It’s time to sum up. We’ve seen that the essence of sport competition—testing the outer limits of our muscle machinery to endure, generate power, or finely tune visual-motor events—is intimately connected with the ticking of our internal clocks. And not just one, but many. The mechanisms of these time pieces, crafted by eons of biological evolution, were originally designed for survival. In sport, of course, their meaning has been transformed. For sure, they create personal challenges and fulfillment for the fortunate athletes among us. But, as well, they’ve become a core element of our contemporary culture, all the way from providing vicarious pleasure to those of us watching TV to creating identities for our countries and educational institutions.
We’ve observed that time may be on our side, but when our biological clocks govern motor performance, they often do so at a subconscious level. Still, it is evident that successful athletes can cognitively manipulate the dictates of their clocks through training and competition strategies that can improve sport performance.
So, what better way to summarize than to rewind a personal time machine to the 1965 Rose Bowl game? (That’s got to be clock 1, the one that defines the rise and fall of our physical abilities over the course of a lifetime.) The University of Michigan Wolverines versus the Beavers of Oregon State. It’s 75 degrees F with the San Gabriel Mountains as the backdrop. This sure beats New Year’s Day in Ann Arbor. You’ll find me in section 15, row 10, seat 14. From there, the ticking of all these clocks is, indeed, quite tumultuous.
It’s third down and five at midfield. Quarterback Bob Timberlake breaks the huddle, glances up at the scoreboard. Clock 2 says 2:14 to play. End John Henderson is split out wide to the right. Snap of the ball. Clock 3. The central pattern generator in Henderson’s spinal cord fires the sequential contractions of his leg muscles, driving him down the field. Post pattern. Clock 4. In the brain stem. Turning up the tempo of the spinal cord oscillator. Faster! Faster! Clock 5. The circadian timepiece in the Michigan end’s suprachiasmatic nucleus has tuned itself to a top performance in the late afternoon. Clock 6. His pineal gland is telling the SCN that now is the time. Went right by that defender! He’s all alone, out in the open. Timberlake fires a perfect spiral. Clock 7. In the basal ganglia. Watching. Timing. The ball floating in slow motion. Henderson can see the laces. Arms out for the catch. Clock 8. A flag lies on the turf. Fans, it’s coming back. The 25-second clock had expired. The Wolverines are penalized 5 yards for delay of game. (No matter. Final score: Michigan 34, Oregon State 7.)