Life Lessons at the Oval

Dutch speed skating coach Gerard Kemker's mental mistake cost Sven Kramers the gold metal and a world record in the 10,000 meters. It also cost him a lot of grief and a night's sleep. Some even thought that his miscue - incorrectly telling Sven to switch to the inner lane after the 17th lap - might have cost him his job.

Both the coach and his skater showed tremendous character, however, when they extended grace to each other and agreed to move forward. Understandably, Sven Kramer first had to process his anger and huge disappointment. But the next day when he was asked if he had forgiven his coach, he answered, ""For sure. I'm not a person that's really mad for a long time. That isn't going to help the team. I said to him that we have to go forward for more victories. That's important for me and also for him."

As for the distraught coach, he spent the night after the race writing in his diary until 2 a.m. Only then was he able to fall asleep. The next day, reflecting on what he had written, he turned philosophical about facing people in the Netherlands and said, "Fortunately, I don't have to put up an act. I can just be myself and that's a comfort zone that feels good. I've been a coach now for over 15 years, so I've had some experiences. I didn't have them as deep as this one yet, but they will come in handy."

What an awesome way to process a bad experience and turn it into a life lesson instead!