The Gifted Kid and the Schoolyard Bully

“I was just kidding,” is the response Retief Goosen has given to the comments he made this week about Tiger Woods’ limping and grimacing during his struggle to victory at the U.S. Open. According to Comast.net, Goosen said, “Nobody really knows if he (Woods) was just showing off or if he was really injured. I believe if he was really injured, he would not have played.” Goosen, who finished tied for 14th at the Open, sounds like a schoolyard bully who has a hard time living in the shadow of the gifted kid. I WAS JUST KIDDING shouldn’t be an acceptable “take-back” of a stupid comment meant to denigrate the accomplishments of someone who cares so deeply about his craft. Gifted kids often face schoolyard bullies who are “just kidding,” and we need to let those bullies, young and old, know that they are the ones who are “showing off”…but rather than showing off skill, they are showing off their ignorance. As a postscript, little did most of us know the whole story about Tiger. According to Comcast.net, “Woods revealed Wednesday he has been playing for at least 10 months with a torn ligament in his left knee, and that he suffered a double stress fracture in his left leg two weeks before the U.S. Open.” I’d say that’s enough to make anyone limp and grimace. As for Goosen, we’ll see if he can finish higher than tied for 14th now that Tiger will be out for the rest of the season. Let’s hope the schoolyard bully focuses on his own game and learns a little something from the gifted perfectionist…class.