The Super Bowl came and went.  People will tell you that this was one of the all-time best. Not for me.  Not by a long shot. The best Super Bowl I ever saw was in bits and pieces through the frosty window of a ski area bar.  

While Brett Favre picked apart the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI, three of my great friends and I spent an evening skiing a small ski area in Metro Detroit sharing a January snowstorm with no one but a couple of rustys. 

Forget the bright lights, halftime show and spectacular play.  We hooted, hollered and had a riot busting moves on terrain that will never qualify for highlight reels.  When the game was over, we were beat and rather than a gut full of:
chips,
queso,
beer,
ribs,
chicken wings,
potato skins and
jalapeno poppers,

We had a soul full of laughs, plus a little bit of all the aforementioned stuff…and maybe some chilli but I’m a little fuzzy on that one.

The world we live in is dominated by a mindless, t.v.-staring, chip-shoveling, couch-slouching culture.  If you are still playing anything, you are my hero and here is a windy compliment:

YOU ARE THE ELITE ATHLETES.
"Everyday athletes" are the real pulse of sport and a REAL source of inspiration.  Skiers, snowboarders, golfers and tennis players go out and actively pursue sport as a matter of lifestyle.  Keeping with a sport, even casually, is a challenge in a life full of working, schooling, commuting, cooking, cleaning, etc, etc.  It takes an intrepid group to break through all that static and pursue something joyful.
You are a group of doers, not watchers.

How many of the 75 million people watching Super Bowl XLII play football?  How many have ever played? Better yet, how many can even manage a 40 yard dash, forget about timing it?  When is the last time anybody stepped foot on a chalk-lined field beyond their high-school years?  Football and the other super spectator sports make for great spectacle, but the more closely you look at them, the more remote the experience is.
Why are so many people sitting on their keyster worshipping people they can’t even relate to?

That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy watching sports.  There is just more to it with a touch of shared experience. Golfers can get the same equipment and many times, play the same links they see the games elite go up against.  Skiers can ski the same runs on the same mountains.  Snowboarders can session in the same super pipes that the pros ride.  Do this and you have a true appreciation for the skill of the pros.  Comparing your performance against them can provide a sense of inspiration (and humility).  

I’m pretty sure that any pro taking the time to reflect on the sight of a couple parents shlepping a mini-van full of kids onto the slopes, or an old-timer plinking her way along the links will be even more inspired (and humbled).

Just remember, it’s only inspirational and heroic if you keep at it.  Get out there and play.

-JJ