fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetitor.com, fcielitecompetitor.com, fciwomensports, pexels.com Burst
In life there are some who inspire us when they pursue the impossible dream that many, at times well meaning, explain to them all the reasons why they shouldn’t.
It’s even more inspiring when they achieve it.
“The Impossible Dream (The Quest)” is a popular song composed by Mitch Leigh, with lyrics written by Joe Darion. The song is the most popular song from the 1965 Broadway musical Man of La Mancha and is also featured in the 1972 film of the same name starring Peter O’Toole.
To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
Ariella Kaeslin is a beautiful talented Swiss gymnast, now retired, who is impossible to forget.
Her story is unforgettable and her impossible dream started so young.
The informative site laureus.com shares her blossoming. “Kaeslin’s love of gymnastics began at the remarkable age of three. Within six years, still aged just nine years old, Kaeslin had won her first Swiss Championship title. Since then she has successfully added a further 20 to her name.
Kaeslin committed herself to her sport fully when in 2001, at the age of 14, she left her home in Lucerne, Switzerland to join the Gymnastics Academy in Magglingen.”
It’s a story so familiar when pinned to the coat collar of the eternally successful.
Symbolically speaking, you can’t play it steady and safe. At some point you have to jump into the deep end of the pool.
Her accomplishments continued to build. In 2010, Ariella became only the second person to be named Swiss sportsperson of the year on three consecutive occasions.
Since she was a small child, our star has always been on the move. Boundless energy hard to contain. Even today, when in New York, she likes to run with friends at night when the city sleeps.
Given all that she accomplished with a bright future in gymnastics, seemingly just flourishing, on July 11, 2011, Ariel surprised the world with an announcement. The global site the-all-around.com reported, “Swiss top gymnast of the moment, Ariella Kaeslin, announced an unexpected retirement from competitive gymnastics this Monday. Kaeslin, the best Swiss gymnast in history, retires a year before 2012 Olympic Games in London and in one of the best moments of her long career.
The three times Swiss Sportswoman of the year decided to not return to the Swiss National Training center and end her career. “Taking such decision is very hard for me. I’ve had a wonderful career but my heart was no longer 100% into it. I have other interests than gymnastics and I’m delighted to start a new life. I’m full of energy.”
Understandably she has her admirers, ourselves included.
We came late to the Ariella party, but we are glad that we finally made it.
Here is what the fun celebrity site therichest.com has to say about her. “Here is some Swiss lovin’ for us. Ariella Kaeslin is proof that they make ‘em absolutely gorgeous in Europe. She is an adorned gymnast who has taken home a massive amount of medals over the years. The 28-year-old may not be competing anymore, but she is still remembered for her killer moves on the vault, which was her specialty. Ariella is the perfect name for such a beautiful young woman who embodies grace and lightness. Her gymnastics moves totally represented her stunning beauty and seductive allure. This Swiss sweetheart definitely deserves a spot on our list. And while she may be retired, she is still capable of showing off some awesome moves.”
Now that we get a sense of where she is going, let’s briefly visit where she is from.
Here is the village that helped shape her.
Lucerne is a city in central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of the country.
Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 80,501 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland.
Owing to its location on the shore of Lake Lucerne, within sight of Mount Pilatus and Rigi in the Swiss Alps, Lucerne has long been a destination for tourists. One of the city’s famous landmarks is the Chapel Bridge, a wooden bridge first erected in the 14th century.
The official language of Lucerne is German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect.
When we researched Ariella and viewed her myriad of online interviews, we were a little puzzled why a Swiss would be constantly speaking German.
We need to get out more.
Now we understand why.
And there is so much to do there.
The enticing travel site luzern.com enlightens, “As a city of festivals, Lucerne offers a year-round program of music and culture that’s both rich and unique: classical music, brass bands, blues, jazz, fine food, comics/fumetti, theatre – not to mention one of Lucerne’s best-loved traditions: the Lucerne carnival. The city’s passion for music enjoys a long tradition. The main concert hall in the KKL Luzern is the scene of music-making excellence featuring soloists, conductors and orchestras of world renown.”
Now for the summation and who does that better than lonelyplanet.com. “Recipe for a gorgeous Swiss city: take a cobalt lake ringed by mountains of myth, add a well-preserved medieval Altstadt (Old Town) and a reputation for making beautiful music, then sprinkle with covered bridges, sunny plazas, candy-colored houses and waterfront promenades. Lucerne is stunning, and deservedly popular since the likes of Goethe, Queen Victoria and Wagner savored her views in the 19th century. Legend has it that an angel with a light showed the first settlers where to build a chapel in Lucerne, and today it still has amazing grace.”
Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz was a Prussian general and military theorist who stressed the “moral” and political aspects of war. His most notable work, Vom Kriege.
He was once quoted as saying, “Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination.”
That speaks to the life of Ariella, especially when she was young, and now fans all over the world will remember her for generations to come.
She reveals that in her interview at triplefull.blogspot.com. “It’s nice that so many people know me now. When young gymnasts write to me that I’m their role model, I’m flattered.”
With her beauty, grace and championship accomplishments, her life’s work sings a song beautiful.
For each of our lives to have meaning, To Dream the Impossible Dream is the starting place.
To have the courage and conviction to follow through, like Ariella’s dream, can be an inspiration to generations forever.
~ ~ ~
Sources: brainyquote.com, Wikipedia, fciwomenswrestling2.com, FCI Elite Competitor, photos thank you Wikimedia Commons.
http://www.luzern.com/en/festivals-events
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/switzerland/central-switzerland-and-berner-oberland/lucerne
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/a/andy+williams/the+impossible+dream_10010813.html
http://www.therichest.com/sports/other-sports/the-20-sexiest-female-gymnasts-in-the-world/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068909/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl
https://www.laureus.com/academy/ambassadors/ariella-kaeslin
http://triplefull.blogspot.com/2009/01/ariella-kaeslin-i-notice-that-other.html
http://www.the-all-around.com/2011/07/11/ariella-kaeslin-retires/
Kaeslin Results
Olympics 2008: 5th on vault and 18th in the All Around
Worlds 2009: Silver on vault and 8th in the All Around
Europeans 2005: 4th vault
Europeans 2006: 6th vault
Europeans 2008: 4th vault
Europeans 2009: Gold on vault and Bronze in the All Around
Europeans 2010: 5th on vault and 6th in AA
Europeans 2011: Bronze on vault and 8th in AA
