“Big Thanks to the Waxing Team!”

“Big Thanks to the Waxing Team!” By far my favorite line in all of the Olympics this year. This acknowledgment was uttered breathlessly by Marcus Hellner, after he handily crossed the finish line helping Sweden win the gold medal in the final leg of the cross country competition. Yes, let’s hear it for the waxing team!

Sometimes those post-win (or loss) interviews can be a little weird. The competitor has or has not just come across the finish line – the interviewer, brandishing the microphone in front of their sweaty, fatigued face, asks one of those inane questions like: “How did it feel coming into this Olympics as the favorite and after 4 years of hard work and sacrificing toil, when you fell on your a– and couldn’t complete the run??” Oy.

But in this post-win interview, the four-man Swedish cross country team, in their exhausted jubilation rattled out so many thanks to so many people, especially their support teams who assisted behind the scenes, to help them win the gold. “Big thanks to the waxing Team!” I let out such a laugh of delight when he said it. Of all the things I imagined he would say at that moment of triumph, it was so unexpected and wonderful.

Then I thought about the analogy to mediation (I can’t help myself!). We mediators are like the waxing team. Although we are working alongside our clients and not behind the scenes – one of our many tasks is to assist our couples by helping to clear any impediments that may be in their way as they work toward their finish line. In other words, we are our client’s waxing team, smoothing the way.

One of my esteemed colleagues has analogized mediation to another Olympic event – curling. In curling, each of the four players on the team takes turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones across the ice towards the “house” (the goal). And while the curler pushes the stone, two of the teammates (the sweepers) use brooms to alter the state of the ice in front of the stone as it makes its way toward the goal. Again – similar idea: we mediators are sweeping obstructions out of the way.

So while our work in mediation may be challenging and difficult at times, teamwork is the key. Let’s hear it for the waxing team.