Agony of Defeat

Most of us have seen the opening for Wide World of Sports and remember the phrase, "the agony of defeat," but do you know who that man was who went sailing off the ski jump on March 21, 1970? His name is Vinko Bogataj.

After his recovery he returned to ski jumping, but never finished higher that 57th place. He returned to Slovenia and worked as a forklift driver, wood carver and artist. In 1991 he helped to coach Franci Petek to a World Championship.

Most of us over the age of 20 have the seen the image of Bogataj careening off the ski jump. At its peak this promotional clip aired over 150 times a year. In 1991 Vinko was invited to the 30th Anniversary of Wide World of Sports. He was not only stunned by the invitation, but by his celebrity - people like Mohammad Ali were asking for his autograph. Though his image appeared thousands of times on U.S. television, he was completely unaware of his unique claim to fame.

Later that year Vinko was driving to an interview with ABC when he was in a minor automobile accident. His reaction to the event was, "Everytime I am on ABC, I crash."

Vinko Bogataj did not allow his failures to define him. He is a family man, artist, successful coach and is content with his life. I am glad that my failures do no air on national television. I don't want to be remembered like Bill Buckner, Vinko Bogataj, or Glenn Rice, but the truth is that my mistakes are just as serious or more so. I struggle daily with being the man God wants me to be. It is during those times I am thankful that he carries my burdens, forgives my sins and helps me to overcome my failures.