Let's celebrate the success of Bay Olympians, including Sam Meech, with a ticker tape parade. PHOTO/PHOTOSPORT
Let's celebrate the success of Bay Olympians, including Sam Meech, with a ticker tape parade. PHOTO/PHOTOSPORT
Tall poppy syndrome is uniquely Kiwi.
Too often we're slow to celebrate success and quick to bring people down.
We need to make sure that mindset does not stop us from celebrating the success of our Olympic athletes when they return home.
A parade in Tauranga for our Bay athletes is only fitting after the hard yards they have put in over the last four years.
Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby is supportive of the idea and told the Bay of Plenty Times there had been initial conversations about it although it would depend on the availability and other commitments of the athletes.
I'm glad to hear it's on the radar. Not only do our athletes, many of whom will be bringing home a medal, deserve it, but it will be great for our city.
We need to make the most of chances for festivities - events that get people out of their homes and mingling with each other. Those events make this town a great place to live.
In my opinion, we should go ahead with it even if only a couple of our athletes can make it.
The whole New Zealand team has done us proud, not just by their success but by their conduct at the games.
Kiwi runner Nikki Hamblin exemplified that when she stopped to help up a fellow athlete after they both fell in the middle of a race. Valerie Adams also stood out by graciously accepting silver after a nail biting battle for gold.
While tall poppy syndrome is often a negative thing, I wonder if it is part of why many of our athletes are so humble and grounded.
We need to find that balance where we can celebrate successes but avoid having it go our heads.
I'm proud to be a Kiwi and proud of our Olympic team.
Let's celebrate their achievements and then leave them in peace to enjoy a break before they get back into training or move on to the next phase of their lives.
