Experience is the key

                    ‘Relevant qualifications and a minimum of three years experience required.’ Anyone who has ever applied for a job has seen this. Chances are that if you are fresh out of university you have got the qualifications but lack the experience. It’s a catch 22, if they give you the job, you’ll have a chance to gain experience but they won’t give you the job because you’re lacking in experience. So what do you do? You could try and develop your skills by working at something similar or with a smaller company, i.e. go out on loan ala David Beckham at Preston North End. You could emigrate, ala Mike Ross at Harlequins or you could catch a lucky break, ala Tom Brady (sixth round draft pick that got his opportunity when Drew Bledsoe got injured and is now one of the best quarterbacks of all time). It’s clear where these companies are coming from though; ‘you can’t put a price on experience’, a saying that Arsene Wenger seems to ignore. Beckham and Ross clearly benefited from their respective decisions and Tom Brady wasn’t a complete novice, having started every game in Michigan in his last two years there.

                        Having come across situations before, we know the steps to take to get the best results. A bluebottle demonstrated this beautifully in my living room last Sunday. In my hungover state I had decided to base myself on the couch all day, remote control in hand, flicking between golf, gaelic and come dine with me. Things were going to plan until a fly got in through the window and interrupted my watching of Wendy from Worksop attempt to make a tiramisu with instant coffee. The fly did what most flies do in this situation and tried to seek continue on his journey only to find his old enemy glass in his way. It was quite a large fly so I assume he was in his old age, maybe 20 days old, and this may not have been his first house call. It may be that I’m just clinging to this assumption because he got the better of me. Firstly, I spilled my drink which was positioned by my head in my horizontal state, as I got up to tackle this wily old insect. I followed him from window to window and took a few swipes at him with one of the many Sunday supplements but all that achieved was two picture frames on the ground beside the window sill. I decided on a different approach would have to be employed and I tried to usher the pest out of the room before the dessert was sampled. This only took a couple of seconds and out he went and into the kitchen where he was greeted with “ah no, a fly has gotten in” by my soon to be exasperated mother.

                              

                                The fly was an old pro and I had learned a valuable lesson. It’s easier to pass a problem on that deal with it yourself. There’s no point in going through these difficult situations unless you can get something from them. Much in the same way that Munster and Leinster had to go through semi-final and final hardships before eventually winning the Heineken Cup and, more recently, Rory McIlroy went through heartache at the Masters in April before securing his maiden Major last week. Lessons were learned and they and he came back stronger than ever. Obviously we never want to experience defeat or in my case, being annoyed but it can make you a stronger person. If I ever have a four shot lead going into the last day of a Major or a fly flies into my room I know exactly what to do. 

Post by Kevin Walsh. Kevin is from North Dublin and is a massive sports fan and punter. Monday is a disastrous day for his entry as he is hungover more times than not. A hardship he has yet to learn from. By all means share your own opinion below on experience in sport, or indeed any bluebottle experiences of your own..