Cambo's Success

Do you remember Eddie the Eagle? An inept skier, he represented Britain in a jumping event at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics and came, predictably, last. Well, when it comes to sporting ineptitude, I am to golf as Eddie is to skiing. (No, that's being unfair to Eddie; I make him look like Jean-Claude Killy.) 

Inept I may be, but I do enjoy playing golf. And when it comes to the majors, I always find myself glued to the TV.

Two days ago I had the joy of watching Michael Campbell win the US Open. Cambo wept. I did too. Why?

It's a truism that life is full of ups and downs. Michael Campbell personifies that. He's had so many big wins on the European and Australasian tours. Year after year, however, he's gone to the US with high expectations and flopped abysmally. When I heard that he had qualified for this year's US Open, I found myself thinking, "Oh no. Why does he keep inflicting these humiliations on himself?"

Then there's his nature. Professional sports people tend to lose control of their egos. Cambo has always been down-to-earth, unpretentious, humble - true to his roots as a Maori boy from Titahi Bay. The massive behind-the-scenes support he has given over many years to the Ronald McDonald House testifies to his core decency.  

Michael Campbell's success is the only kind of success that matters. It wasn't winning the US Open. That is simply a by-product of his real success: staying true to his values, staying true to his talents, staying true to his dream.

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