The power of community

It’s another whirlwind week, currently sitting in a cafe along one of the quieter streets of New York. It’s my first time here since our honeymoon in 2013 and I can still say: I love this city. The energy, variety and many places where people get together.

I’m here to lead a panel of various stakeholders of community driven sports businesses (Ironman, the 5 major leagues in US sports and an e-sports company) and the general theme of the event was how forming groups is essential to giving meaning to us individually.

Which got me thinking how much I owe to the people that helped me get to where I did in such an individual sport. Some were part of the journey for a period of time, others are family. Some stood by the side of the pool for hours, others checked in online. Setting personal bests one day and lying in a ditch after a high speed crash with no phone signal with Nick Kastelein the next. Not to forget my family and friends who peeled me off the floor during the week and made sure I didn’t lift off into (mental) space when it all came together.

In individual sports it can be hard to see how much the team matters, especially on a professional level. At best we’re in a swim club, but especially in the longer distances training in very small groups is the norm. Densely populated cities have their challenges for endurance athletes, though on the upside, the availability of clubs, groups and like minded people seeking communing is really encouraging. I get asked all the time what my number one tip is for beginners and ambitious athletes alike: find a club or training group. Shared pain is half the pain, and on a rainy day nothing gets you out of bed than knowing someone else is there to get the workout done with you.

So here’s a salute to the coaches, volunteers and in our unique way crazy one’s that show up, rain hail or shine. As my good friend Daniel Unger likes to say: “We do it cause we love it”.

Book I´ve enjoyed:

Robert Putnam highlighted the idea of community in his book “Bowling Alone”. The idea that more Americans bowl than vote is one thing. But about 70% of them used to do so in clubs, whereas nowadays it’s close to 0. On this example he studied what he calls social capital and why we need it to lead better lives.

The concept he conceptualized calls upon ‘social capital’ and why we need it to lead better lives. We humans, the most social of animals need significant group activity to remain healthy and fulfilled.

Podcast I enjoyed:

Preparing for my panel talk I tried to understand a little more about how sports leagues work and what common elements or differences you find on a organisational level. The story of IPL- the Indian cricket league as told on Acquired I find well worth a listen.

See you next week…

Time to head home on Saturday. It’s been 6 weeks on the road and I’m looking forward to seeing my dog. Have a great weekend.

Jan.

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