Lindsey’s risk of crashing was low not just because of her experience. Low-risk was backed up by objective data. She consulted her physios and doctors. She passed the strength and loading tests. She even completed two practice runs, a safety requirement to compete in the Olympics, finishing third on the second run.
But there’s no denying it was high-stakes. The consequences of crashing on a mountain are always catastrophic, regardless of your professional experience.
But high-stakes don’t automatically mean you walk away. The reality is that we all take part in low-risk, high-stakes activities every day: every time we get into a car, take the train, or hop on a plane. The chances of crashing are low, but disastrous if it happens.
And unfortunately, it was disastrous for Lindsey. But I don’t think it means she made the wrong decision.
In life you can make the right decision and face disaster. Or the wrong decision and still get lucky. We don’t control the outcome.
All we can do is make the best decision we can with information available, knowing there are no guarantees…apart from the fact that it definitely won’t happen if you don’t try.
The Application:
The reason the Hail Mary Friday Club exists…
I am definitely not here to encourage you into dangerous, high-stakes activities.
But what about considering the reverse scenario: high-risk, low-stakes
Scenarios we avoid because the risk of failure is high…but if the stakes are low, does it really matter if you fail?
I think about my husband, who asked me out several times before the tables turned and I ended up asking him out. (Luckily, I got a yes on the first try!) He will tell you that every time felt horrendously risky.
But apart from disappointment and embarrassment, the stakes actually weren’t that high. No one was going to die or lose their home or their job. He could fail over and over again without fear of disaster. So why not give it a go?
The point is, neither high-risk nor high-stakes should be an automatic no.
Carry out your own assessment, and then choose wisely.
What Hail Mary Friday have you been avoiding because it has a high risk of failure?
The Hail Mary Friday Club exists to encourage people to take (calculated!) risks in their life.
Because the prize often goes not to the most talented, but to the one who was brave!
Stay bold, friends!
- Stef 💪🏼
PS. If you want to explore this more, I wrote a short piece about “How to Finish a Sports Career Satisfied” on LinkedIn
Forward this to a friend you want to encourage!
Or forward to someone looking for an inspirational speaker.