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Discussion Topic #1 – The Secret of Usain Bolt’s Success
Usain Bolt, at only 26 years of age, has already cemented himself as arguably the greatest sprinter of all time. He is the sole owner of three world records and is also the only man to win both the 100- and 200-meter races in consecutive Olympic Games.
What makes Usain Bolt so fast? His competitors, fans and the rest of the world would like to know. Scientists and researchers of varied backgrounds have taken on the challenge of discovering the secret of Jamaica’s track star. They have studied some of Jamaica’s plants, fruits and vegetables in this effort. Some suspect it’s something in the soil. Does Bolt’s 6’5” frame, with long limbs, give him an advantage? He takes only 41 strides to cover 100 meters while his much shorter competitors take an average of 46. Historically, Bolt’s physical stature is a departure from the rule in terms of world-class, 100-meter and 200-meter sprinters who generally (with exceptions like 6’0” Donovan Bailey and 6’2” Carl Lewis) are shorter, under 6 feet tall.
What many people don’t know about Bolt is that he was born with scoliosis – an abnormal curvature of the spine. So can a bone abnormality offer an advantage? Likely not. Rather it’s a handicap many feared would end Bolt’s career prematurely. When symptoms persist, it causes severe lower back pain, back fatigue with prolonged sitting or standing, difficulty in breathing and low self-esteem associated with the impact scoliosis can have on your posture. In Bolt’s case, it resulted in an unbalanced movement and pressure on his pelvis, thus forcing him to suffer lower back or pelvic injuries during both practices and competitions. During the 2004 Athens Olympics, he met with a tragedy during the 100-meter final and could not finish the race. He was publicly criticized for a lack of effort, and his career was in turmoil.
His coach and confidante looked into his conditions carefully and decided that the only chance Bolt would have as an athlete would be to commit himself to a 3-year long rehab. He advised Bolt that fighting against his innate condition would require an unprecedented effort that would be so rigorous and treacherous that most athletes in his shoes would rather choose to end their careers.
But like Napoleon, the word “impossible” was not in Bolt’s dictionary. He contacted a world-renowned expert in the abnormal spine/pelvic conditions who at the time looked after the players in Bayern Munchen football club in Germany and entrusted him to lead the rehab process for the next three years. During this time, Bolt worked often 10 hours per day, followed a strict diet, and endured some of the most dreadful routines any top athletes in any sports had ever experienced. During this period, the combination of the training methods and Bolt’s relentless willpower somehow resulted in fortification of the nervous system and muscles in the problem areas which previously caused injuries; even doctors marveled at this result. What next? 2008 Beijing Olympics! And the rest was history….
This, according to those who closely followed Bolt’s career, was the secret to his success. Pure will and determination to be the best he could be! Oh… one more thing…. according to the experts who have studied the historical world records of the best sprinters in the past century, Bolt’s current world record of 9.59 sec in the 100-meter race was not supposed to happen until year 2050. Bolt is currently working on beating his own record by another 0.10 sec!!!
Questions
1. One cannot help but marvel at Bolt’s pure will and determination to be the best in what he does. Contrary to his seemingly arrogant behavior at times, he has overcome a devastating, almost fatal physical defect to earn the title “the fastest man in the world,” and he did so with tremendous work ethics in order to beat the odds. What about Bolt are you most impressed by? Are you a track fan? Do you think it’s possible for a Korean track star to ever break the world record?
2. These stories are not limited to athletes. Did you ever have to overcome an obstacle or a hurdle in your life? Or do you know anyone who has beaten the odds? If your answer is “no” to both questions, is there a challenge in your life which you hope to overcome in the near future? Perhaps this year?
3. Psy isn’t the only one who is promoting the Koreans' superior talents to the rest of the world; there are a number of Korean athletes who proudly “represent” the Land of the Morning Calm (yeah~)! Can you name some of them and discuss their efforts… Who is your favorite Korean athlete of all time?
