It’s not about the talent, it’s about the opportunity
In the article Legacy of son’s success motivation for Judy Murray Judy points out that despite her sons incredible success Scotland has yet to take advantage of the major opportunity this presents. Building the sport in Scotland and improving the nations health and life opportunities as a result.
She says:
I want to help inspire another generation of kids, I want to help build a strong coaching workforce. That would be the legacy. I would absolutely hate it if Andy and Jamie finished their careers in five years time and we have nothing to show for it. I would hate it. It would kill me.”
What really made this article stand out is how she talked about the need to provide opportunities.
People ask me do we have enough talented kids in Scotland. Of course we do. We have loads of talent. It’s not about the talent, it’s about the opportunity. Talent without opportunity is nothing. There are people out there but everybody needs somebody to look out for them, to help them and encourage them. Too often in this country you can get good people working in isolation and you don’t get the best out of them or they get so isolated and so discouraged that you lose them.”
Check out Legacy of son’s success motivation for Judy Murray for the full article.
What stands out for me is the focus on opportunity. I feel the comments describe England, where I live, as much as it does Scotland.
I find opportunities to play, compete and work in tennis improving but in reality it’s painfully slow. I have a PE, Sports science and Management degree but I knew early on that I would support my family better following a different career. I work in web development and I don’t really regret it. The opportunities are so much better.
I’m looking to pursue a career in PE but only when it becomes a proper industry. That is still to come.