depression and a loss of focus. Make sure you feel the
excitement because it doesn't go on for long. and all the
money and success in the world won’t be worth it if you
hate what you’re doing. You'll have to move on to other
things as you get older anyway.
Interviewer:
Thanks for talking to us, Carol …
Unit 9, Speaking Activity 2
Track 19
Interlocutor:
Do you think luck is important in life?
David:
OK. Let me see. Well, I always wish my friends good
luck before an exam or job interview so I suppose that
does mean I believe in it to some extent. What about you?
Sara:
Me too – and I really believe it makes a difference. I
always carry a – I'm not sure how to say this in English – it's
a little thing that is supposed to be lucky. It's a silver bead
that my grandmother gave me. If I did an exam without it,
I know I would fail.
David:
Do you mean that you actually think it affects your
success in the exam?
Sara:
Well, yes. I do.
David:
Well, I suppose I do too now I come to think of it. I
have things I always do like wearing the same socks and
walking on the same side of the street on the way to the
exam.
Interlocutor:
How much does luck contribute to success in
sporting events?
David:
Well, it's difficult to say but not so much, in my
opinion. I mean other things are more important like er, – I
can't remember the word – how well you can do things
like hit the ball or passing in football.
Sara:
But in tennis, for example, you often see that for one
player the ball hits the top of the – what's it called? – you
know, the long thing that divides the court into two halves
– and the ball doesn't go over. That's to do with luck if you
ask me.
David:
So you think luck is more important?
Sara:
No, not always. What I meant was that in some
sports it can play quite an important role. I’m very
superstitious. There are a lot of things that I avoid doing,
like stepping on the lines on the pavement or walking
under those things that you use to climb up to paint the
house – and if I do, my English friends tell me to say 'bread
and butter'!
David:
Why?
Sara:
Well, as far as I know, it's supposed to stop anything
terrible happening to you.
David:
But perhaps some superstitions are logical.
Sara:
What do you mean?
David:
What I'm trying to say is that sometimes there
really is a danger. For example, the painter could drop
something and it could fall on you and cause some kind of
harm or damage to you physically.
Interviewer:
What kind of person are you?
Carol:
I’m very competitive – my sister got irritated when
I turned everything into a contest. But I don’t understand
athletes who boast about what they’re going to achieve.
You're better off keeping your mouth shut, training as hard
as possible and when it comes to the day, doing all your
talking on the track – that's my way. I try to unleash my
drive in training and my competitive spirit in races. When
I’m racing, I’m not the same person.
Interviewer:
How do you feel about training?
Carol:
I wouldn’t dream of missing a session. It may be
the worst pain imaginable but you either do it a hundred
percent or you don't do it at all – that's what makes the
difference between you and others. You can give ninety-
nine percent and the coach wouldn't know – but you
would. It's being able to give everything, every day, so if
you get beaten, you accept it because you’ve done your
best. You get out what you put in. If you really work hard
at something, you can achieve anything.
Interviewer:
Are sportspeople arrogant or just confident in
general?
Carol:
It’s a misconception that they're arrogant – it's self-
doubt that drives them because if you believed you were
going to win all the time, that it was easy, why bother?
Every day you're unsure about your fitness, your injury
status. It’s how you deal with those concerns, particularly
on race day – that’s the key. You have to be quite selfish as
an athlete and I suppose that comes across as arrogance
sometimes. But I don’t race for second place.
Interviewer:
How do you feel about luck as part of success?
Carol:
Athletes can be lucky with their bodies and injuries
but it's about ambition and determination, not only luck. If
I think about the consequences of losing, I perform badly
– it’s not exactly fear of failure but fear of having sacrificed
everything for nothing. When negative thoughts pop into
my head I keep them out by visualising the race, what I
want to happen. Lots of athletes do that before the start.
The more you rehearse, the more it seems natural it will
happen that way – is that simply luck?
Interviewer:
Do you enjoy the media attention?
Carol:
I try to handle journalists and photographers as I
want to be treated myself. They’re doing their job just like
me. It’s hard when you’ve just lost and you want to go
and hide but you still have to do interviews and show up
for sponsor events. I know that without financial backup
I couldn’t do it, so I try to focus on what’s important and
not let other things bother me. And I don't complain when
I win and everyone wants to interview me!
Interviewer:
What advice would you give other young
cyclists?
Carol:
When I won my first big medal, I realised it changes
nothing. It was just part of my life, not everything. It’s
about balance, and I’m aware of the dangers of success
– sometimes achieving your goals can bring elation, then
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