4. Which sports do you enjoy playing (or perhaps watching as a spectator), and who is your favorite athlete (in the world)? Why?
Discussion Topic #2 – Sogeting, Matchmaking, but AreYouGetting (any^^)…
Sogeting (소개팅) in Korea is truly a unique phenomenon. While there are similar blind dates in other parts of the world, there’s none quite like Sogeting in terms of its unparalleled wide popularity which has deeply and systematically been embedded in our culture among young adults who are “single and looking”. Many Westerners view this phenomenon with an awe as wikipedia.org describes this culture as: it’s tradition to get married and start a family so Sogeting is an easy way to meet other singles who are looking for the same thing; the ideal outcome of a date is to get engaged, married, and then have children.
Recently a prominent filmmaker from Hollywood came to Korea for the purpose of making a documentary on this phenomenon, and the word is that the project is currently in its final editing phase.
For the ones who have not found their true love via Sogeting, it’s not the end of the world as there are always those “matchmaking” specialists waiting on the sideline. The biggest names in this industry are: duo (듀오), daks club (닥스클럽), bien aller (비애나래) and so forth. The industry has grown rapidly as more and more singles have purchased often pricy memberships for the privilege of being acquainted with a predetermined number of potential candidates for future spouse. Purples (퍼플스), one of the companies in the sector whose members are mostly comprised of the elite, high-profile young adults, won an award in 2012 for the highest consumer satisfaction.
Switching gears, here are top 4 reasons why singles in Korea are not getting married according to the latest survey:
1) Unrealistic expectations (or "setting the bar too high");
2) Lack of financial resources;
3) Physical inadequacy;
4) Diminished urge for marriage;
Also, when asked which improvements were thought to be necessary in order to find a soul mate, most men answered “coming to grips with my age,” while most women replied “lowering my standards.”
Questions (note: if you find any of the questions too personal, feel free to take a “pass” or instead, perhaps share your friend/acquaintance’s story.)
1. What is your opinion on Sogeting? Would you mind sharing some of your experiences? What are some of the advantages/disadvantages of Sogeting?
2. What do you think about the results of the survey above – concerning the reasons for not getting married? Can you relate to any of them, or do you disagree with any of them? Or …… would you like to add to the list?
3. What do you think about the recent uprising of the matchmaking service firms? Do you know what an average membership costs? Your thoughts…. Why do you think Koreans are willing to pay such a steep price for these services? Would you ever consider acquiring a membership?
4. Imagine you are an entrepreneur interested in a start-up company offering matchmaking services. How would you differentiate your services from others? What would you do differently to offer value? Remember, your goal is not to make money, but to offer value like no other.....
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첫댓글 땡큐~ 로렌~
you're welcome~
쌩유~ 로렌~~^^
you too are welcome~~
로렌~ 저번에 길가다 보고 인사했는데 그냥 가셨음ㅋㅋ시크한남자
쥔짜~~~ 다가와 어깨에 손걸치쥐.... 반갑넹~
Thank you much 감사합니다 선리플후리딩 ㅠㅡㅠ
^^
귀여운 로렌씨~~ 오라버니 토픽 정말 잘 만드셨네요~ 최고~* ~ 수고하셨어용~~^^
히히...^^
로렌...^^ 토픽 감사요...^^ 역시 로렌의 영어는 쵝오...^^
yo jag.... 파티땐 mc 보느라 정신없는거 같아서 말도 몬것넸넹...
이번 주제 무지 재밌을 것 같아요^^ 특히, Sogetingㅎㅎ
맘껏 토론하시라는....^^
토픽 감사드립니다. 정규 모임전 PRE-STUDY가 개설되어 있으니 부담스러우신 분은 참석하시면 되겠습니다.
열씸히 하겠습니당~!^^
7시부터 정시 스터디구요~ 6시부터 예습반있습니다~ 어려우시면 사전 공부도 도움되실꺼에요~ :)
오~ 로렌 멋지십니다!! 대박!
정참 하는거지?ㅎㅎㅎ