Sunday, May 20, 2012

Congratulations Athletes

The feeling this year at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center, where I live and train, is very different than in years past.  This Olympic Training Center is occupied mostly by summer Olympic hopefuls and past summer Olympians.  Many of the athletes are going through their Olympic trial process or have already completed the process.  Some have earned their bid on the 2012 Olympic team and most have not.  It is said that for every one athlete that makes an Olympic team, ten athletes do not.  So while some athletes here are excited and celebrating current success their teammates which often times are their roommates are mourning the realization of a dream unfulfilled. 

It is a lifelong dream for all the athletes at the training center to compete at an Olympic games.  Most athletes have pushed their bodies to the limit daily in hopes that one day they will represent our country on the biggest athletic stage.  A majority of these athletes will never earn that chance and often times we do not take the time to appreciate the effort put into not making the Olympic team.  To me, it is important to remember that making an Olympic Team does not change the person you are.  Our accomplishments do not define our character, our values or how hard we have worked to try and complete our goals.  Each athlete is the same person with or without an Olympic experience.  Just because an Olympic spot was not earned by an athlete, does not mean they put any less effort toward their goals than the athletes that did.  With that said, congratulations to all the athletes who have earned a spot on the 2012 Olympic Team and congratulations to all the athletes who have not!

Sunday, May 6, 2012

oh the pain...

I have been bobsledder for six years now, yet it still surprises me how sore I am every year when training starts again.  Monday starts off with conditioning in the morning followed by a lifting session in the afternoon that includes more squats then I will ever do once I am retired.  Tuesday is more of an active recovery day followed by Wednesday, which is by far my least favorite day.  Wednesday’s lift is incredibly tough and includes deadlifts, hang pulls, RDLs and pull ups.  This last week it took us close to three hours to complete this workout.  By Thursday my body hurts in every possible place and it feels like there is no way I can function let alone complete another workout.  Somehow I find a way to convince my body to move through the day and complete more conditioning and lifting.  This goes on for the rest of the week until Sunday when I get the day off.  It is amazing to me how powerful the mind can be and of course the Aleve my parents sent me helps too! Every morning I wake up and remind myself why I punish my body the way I do.  My desire to be the best in the World pushes me through each workout and helps me to not only work hard but to complete every workout with intensity.