I had the great opportunity to follow the Australian Cricket team in the summer of 2021/2022. This was the summer that the Omicron COVID variant took hold in Australia, and we were not only chasing the Australian cricket team around Australia but trying, seemingly in vain, to not get caught by COVID.
The third test was in Melbourne, the famous Boxing Day test. Due to a few of the players being injured or down with COVID, there was an opportunity for a fast bowler to join the Aussie line up and an indigenous relatively unknown player was chosen for the fact that he knew how to bowl the MCG wicket. He was a regular in the Victorian state side. His name is Scotty Boland, and two days later, every one would know his name. He ended the second innings with 6 wickets and only conceding 7 runs, this is an incredible feat. Australia won the match, ended nearly 3 days early, and the whole of the MCG was cheering “Scotty, Scotty, Scotty.” It was electric. He went on to bowl very well in the next 2 tests as well. Perhaps, he was not just an MCG specialist. Perhaps, he was a great bowler who, for whatever reason, did not get an opportunity previously.
The Australian cricket selectors get a tough wrap at times for choosing players based on factors other than their current match performance, but giving it some consideration, it must be a pretty tough gig choosing the best 11 players in the country to come together cohesively. When, as a player, you are given that opportunity you need to take it with both hands as it may very well be your last chance.
A similar analogy could be drawn to my family taking a trip around the country, passing border controls and going to packed stadiums in the middle of a COVID outbreak. This was our opportunity for my dad to live out a bucket list experience. We weighed the pros and cons, thought about when this opportunity might come around again, and then, jumped in with both feet. Many thought us crazy, but we did it (I often get told I do crazy things – I wonder what that is all about). We were double vaxxed and in reasonably good health. As luck would have it, the borders were opening up, and as we left on the trip, we figured with a bit of luck, we would be able to do the trip without too many issues. We were willing to take a calculated risk...what’s the worst that could happen?
As it turns out, we did all get COVID along with a large majority of the Australian public. It was at the end of our trip and only missed a couple of days of the Sydney test, but we have a lifetime of memories. In a weird way, the COVID dialog will always make the storytelling more interesting. Who wants to hear about a travel story where everything goes according to plan?
Be prepared, take the luck where you can find it, and there may be an opportunity you decide to take. That opportunity will be successful or not based on your evaluation, and in my book, any opportunity you take is not wasted. It is an experience you have lived and you will have certainly learned something in the process if nothing else! Look for the opportunities that are available to propel your career forward, the experience will always teach you something regardless of the perceived outcome.
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