Sometimey or Sometimesy

Sometimey or Sometimesy

At a recent New York City Ballet cocktail party, I had the opportunity to talk with a few of the company’s principal dancers. I asked one about her work day. She said that what the audience sees up there at 7:30 pm on the stage is typically their ninth or tenth or thirteenth hour dancing. Since early morning, they have been at it: rehearsing, taking classes, and having private instruction. That’s what the dancers do. Hour after hour. Day after day.

Greatness intrigues me. In all fields. Who’s got it, what it takes and what separates the men from the boys. Talent. Sheer talent. Then there’s the discipline, hard work, and single-mindedness. Then more and more of the same.

I can’t remember if the word he used was sometimey or sometimesy. Venus and Serena Williams’ father told them they could not be great tennis players–great anything–if they did it sometimey or sometimesy. They had to get out there and practice, starting at six am every day and do it whether they felt like it or not.

That’s how it is with greats and contenders. They’re at it. They’re at it. They’re at it. They’re at it. They aren’t sometimey or sometimesy guys and gals.