![Picture](/uploads/1/2/3/6/12365113/5860119.jpg?220)
A wrist the size of a fluorescent tube
Student athletes are sought-after candidates; they are often both bright and disciplined. They manage time well. They take direction well. They don't give up easily. If they play a team sport, they learn to get along with all types of people. They are generally not oversensitive to criticism. They can take pressure and still perform well. These traits carry into the workplace and many employers get that. The United States Military Academy has long sought out high school student athletes, especially team captains, believing them to already possess a strong foundation for leadership.
But what about working adult athletes? What about the person who has the self-discipline to make time before/after work to get in shape and stay in shape, or to compete in team sports still, or compete for a new personal best? These adults have a high desire to win and they give everything of themselves, even when the prize is, well, not even a prize... maybe just a feeling of self-satisfaction.
Am I an athlete? By a dictionary definition, yes. I've been working out consistently for 31 years...OK, maybe that's 'just' exercise? But I did play basketball and tennis along the way, and I still run the occasional 5K race... so competition is part of the equation. The word athlete, I learned, derives from the Latin "athlein" meaning to contest for a prize and the Greek "athlos" meaning a contest. I don't look like an athlete necessarily (see picture), but I've set a goal, I've been working towards it for 5 months, and I'm competing against my own doubts and fears. I've dedicated myself to learning about this new sport and sought training from many experienced people, joining two bike clubs in the process.
Shortly, I hope to be invited to interview for a new job at work. I'm ready to be challenged in a new environment and I hope some of the new-found zen that's come from all this riding serves me well. But right now I'm Donkey in the DVD menu of Shrek, jumping up and down, going, "pick me! pick me!"
But what about working adult athletes? What about the person who has the self-discipline to make time before/after work to get in shape and stay in shape, or to compete in team sports still, or compete for a new personal best? These adults have a high desire to win and they give everything of themselves, even when the prize is, well, not even a prize... maybe just a feeling of self-satisfaction.
Am I an athlete? By a dictionary definition, yes. I've been working out consistently for 31 years...OK, maybe that's 'just' exercise? But I did play basketball and tennis along the way, and I still run the occasional 5K race... so competition is part of the equation. The word athlete, I learned, derives from the Latin "athlein" meaning to contest for a prize and the Greek "athlos" meaning a contest. I don't look like an athlete necessarily (see picture), but I've set a goal, I've been working towards it for 5 months, and I'm competing against my own doubts and fears. I've dedicated myself to learning about this new sport and sought training from many experienced people, joining two bike clubs in the process.
Shortly, I hope to be invited to interview for a new job at work. I'm ready to be challenged in a new environment and I hope some of the new-found zen that's come from all this riding serves me well. But right now I'm Donkey in the DVD menu of Shrek, jumping up and down, going, "pick me! pick me!"