"The Great Gatsby," by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is quite possibly the greatest work of modern literature. Whether or not you agree, there is no arguing the fact that it is very beautifully and eloquently written. The novel, written as a satire of the values and norms of the Roaring Twenties, is also very applicable in many seemingly unrelated situations.
Because of my love for "The Great Gatsby" and my passion for volleyball, I have compiled a short list of five quotes that are from Fitzgerald and should be applied to athletes.
1. "Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."
Life begins again when a new season starts. For me, it is in the fall, but an athlete's life begins again when they have their first game of the season. A new team, new goals, and a new mentality that takes over your life in the best way possible. Life starts all over again for an athlete when you walk into the gym or onto the field on that first day.
2. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgasmic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms farther..."
Gatsby's green light represents a lost love. As athletes, our green light is the next win, the next title, the next record-shattering play. We practice and train for countless hours to run faster and stretch our arms farther, anything to get just a little bit closer to our green light.
3. "Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!"
Coming off of a successful season, we as athletes want nothing more than to repeat the past. Whether or not you can repeat the past is debatable, but there is nothing that can stop us from trying with every ounce of strength and passion we have.
4. "The loneliest moment in someone's life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly."
I can tell you, with one hundred percent certainty, that the moment you are stuck on the sideline, limited because of an injury or for any other reason, is the loneliest moment in any athlete's life. There is nothing you can do to help your team at that point in time. You are stuck, staring blankly, and the second your team starts to struggle or lose, you have no option but to watch as your whole world falls apart.
5. "My life has got to be like this, it's got to keep going up."
The good and the bad, the ups and the downs, the soreness and the victories, there is nothing we as athletes would change. It has to be like this -- we have to keep training, keep pushing. The hundreds of reps and the sweat and the tears that come out in the process are nothing compared to the joy and victory in achieving the goal you and your team have set.
We as athletes know that our lives have got to be like this -- we have to keep going up.
