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Jul. 16—When it comes to ridiculous movies, "Over the Top," a 1987 film featuring Sylvester Stallone, lives up to its name.
For those who haven't seen the gem, Stallone plays Lincoln Hawk, a trucker who has never met his 10-year old son before, but he is forced to pick him from military school as the boy's mother is suffering with her health. Hawk has photos of the boy all over his truck, which also has a weight lifting set up in the cab. As Hawk reunites with his son, he teaches him the life skills of how to drive a semi truck, how to hustle people by winning arm wrestling matches, and how to be a man.
In the end, Hawk has an arm wrestling match to determine whether or not he will gain custody of his son. Yes, you read that right.
Anyway, this column was inspired by a small line from the movie. When Hawk's son loses his first arm wrestling match against a teenager, Hawk pulls his son aside for a quick word of advice.
"As long as you lose like a winner, it doesn't matter (if you lose."
While the advice isn't worded the best, it inspires his son to go out and win the next two matches, winning Hawk his bet. Yes, he bet 10 to one odds on his son to win against a random teenager in a restaurant.
The line and the movie are both silly, but in a way Hawk was right. Sometimes kids think too much about whether they win or lose a game, and if they think they are going to lose, they give up, thinking there is no point to try.
But that's not the true nature of sports. "Losing like a winner" means you give it your all until the contest is decided.
Whenever I competed, I always thought to myself that I wanted to make sure our opponent remembered how hard we played against them. Even if you're losing, you have to do something that makes your opponent work a little harder or dig a little deeper. Never give them the easy way out.
I'll close this column, with Hawk's best advice to his son that anyone can use.
"The world meets nobody halfway. When you want something, you gotta take it."
Continue reading...
For those who haven't seen the gem, Stallone plays Lincoln Hawk, a trucker who has never met his 10-year old son before, but he is forced to pick him from military school as the boy's mother is suffering with her health. Hawk has photos of the boy all over his truck, which also has a weight lifting set up in the cab. As Hawk reunites with his son, he teaches him the life skills of how to drive a semi truck, how to hustle people by winning arm wrestling matches, and how to be a man.
In the end, Hawk has an arm wrestling match to determine whether or not he will gain custody of his son. Yes, you read that right.
Anyway, this column was inspired by a small line from the movie. When Hawk's son loses his first arm wrestling match against a teenager, Hawk pulls his son aside for a quick word of advice.
"As long as you lose like a winner, it doesn't matter (if you lose."
While the advice isn't worded the best, it inspires his son to go out and win the next two matches, winning Hawk his bet. Yes, he bet 10 to one odds on his son to win against a random teenager in a restaurant.
The line and the movie are both silly, but in a way Hawk was right. Sometimes kids think too much about whether they win or lose a game, and if they think they are going to lose, they give up, thinking there is no point to try.
But that's not the true nature of sports. "Losing like a winner" means you give it your all until the contest is decided.
Whenever I competed, I always thought to myself that I wanted to make sure our opponent remembered how hard we played against them. Even if you're losing, you have to do something that makes your opponent work a little harder or dig a little deeper. Never give them the easy way out.
I'll close this column, with Hawk's best advice to his son that anyone can use.
"The world meets nobody halfway. When you want something, you gotta take it."
Continue reading...
