Eileen Gu’s Pursuit of Happiness, JRP0265

February 8, 2022

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:09 — 17.0MB)

Personal Success as a Skier, Student, Model and Symbol of International Unity

Eileen Gu won the gold in the Big Air freestyle event Tuesday while competing for China in the Winter Olympics. But this episode is much more than her athletic feats.

Gu’s “right double 1440 safety” scored a 93.75 and vaulted her into first place. Her lead didn’t last long. She headed to her last jump needing at least ninety-three points to leap from third to first. Her final trick, called a left double 1620 with a safety grab, scored 94.5 points and landed Gu a gold medal.

This is a remarkable story of personal achievement. After all, shouldn’t these celebrations of athletic success be what the Olympics are all about? Sadly, too many people make this all about nationalist ideals and pitting one nation against another.

Gu, an American citizen born in San Francisco, has been the target of a flood of hateful comments because of her choice to represent China in the 2022 Beijing Olympics… a decision based on her love of her mother who was born in Shanghai and raised in Beijing.

In Eileen Gu’s press conference, she discussed her gold winning performance in musical terms by describing the rhythm and motion of the jump. She discussed how this was about her own efforts to “break your own boundaries” and to highlight her character and perseverance on an international stage.

This is a young lady that is pursuing her happiness in all dimensions of her life as an Olympic gold medalist, recent admission to Stanford, a piano prodigy, and a Louis Vuitton model.

We also discuss Eileen’s mother Yan Gu who emigrated to America, received a post graduate degree, and settled in San Francisco. She also was pursuing her happiness in a nation that historically has welcomed immigrants.

California Lifting Mask Mandates

We also discuss the recent lifting of the mask mandates in California for vaccinated people. The timing is interesting considering the recent, mask less photo ops of California Governor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and high-profile Democrat Stacey Abrams.