MOVE: June 2012

It's almost time!  The 2012 London Olympics are right around the corner!  For the general public (like us), it's something many of us eagerly look forward to every four years.  We love watching our countrymen & women proudly wear our colors as they compete with the best in the world.  Some of us even get a bit consumed, staying awake till all hours of the night, not only hopeful, but many times expecting that USA will be victorious.  We are a proud nation, and LOVE to win!

But once the Olympics are behind us, most of us refocus on what's going on in our lives, thinking little of the "Games" until they come around again four years later.  But what if your life (in many ways) WAS the "Games"?.....

For the last 12 months Pro-Activity has been happily sponsoring the New Jersey New York Track Club, and training 6 of their professional runners who are vying for a spot on the 2012 US Olympic Team.  For the majority of us, the thought of being a professional or Olympic athlete is nothing more than a child's dream, but for many in this group, it has been their sole focus since 2008.  With the Olympics around the corner, we thought our readers may enjoy an inside look at what it takes to pursue the Olympic dream!  And so we snagged a few of the group we train (Julie Culley, Kate Grace, Ashley Higginson, and Stephanie Charnigo) for a quick Q&A.  Click each athletes name for a brief bio.

Pro-Activity:  What is a typical training week like?

Higginson:  "It really depends on the time of year.  While the long-term focus is always on making the US Olympic team, it's important for us to take one step at a time and be at our peak when the time is right.  So we have heavier or lighter training volume depending on what race is coming up, and what we're trying to do in a given race, using each as a stepping stone to the (Olympic) trials in late June.  But a typical week includes about 20 hours a week of physical training...be it running, therapy, strength and core work....but if you take into account the mental preparation and focus that includes nutrition, calls with coach, drug-testing, or just dreaming....it's hard to think of any time during the week that we're not preparing in one way or the other.

Pro-Activity:  What is it like having to train for something with this magnitude and stay focused for four years.

Culley:  "Well, it definitely isn't easy.  As track and field athletes we're not exactly raking in the big bucks like some of our professional athlete counterparts in other sports, so there's always pressure and temptation to get a "real job".  Many of us sacrifice a typical career path, come out of school with lots of loans, and struggle for financial security.  Not only that, but the training and focus consumes your social life, and sometimes we even have to put relationships on hold.  It's tough because it's almost like people don't understand what you're doing and why you're doing it.  It's hard to explain that while it may have been only 2009, I was training for 2012.  It's like there's a disconnect between the Olympic year and the four years in between, as if the olympic year was the first year athletes started training for it...but in actuality, people train almost their whole life for an opportunity like this."

Pro-Activity:  Wait, you said professional athletes struggle financially?  I thought part of the perks of being a professional athlete was having shoe companies sponsor you and take care of things financially?

Grace:  "Well, the "big" shoe contracts in this sport are pretty few and far between.  Sure there are some athletes that are paid pretty well, but for many of us that are newly out of college, especially those of us who went IVY league where they don't give athletic scholarship, we find ourselves in a constant dilemma.  We see our classmates landing incredible jobs right out of school, but our energy has to be turned to training, and not many employers can provide their employees the flexibility, and ability to drop everything for our training.  Which of course makes sense, but adds another thing to juggle for us.

Pro-Activity:  Steph, you had an interesting path to get here...what about you?

Charnigo:  "Ha, yeah, if you say so.  I was just very fortunate.  I chose a school with a great Physical Therapy program and happened to be in a situation where my college coach was good friends with (NJNYTC Coach) Gags.  They talked, and thought I had what it took to take a real shot at the Olympics in 2012, and helped me work it out with my graduate program in PT to take a sabbatical for a year so that I could dedicate all my energy to train here in NJ.  I've just been very lucky to receive such incredible support from the folks back in Ohio, all the coaches and you guys here in NJ."

Pro-Activity:  Sounds like a ton of sacrifice and a ton of work, so why do you do it all?

Culley:  "Personally, I feel like I've been blessed with a gift, and not pursuing it to it's fullest would be a disservice to God who gave it to me, and my family who has supported along the way.  I think I can speak for all of us when I say we get so much self-satisfaction in knowing that we have a clear cut goal, and everyday we wake up with one thing in mind..taking one step closer to achieving it.  I think all people need that sort of thing in their life.  It doesn't have to be the Olympics, but a goal and something to pursue for sure.  

It allows us to feel like we're part of something bigger...on a journey...and an integral part of our nation.  Many of us have military service in our blood lines, and this is an opportunity for us in some way to do our part.  I see an American Flag and I well up with tears of pride.  This is our way of chasing down our American dream, and the fact that we've been given this gift, and have even the chance to represent the greatest country in the world, at the most elite competition in the world, there is nothing greater!"

Higginson - Middle Row, Seated, 3rd from Left

Grace - Back Row, Standing in Middle, White Shirt

Charnigo - Middle Row, Standing 2nd from Right, Black "NJNYTC" Shirt

Culley - Back Row, Standing, 1st from Right

We'd like to take a moment to wish the very best all members of the NJNY Track Club.  We couldn't be more pleased to play a small part in your journey to the Olympics, and will be cheering from NJ!  If you'd like to join us in cheering, please click the link below to RSVP for our "Olympic Trials" viewing parties where we'll be streaming the events live to our BaseCamp 31 facility.

June 25th - 1:50 - 5pm (Steeplechase, 5k, 800m) 

June 28th - 4pm (5k Final)

June 29th - 1pm (Steeplechase Final)

CLICK HERE TO RSVP 

Written by Eric Eisenhart, CPT, PES.  Eric is a Partner and Director of Health & Fitness services with Pro-Activity.  Some of his current client list includes a handful of the professional athletes and Olympic hopefuls pictured above.