A Fallen Idol

Imagine if the idol you had supported and followed for over half your life turned out to be lie. For me that nightmare has been unfolding watching one of my heroes, Lance Armstrong’s reputation be destroyed in front of the worlds media. This is a difficult post for me to write mainly because a part of me is still finding it hard to accept what’s happened. For a man who was an example of triumph over adversity he is now nothing more than a fallen idol.
I have virtually worshiped Lance since I was a little girl, at the time I was amazed at how one man could go up against some of the tallest mountains in Europe for hours on end while fighting against some of the best cyclists on the planet. But not just that I admired him for his cancer fight and his ability to come back from the brink. When I met Lance at Adelaide’s Tour Down Under back in 2009 he gave me one of his yellow “Livestrong” bands and I have not taken it off since that day. I still remember my first reaction when I met him, I was simply in awe. I never thought that I would ever meet someone with Lance’s reputation in my home town.
His work with Livestrong was legendary, and he claimed it was one of the main reasons that he came back out of retirement. The black & yellow wording is permanently intertwined with Lance and for those now associated with the charity it is now a poisoned chalice. As I write this news reports are coming through that Lance has stepped down as chairman, but it doesn’t matter. There isn’t a person out there who doesn’t know Lance created LiveStrong, he might not be a part of the charity anymore but his echo still remains.  
It’s still hard thinking back to the mass hysteria that Lance’s arrival caused in Adelaide back in 2009. The amount of people that were there waiting with me to meet him, holding everything from yellow jerseys to photos. I wonder if Lance came back to Adelaide now how many of those same people would be there to meet him.
Cycling had always been a tarnished sport, there isn’t a year that goes by where you don’t hear of someone testing positive to something but it always had seemed Lance was the shining light amongst a sea of controversy. The amount of times over the years he has said no to drugs or don’t do drugs seems like a joke now, but at the time I loved him for it. With what has happened in recent weeks it now makes it harder than ever to be able to sit there and enjoy cycling without that nagging feeling that not everyone who is racing is clean.
Of course drugs will always be around sport but this incident proves that nobody is safe and to always expect the unexpected: even your idol that you have supported no matter what could be the cheat that you so despise.

An Open letter to Viktoria

Dear Vik.

I am putting this on my blog because honestly I want the world to see it. In such a short period of time you have done what few have managed to do, and that is to bring light to so many dark places in people’s lives. I have seen the lowest points of humanity in the last few years, I’ve seen people who have barely been able to hang on, hoping just hoping to see that tiny ray of light that they need to keep going.  And you by far and away are that light that helps so many; I won’t name names but the amount of people who have told me privately what you have done for them is endless.
No-one has a bad word to say about you and all I ever hear is the same thing, your positive mindset and your ability to say the right thing when someone badly needs to hear it just proves what an incredible person you are.

I haven’t had the best time of things myself but I now look to you as someone to inspire too. I do my best to try and help others despite the little experience I have. And I just hope that I can half the impact you have had on people by just doing the small little things that matter.
People like you are rare and extremely special; the ones who genuinely care no matter if they are a friend or a stranger off the street are people who should be treasured. And the fact that you have done so much for people that I consider important just makes you even more important to me.
You are the friend that people need and the sister that some have never had.
They say certain darkness is needed to see the stars; well you are those stars, brightly shining above the heads of those who need it most. God bless you.

Love Karissa