An episode of Mission Impossible of Mr. Julius Babao left a profound impact on me as a teacher and swimming trainer. The name of the amazing swimmer was JM. He lost both of his legs when he got electrocuted while playing on wet ground. He is now an amateur swimmer aspiring to participate in the Paralympic Games.
The perceptions of high-performance swimming coaches regarding the relative contribution of the upper and lower limbs are crucial in optimising athletic performance through subsequent prescription of training. Indeed, it is significant to have complete upper and lower limbs to be a successful swimmer or at least to be able to swim, but the story of JM is an exemption to this usual belief.
Mr. Babao said “I produced his story on a Philippine TV show. I kept holding back my tears as I watched him struggle to paddle his arms towards the pool waves. In my interview with him, I discovered that he didn’t even know how to swim when his legs were still with him. The unfortunate incident, however, led him to discover his athletic talent. He proved to the world that he could be competent despite his handicap”.
At work, most of the times we find excuse when we can’t do something or when we don’t want to do a task. “I am still new in this job”, “I haven’t been trained by anyone”, “I don’t have enough resources to complete this task”, “I have lots of assignment from our boss” so on and so forth. JM’s story made me appreciate all the potential of what I have to fully perform my duties and responsibilities at home and at work. I should never wait for something to happen before I maximize the potential of what I have.
Most of the times comparison makes us realize something worth it in our lives, for instance it is when we look at better people that we feel discontented and it is when we look at the lesser ones do we realize that we are in a better position.
Let us not quiver with reasons. Rather, let us expand our arms as wide as we can so that we can swim into the complexities of our full potential.
By: Ms. Vanessa G. Arcos|Teacher III| Olongapo City National High School|Olongapo City
