Champs talk price of glory at forum
GREENWICH — To illustrate what it takes to reach the top in sports, a Greenwich International Film Festival panel Saturday morning featured an Olympian and a World Series champion.
But only one of the panelists could lay claim to being known as “The Man.”
Becky Lynch, sporting the World Wrestling Entertainment Raw Women’s Championship title belt, brought her unique story to the GIFF’s “Price of Gold” panel.
Sitting sat alongside Greenwich residents Sue Mersz, a gold-medal-winning Olympic hockey player, and ESPN analyst Mark Teixeira, a member of the 2009 World Champion New York Yankees, Lynch stole the show.
Fans were waiting outside Greenwich Library to greet her, many of whom stayed for the panel and the chance to get autographs, pictures and even a hug from the champion, whose popularity and attitude earned her the nickname “The Man.”
Lynch said she relishes the demands that come with being a champion in the WWE.
“This is what I’ve always wanted to do,” Lynch said. “I always said I wanted to run on adrenaline and coffee and no sleep. That’s what I’m getting to do and I really appreciate it . ... I know I have good things to say. I know I have a good message to get across to the people.”
That is: “Be relentless in your dreams and your goals,” she said, without letting anyone or their preconceived notions get in the way.
The message resonated throughout the morning panel, where the focus was on the sacrifices it takes to reach the pinnacle of any sport.
Lynch started wrestling in her in her native Ireland, over her mother’s objections, and pursued a career all over the world, enduring injuries and concussions — even a broken face. She quit at one point, and worked at jobs from trainer to a flight attendant before returning to the ring, eventually making it to the top of wrestling’s most famous organization.
“All those frustrations and even being overlooked and not getting the ball to run with and everything was just more fuel and throwing logs on a fire that was sparking and sparking and sparking and eventually exploded,” Lynch said.
Moderator Justin Barasso, who writes for Sports Illustrated, called the panel — presented by the Hospital for Special Surgery in partnership with ESPN — “a versatile collection of elite talents.”
Each of those talents had challenges to overcome on the way to reaching the pinnacle of his or her sport.
Teixeira recalled coming up in the minor leagues as a third baseman and shortstop and being moved to first base because the organization loved his hitting ability but didn’t think he could field well enough. That motivated him to become a Gold Glove-winning player in addition to an elite hitter.
“I think every great athlete has to have a chip on their shoulder,” Teixeira said. “Something is driving them. I would not have been a Gold Glove first baseman if I had always been a first baseman.”
He spoke about the pressures to get a coveted championship, especially on a team like the Yankees with its history of winning.
“When you get on that field your fans expect you to win a championship, especially in New York,” Teixeira said. “They don’t care that you have a beautiful family and enjoy your life. They could care less. They want you to win and it’s almost unnatural but you have to turn on that killer instinct. You’re not a person that plays baseball. When you’re on that field and you’re a New York Yankee, you’re expected to win.”
He punctuated that point by recalling the victory parade for the team after the 2009 World Series, when all fans wanted to talk about was whether they were going to win again in 2010.
Merz, who has a street named after her where the town’s municipal ice rink is located, won gold as a star member of the USA women’s hockey team in 1998. That team wasn’t as talented as the 2002 Olympic squad she was on, Merz said, but the 1998 team won gold while the other won silver because the former had better cohesion.
“I’ve never, ever been on a team like the (1998 team) before or after,” Merz said. “Every single person on that team had a role. We didn’t know what the heck we were getting into but we all had a role and we all had each other’s backs. We had that one common goal and we were sort of unstoppable.”
The panel also included Greenwich resident Sam Taylor, who won all-FCIAC honors at Greenwich High School before attending Harvard University and becoming a doctor. Today he specializes in complex knee and shoulder injuries and works with the New York Giants. In that role his responsibility is to the player and not to the organization, he said, but acknowledged the pain high-level athletes play through.
“These situations are not always clear cut. It’s a lot of grey,” he said. The decision making for a pro athlete is very different in some regards to a normal human being.”
Jon Hock, an 11-time Emmy award winning documentarian, was also a panel member.