That's so nice. I'm always happy for the person who beats the odds too.
i tend to think of it like with many analogies in life:
just imagine a classroom...of course it's normal or part of life that a class of 30 students will have ''best'' - honor students and they deserve it for any number of reasons..maybe they just studied harder, just have quicker minds...have better books at home..are better surrounded by the necessities of finishing homework...have the notebooks others have to wait longer to have..they eat better because their parents are richer..whatever...that's what it is...
then there are those that might be from very poor families -- they also have to get up earlier to first help their parents sell dried fish in their ''barrio" before making the 1 hour walk to school...don't have enough paper left in their notebook to take down teacher's notes during class and will just have to try and borrow material...can't really stay after class to go to the library to catch up -- because they have to walk home in time to help a little more with selling dried fish -- ...and then eat, study in candle-light or kerosene lamp which can't be too long because they really can't afford that gasoline...compared to someone in the 'downtown" who can choose to read up longer with fluorescent and not be worried about getting up earlier to ''mind the store" ...just go and be ready for class...
imagine the disparity ...in MANY things BESIDES talent, skills, etc...BEFORE they can even stand up in class and give the answer to a question and get a ''point" - and they just have to try and hang on and hope they get enough from the class ...
yet somehow this poorer , less comfortably placed kid also really has perhaps some good talent -- ...
even many of OUR favorites -- like RAFA, ROGER, ANDY MURRAY, and many more came from quite comfortable backgrounds -- who could go to ANY of the best training schools, meet the right masters, who can open the right doors to meet the right practice partners and join the right ''ladder'' and matches all of it arranged in some way to ensure that they get the ''most out of their talent"...
BUT -- take TOMMY HAAS -- who DIDN'T come from the most comfortable family, at least for example compared to HIS age-contemporary ROGER FEDERER whose family is quite ''landed" in south africa -- and tommy's DAD had to borrow money to send him to florida -- but how long could THAT last before he is required to ''show results?" and before he has to start ''earning to pay back the investment?" and how could HE afford a TEAM like that surrounding RAFA OR FEDERER -- THE travelikng physio - etc?
how much more between THESE famous , familiar names and those that are even further DOWN the ranks ? and even further down in FINANCE?
another specific example in tennis:
MIRJANA LUCIC -- the ''once-phenom" - who as a teen BEAT STEFFI GRAF in the mid-90's..and it turned out the girl was an abused girl -- beaten up by the father if she didn't ''bring the success".
she and mother and siblings had to run away --
and you know - finding out about it -- who gave them money to run away ? STEFFI GRAF...and they resettled in florida...at least have a chance to be away from all the beatings and decide what they wanted to do .
to earn a living she and sisters had to work in the supermarket..finally perhaps getting married to a good fellow, find some stability -- and then try and resurrect what is left of her career that once was...and found a few good matches still -- even win a small tournament 2years ago was it?
steffi was once asked "why do you help these girls? encouraging them to come back or practice with you? -- jennifer capriati when she was an outcast, mirjana"...and THAT encouragement by steffi to the 'ostracized drugged up jennifer with the bad father' - to practice again -- eventually LED to Jennifer FINALLY becoming a 3-TIME MAJORS CHAMP...did people know that?
steffi said"
"with those that are so alone -- i can't help but try to do something".
reminds me -- in one of my old video cassette ''private steffi" tapes she had this big german shepherd in her house in germany -- and swimming in her pool...and it was a homeless dog she found in moscow airport hanging around after the tournament she played in on her way home -- and she asked the police if she could bring it home -- and they just let her...lol...
SO WHEN someone like that in the 'class" has a chance to win big -- i am always SO happy for them.