Weekly series. Please send in your movies via email, twitter etc. Our format:
- Three movies with meaning (and movies you love and recommend!)
- One sentence on the core meaning you take from it
- Send a link to a YouTube clip from the movie that speaks to that meaning
First of all this week.. come on folks, send me your favourites.. join in!
Anyway, the other day I wrote about a favourite watch I have that was inspired by the importance of valuing each hour, and it itself inspired by the amazing Graeme Obree, aka “The Flying Scotsman”.
So, this week, three movies of and around inspirational sporting leaders and heroes.
The Flying Scotsman (2006)
Graeme Obree built a homemade bike, with a bearing from a washing machine motor, and broke the legendary “hour” record. Simply put, how far can you ride around a track in just one hour. One hour.
Graeme Obree is a genius innovator, as well as a very vulnerable yet powerful human being with an amazing story. I encourage you to buy his book, “The Flying Scotsman: The Graeme Obree Story“, of which Sir Chris Hoy notes:
“Deeply moving. His determination and single-mindedness was and still is a true inspiration to me. This is a book that must have taken great courage to write, is a harrowing reminder of how little the public know about sportsmen, no matter how brightly the spotlight shines on them.”
The movie is wonderful, and Jonny Lee Miller is excellent in the role.
Invictus (2010)
I recently wrote a full post about this powerful poem and this movie.
The hero in this movie was Nelson Mandela, who, it feels, single-handedly lifted the rainbow nation to a stunning victory in the Rugby World Cup.
I remember watching that 1995 World Cup and the goosebumps were all around. The movie captures the essence, and the story leading up to it.
Chariots of Fire (1981)
The true story of two athletes who competed for Great Britain at the 1924 Paris Olympics, Harold Solomon and Eric Liddell.
Soon after watching this Oscar-winning movie, complete with the inspirational soundtrack by Vangelis, I went to university in Edinburgh and trained at the Eric Liddell Fitness Training Centre there, complete with photos and a telling of his story as a devout Christian and the integrity with which he lead his life.
Goosebumps again. As I write this, two of my sons are currently at university in Edinburgh, well over thirty years later, and they also train at the “ELFTC” each week.
Beyond the stories of commitment and integrity, there is one more element I wish to highlight. Solomon had a professional coach, Sam Mussabini (played by Ian Holm). The Olympic movement shunned coaches then, it was such a new profession.
In recent years, the Mussabini Medal was awarded to celebrate “the contribution of coaches of UK performers who have achieved outstanding success on the world stage.”
One of the greatest leadership coaches, in any field, that I have ever met is someone I am very grateful and privileged to also call a dear friend, Ian Armiger, who built the most successful swimming programme ever seen in the UK at Loughborough University. I have learned so much from him, and indeed Ian was awarded this medal too. So many elite leadership lessons to be learned from athletes.. and their coaches!