Athlete and student: a striking comparison

Rounding a turn near the end of the race, Apolo Ohno’s eighth medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver seemed just within reach. In only a matter of seconds, however, a loss in balance nearly caused him to fall, jeopardizing his chance of achieving the beloved medal that would propel him past Bonnie Blair’s record of six medals in the winter games.  Despite the setback, the race was not over yet, and amazingly, Ohno inched passed his opponents to take home the bronze medal in the 1000-meter short track race.

After watching this race on my grandparents’ television, I sat in wonder of how amazingly good this guy really was and found myself unable to imagine the type of training he had to undergo to perform at such a high level of competition. It wasn’t until later that I got a glimpse of what his training involved. After reading an article in Sports Illustrated and a similar one on www.people.com by Cynthia Wang, I learned some of Ohno’s eating and physical training regime. 

According to his trainer John Schaeffer, Ohno cut his weight from 10 to 2 percent body fat so he could get in proper shape. How did he do it? 

“We were doing not only lifting, dry-land training and pliometrics, but we were also doing treadmill intervals,” Schaeffer explained in the article.  “We logged about 800-900 miles on interval training on a treadmill. That built his anaerobic endurance.” 

Along with this, Schaeffer fixed every meal for Ohno before the Olympics to ensure each nutrient played a specific role in his workout schedule.  Of course, this preparation would have been no small task.

Though the life of an Olympic athlete is completely different from the life of a college student, a parallel can surprisingly be found between the two.  Whether you realize it or not, hard work is a vital part of both individuals. For the athlete, hard work is put in to measure up to the competition of a worldwide event. On the same token, hard work can also apply to the student. For example, diligently studying for a test is hard work because it is necessary for the student to “measure up” to class standards.  Thus, working hard doesn’t have to be limited to physical exertion. It really can be seen in a number of different ways, including academics.

Just as an athlete has a goal which he or she is working toward, so should students have a goal or ambition that motivates them to work hard for what they desire. For some, the motivation could be a prestigious job; for others, good pay. In the article “The Work Ethic, in a Modern Guise” by Joanne B. Ciulla, a study was done involving first-year University of California students. 

Results showed that around 74 percent of males and 70 percent of females sought out a college education for the greater annual check they’d eventually receive in a job.  Though viewed as a negative statistic by some, this initiative could be seen as a motivation for success.  Money isn’t the only reason for a college education, but the hope of a financially stable future may provide a good motivation to work hard in school.

Just as Apolo Ohno’s effort paid off in the Olympic Games through his multi-medal success, so too can your effort pay off in whatever pursuit you are chasing after.  Never let the challenge of a task keep you from accomplishing your goals, for it is the endurance of the challenge that makes the victory so great.  And even without personally knowing an amazing athlete like Ohno, I have a feeling he would tell you the same thing.