Peter Vigh, Author at The Orbital

15Mar

By Peter VighNo Comments

Sports & Socs

Fall Forward

“Nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks. Fall Forward” – Denzel Washington This is what the graduates of University of Pennsylvania received as departing wisdom from Denzel Washington. Interesting that he chooses to cast an image of the unknown at a time when the unknown can be seriously unsettling. But this mentality. It creates risk takers. Personalities. People that others might call reckless or bold. To be bold you must take risks and to take risks you must be brave. Brave. That is a word that continues to rise in the world of sport. Whether that’s through standing against discrimination, standing proud within the LGBT+ community or through sheer determination. Bravery is something that radiates from the quietest to the wildest among the bold. It i...

Nostalgia, Sport, and Parental love- the raw emotion of nostalgia

31Dec

By Peter VighNo Comments

Sports & Socs

Nostalgia, Sport, and Parental love- the raw emotion of nostalgia

Nostalgia is such a personal overwhelming experience. A yearning to experience what is no longer obtainable. For many, sports evoke a strong sense of nostalgia. Whether that be for the better or for the worse. However, it remains to be said that sport has its own unique way of conjuring up memories and emotions that just can’t stop you from smiling. Why is that? Usually, it’s a sense of carefree fun or high moments of success and happiness. Perhaps more unusually, it’s the embodying of emotions, which a lot of the time we do not feel anymore or don’t get to enjoy. That’s why that feeling of nostalgia hits so hard. A time when things just felt right in life. Pure. And, if you dig a little deeper into that emotion, you realise that the background feeling of parent...

The leap of faith: the mess that is sport politics

31Dec

By Peter VighNo Comments

Sports & Socs

The leap of faith: the mess that is sport politics

Fear, adrenaline, and the deep sea. Nothing exerts a bigger sensory overload of feeling alive. This raw emotion is as unwritten of an experience as one can feel and unknown every time. Like a fresh wound, familiar but always different. This is the feeling that I imagine surfers experience when confronted with the great Nazare. Nazare has been somewhat of a mecca for surfers since its commercial boom after Garrett McNamara’s world record run on its waves. Its unique large waves are accredited to the largest submarine canyon in Europe present just off the shore of Nazare. This acts like an amplifier for the incoming ocean swells forcing record breaking waves to form near the coast. In other words, surfing heaven! But why should I care about Nazare? I hear you ask. ...

The journey of ‘self-discovery’ in sport

22Jun

By Peter VighNo Comments

Sports & Socs

The journey of ‘self-discovery’ in sport

Who are you? A question often asked but rarely answered. One which is simple in theory, complex in nature and, dare I say it, feared in discovery. It’s cringe, I know, but the journey to discovering the ‘self’ begins with solitude. What’s better solitude than swimming up and down a pool alone? It's lonely; solo sports frequently are. Boxing and swimming are considered the loneliest sports, haunting you with the process of self-reflection. I know because I have been haunted by that ghost. As a swimmer, I know the mental challenge a lonely sport can throw upon you. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, from love to hate and everything in between. A journey which makes you struggle to love the sport you pour your life into. Nobody can skip this journey. Michael Phelps and...

Street Racing: The middle finger to motorsports

17May

By Peter VighNo Comments

News, Sports & Socs

Street Racing: The middle finger to motorsports

The Midnight Club, Drifting, Fast and the Furious, NASCAR, and booze. Yes, booze. The staple ingredient to university life and the warm friend when life all goes south. This legal drug is weirdly responsible for arguably the most outlaw of sports– street racing. Between the 1920s and 1930s, during the Prohibition era, a cult emerged of bootleggers, otherwise known as moonshine runners. They were the alcohol transporters, who drove like mad men to outrun the cops when smuggling alcohol. Sounds like a blast if you ask me. These moonshine runners would buy the latest and greatest cars of the era, modifying them to give them that extra bit of umph to outrun the police. This was the accidental birth of street racing, and believe it or not, would later ...

31Jan

By Peter VighNo Comments

News, Sports & Socs

Is this the End of the Olympics?

Tokyo 2020 Olympics. What image does that conjure up in your mind? Most responses consist of a blank stare, followed with an awkward laugh. There’s an embarrassing absence of memory for the 2020 games. What does this say about the Olympics? Maybe nothing. But it says something if in the most interconnected and social media centric era, we can’t or don’t care to remember one of the biggest events held on the planet. This raises questions to how significant the Olympics is and whether it has a place in society in its current form. So, what is the point of the Olympics? I think the first Olympics, held in 1896, has all the answers. The reward for winning an event was an olive wreath. Nothing special, but it set the tone for the event. It does not exist for money-making reasons or as...

The Unspoken Truth About Sports and Mental Strength

19Nov

By Peter VighNo Comments

News, Sports & Socs

The Unspoken Truth About Sports and Mental Strength

“The will must be stronger than the skill”- Muhammad Ali. Any and every athlete can relate to this quote. At some point every aspiring athlete has experienced rock bottom, a time when you question your love for a sport and feel like throwing in the towel. This is the defining moment when you reach the door hiding your full potential and you must create the key to unlock it; the key being your mentality. Nicknamed ‘The Greatest’, Muhammad Ali is not only regarded as a sports legend but also as one of the most celebrated and influential cultural figures of the 20th century. Standing at a height of 191cm and weighing 107kg along with a reach of 198cm and famed super agility, he was no slouch in the physical department. With four WBA heavyweight champion titles and two WBC heavywe...