Pulse Legacy Archive September 2012 | Page 66

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@LynneMcNees

PHOTO © TIFFANY BROWN

T

he Olympic Games may be over, but there’s something so
magical about its spirit—friendship, solidarity and fair play—
that lives on long after the last national anthem is played, the
last gold medal is awarded and the final dance at the closing
ceremony is performed.

In many ways, the camaraderie displayed by athletes in the global Olympic

stage reminds me of the same spirit of friendship within the global spa industry. Sure, we are competitors in terms of expanding market share or increasing
profitability, but at a closer look, are we not one team driven by one purpose:
to create a healthier world through spa?
I also see a metaphor in the fact that both the Olympics and the spa industry are teeming with inspiring people. I was especially moved by the display of
courage by South African runner Oscar Pistorius who broke barriers as the first
double-amputee to race against able-bodied athletes in Olympic history, the
spirit of sportsmanship by Grenada’s sprinter Kirani James who exchanged
name bibs with Oscar after he crossed the 400-meter line and the sheer
willpower of injured Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang who, instead of quitting,
hopped on one foot to symbolically finish the race.
Don’t we all know of an Oscar, Kirani or Liu in our lives—those who exemplify great values when called to do so? There are many like them in the spa
industry, those who lead by example, who courageously innovate instead of
follow and who push forward when pulled back.
Indeed, inspiration could strike us in many forms. It is my hope that at ISPA
Conference this year, you’ll share and rekindle that team spirit that has so
greatly defined this industry. Like at the Olympic Games where athletes walk
during the opening ceremony divided by their representative countries but walk
together as one community in the end, let us bring our individuality as we head
on to Conference—but let us leave the event as one collective community.

—LYNNE McNEES, ISPA PRESIDENT

64 PULSE

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September 2012